I’m a baseball fan.

But I used to be an addict. I played it for fun with buddies, I played it in elementary, high school, and college. I frittered away hours and days as a kid playing baseball video games I had saved up for months to buy. The part of my allowance that I didn’t spend on baseball video games, I spent on baseball cards—the kind with the stick of gum (an aptly named stick of gum, mind you). Still have about 14 shoeboxes full of my card collection that I’ve already promised my son–once I die.

I grew up a Minnesota Twins fan, and therefore can rattle off the names and meaningful statistics of any of our starting lineups from 1987-2009. This is data that is consuming valuable (and sparse) storage space in my cranium. But it can’t be overwritten.

Then I moved to St. Louis, and I’ve fully embraced the Cardinals as “my team,” (though I’m predicting a Twins v.s. Cards World Series). At work, we had a “Cardinals Food Day” on the day of the Cards’ home opener. Everyone on my floor brought a baseball-themed food item to share, and the energy of the day was accentuated by our company declaring it a “business casual day,” so we all wore our comfy polos and khakis to the office.

It all seemed innocent, until I heard somebody call Albert Pujols “The Christ,” referred to Busch Stadium as “church,” and baseball their “cleansing religion.” I suppose even that didn’t faze me until I noticed my son’s bedroom adorned with massive Pujols and Joe Mauer posters (which I had bought for him)…the posters take up nearly an entire wall, while a small cross no larger than a wallet hangs over his lightswitch. Even the bookmark in my Bible is a Cardinals ticket.

What if we were as passionate about our faith, Christ’s love, and the miracle of everything around us as we were about our sports? Consider this:

• On autumnal Sunday mornings, about 150 million men across the country sit in their pew and nervously glance at their watch, hoping they can get home in time for kickoff.
• I’d feel more comfortable wearing a Cubs jersey to a Cards game than a shirt declaring Christ the only way to eternal life.
• I can quote the rosters and statistics for multiple teams in multiple sports verbatim, but would struggle to quote more than 10 Bible verses.
• I could spend (and have) an hour a day conjuring up possible trade proposals and lineup changes for my fantasy football team, but “just don’t have the time” to read God’s Word.

I’m not anti-sports by any means…but seeing Cardinal jerseys, hats, jewelry, bumper stickers, and tattoos everywhere in this town made me beg the question: Am I as passionate a fan of my Creator, as I am of all that He’s created? And if God is my personal version of Tony LaRussa, will my performance on “the field” warrant one of those emotional manager/player hugs at the end of the game?

Related Stuff:

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God

When God Doesn't Make Sense

Out Of My Hands

Dr. James Dobson on Parenting

Bringing up Boys

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