2009 All-Star MVP, JD Drew

A quote from JD Drew in Sports Spectrum Magazine:

"I'm just a really simple guy. I come from a small town and a small family. Carrying myself in a Christ-like way is something that's very important in my life. The plan of salvation is so simple, but so many people miss it because they think they can work their way to heaven. That's what I did. I abided by the law and did the things it said. But the simplest thing to do is just to ask God to forgive you and accept His Son [Jesus Christ] as your Savior and believe it with your heart. That's something I didn't do until I was 16."

Josh Hamilton's Story, in his own words

There are many articles about Josh's story. This is the best I've seen. It's the story told by Josh himself, and it is a story of hope for the hopeless.

I'm proud to serve the God of second chances.

"I'm Proof that hope is never Lost"
by Josh Hamilton (ESPN the magazine)

Here's a bonus clip. Prior to being selected to the all-star team, Josh had a dream about home run derby. The dream wasn't about hitting 28 HRs in one round, it was about getting to share Christ on a huge public stage. Here is a little clip where Josh talks about the dream with Harold Reynolds.

Harold with Josh Hamilton on mlb.com

Josh Hamilton's Story on Rome

If you don't know the story, here is a clip from Jim Rome.

Josh Hamilton's Home Run Derby

I've always said what makes a great story is great adversity. America loves stories like Josh's, and last night everyone that watched home run derby was introduced to this great American Story. The greatest thing about what Josh is doing is his humility and honesty throughout all of the attention. He's always giving God the glory.

Josh belted 28 home runs in his first round last night hitting against his 71 year old summer league coach from high school.

As balls disappeared into the New York night last night, heads were turned not only from the power of his swing, but from the power of God in his amazing story.

Well before Yankee stadium was announced to play host to the 2008 All-Star game, Josh said he had a dream about the home run derby. He said, in his dream he didn't remember hitting the balls over the fence, he just remembered having the opportunity to tell everyone about what God had done in his life.

Josh Hamilton: The real reason for his success

A little background info on Josh's story if you are unfamiliar: In 1999, Josh (right out of high school) was the first overall pick in the MLBaseball amateur draft. Two years later, injury and an addiction to drugs had him out of baseball, separated from his family, and living with his grandmother. While using drugs at his grandmother's house, Josh placed his faith in Jesus. A few years since, Josh is probably the brightest star in baseball right now, he's back with his wife and kids, he has beat his addiction to drugs, and he's crediting God for it all every time someone asks about his incredible comeback.

It really is a great story.

Let me first say I love to watch Josh play, and I root for him in the box scores every day I get a chance to check out some scores. I think he is genuine, and I know God is using him for the Kingdom. That being said...

Be careful with confusing his conversion for the real reason Josh is a superstar in the big leagues right now. What is the real reason he's so dang good? Because he's extremely talented. I've heard people say that going into the draft as a high school athlete, Josh had more talent then any scout had seen since Alex Rodriguez.

Common sense would tell us that even someone with this kind of talent would struggle to have success while injured and/or strung out on drugs. Common sense would also tell us that if this player got cleaned up and healthy, he'd probably be pretty stinking good. That is what has happened. Josh did not receive unbelievable baseball abilities the moment he prayed to Jesus.

Should God receive the credit? Absolutely! God gave him great athletic abilities, put him in an environment where his talent was nurtured, and finally God gave Josh victory over the things that were disabling him (drugs & injuries).

The reason for this post is not to diminish the Glory of God in what Josh is doing, but to say, "be careful" to those who've become infatuated with this Christian man's success instead of his faith.

Be careful that you don't start to believe that a true faith in Jesus will make you hit home runs, hit for average, make sick plays in the outfield, and dominate pitchers. God doesn't change your genes when you place your faith in Him. If you were 5 foot nothing before Jesus, you'll probably still be 5 foot nothing once you've met the Savior.

God can do all things, I got it, but remember that He is carrying out His will for us and not granting us our wishes like a genie in a lamp. God's will for your life may include success in business, success in sports, or popularity, but it also may involve cancer, poverty, or persecution. In fact Paul says we should expect to suffer as Christians.

I think especially in sports, people are open to hearing about God because they are looking for an edge. They want good fortune, good luck, and God's favor on the field. It doesn't work that way.

You may be like Job, and have everything taken away from you for the purpose of God proving Himself to be "all you need." You may be like Solomon, and have all the riches and power imaginable for the purpose of God revealing that all of this "stuff" is vanity and unable to satisfy us apart from God. Either way, God is all you need.

God is at work in Josh Hamilton, and He has chosen to use baseball success to bring God glory. God is at work in many others that are bringing God glory by persevering through cancer, depression, learning disabilities, persecution, bullies, slumps, losing seasons, abuse, broken homes, and poverty.

Faith in Jesus is acknowledging that He is all you need. Faith in Jesus is not a rabbit's foot that will bring you good luck.

Summer Baseball Camp - Flagstaff, AZ

June 29th-July 2nd

Location: NAU for housing and dining, Flagstaff High School baseball field
Transportation: Included from Phoenix or Tucson

What you get: 6 practices over 4 days, all meals, dorm rooms, t-shirt, FCA Bible, and FCA Lanyard

Speaker: Darren Carrington, current pastor at The Rock Church in San Diego, CA. Darren is a former NFL safety and will be sharing a message of hope and inspiration in our 3 evening programs.

Baseball Staff:

Bill Berger, Head clinician: Coach Berger was an All-American 2b for ASU in 1972. He was drafted and signed with the California Angels. Bill coached high school baseball in the Arizona for 26 years at Coronado, Saguaro, and Desert Mountain. Coach Berger was inducted into the Scottsdale Sports Hall-of-Fame for his excellence on the baseball field as a player and coach.

Doug Jones, Pitching coach: former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 16-year career from 1982, 1986-2000. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, and the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs . His 303 career saves ranked 12th in major league history upon his retirement, and his 846 career appearances ranked 21st. He held the Indians' all-time record for saves with 129 until Bob Wickman broke it in 2006. A changeup specialist. He was elected to the American League All-Star team 3 times (1988, 1989 and 1990) and to the National League All-Star team twice (1992 and 1994).

George Arias, Infield/Hitting coach: Arias was drafted by the California Angels in the seventh round of the 1993 draft after graduating from the University of Arizona. He made his Major League debut in 1996. Coach Arias was a power-hitting infielder that had success at the college level, the major leagues, and in Japan.

Clay Klavitter, Catching/Hitting coach: Clay is currently the head varsity baseball coach at Cortez High School. Clay brings a wealth of knowledge of hitting and catching to our camp and we are excited to benefit from His passion for coaching baseball and His passion for Christ. Clay was drafted twice out of Glendale Community College and signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1990.

Huddle Leaders are college baseball players that will coach on the field and lead small group discussions off the field. Each camper will be assigned a huddle group made up of 10 campers and a leader.

Cost of Camp: FCA is a non-profit organization who's camps are run by volunteers. All of our coaches and huddle leaders are in Flagstaff for the purpose of serving the kids. FCA does not pay the camp staff, but does pay for the expenses of each coach and his family to come up and stay with us at NAU. Between the cost of transportation, meals, rooms, coaches, families, speakers, guests, t-shirts, Bibles, and the use of NAU's facilities the cost is $395.

Scholarship: Partial scholarships are available to athletes that need assistance. Don't let money be the reason that you don't attend this camp!

Information: www.azfca.org/camps or contact Brian at bberger@fca.org.

Josh Hamilton and wife to hold Q&A session

Outfielder to discuss recovery with fans after Sunday's game
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com


ARLINGTON -- Josh Hamilton and his wife, Katie, and Baseball Chapel representative John Dee Spicer will be speaking with fans and answering questions after Sunday's game with the Athletics at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. [read more]

AZ FCA Summer Sports Camp

The Flagstaff camp is coming soon!
June 29th - July 2nd.

This truly is an experience you will never forget. Every day, it seems I have a parent or player tell me about the life-change that occurred at FCA camp.

Speaker: Darren Carrington, played 8 years in NFL and in 2 Super Bowls. Currently, the high school pastor at the Rock Church in San Diego, CA. Awesome gift to connect with young kids, we are blessed to have him!

Sports:
Boys-Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Wrestling.
Girls-Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball.

Staff Includes:
Vic Shealy, UNLV Football coach
Ray Perkins, Former NFL
Russ Pennel, U of A Men's Basketball (penciled in)
George Arias, Former MLB Infielder
Doug Jones, Former MLB Pitcher
John Petty, Cal. Baptist head wrestling coach
R.C. LaHaye, Grand Canyon Univ. head wrestling coach
Dan Payne, former Northern Arizona Univ. head wrestling coach
Trent May, Grand Canyon Univ. head women's basketball coach
Jill Mahoney, Grand Canyon Univ. women's basketball coach
Mark Lumley, Baylor Univ. softball coach

Plus college athletes: ASU, UofA, NAU, Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon
Plus great high school coaches from around Arizona.

See what you get:
6 on-field practice sessions over 4 days
3 nights stay in NAU dorms
3 evening programs
Speakers
Panel Discussions
Buzz groups
Music
Videos
Games
Huddle groups (lead by college athlete)
All meals included at dining hall
Transportation from Tucson and Phoenix provided
FCA Bible
Camp T-shirt
New relationships
Unforgettable experience!


Students Ages:
7th graders through seniors in High School

Scholarships Available:
Don't let money get in the way of you going to camp. Applications are available for special cases of need for financial assistance. Cost of camp is $395

See more about this camp:
www.azfca.org/camps
bberger@fca.org
602.264.8575

Andy Pettitte: Putting His Faith in Telling the Truth

He said he volunteered that his father had supplied H.G.H., even though Pettitte had withheld that from the Mitchell investigators. He and his wife had prayed about it, and came up with Romans 13:1-5, in which Paul spoke about a Christian’s relationship to civil government: “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”

...read the entire article in the New York Times

Did you know?

Jackie Robinson is a hero. I wish I could have seen him play in person.

Did you know that Branch Rickey, the owner that broke the color barrier by signing Jackie, was also one of the original founders of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes back in 1954?



An excerpt from an article in Gale, CENGAGE learning

Before he decided on Robinson, Rickey, a devout Christian, and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, had searched nationwide for the ideal African American man, one talented enough to play on major league teams and well-enough adjusted within himself to withstand the attacks sure to come in the racially prejudiced setting. Rickey had scouted Robinson with the Monarchs and was impressed enough to meet with him for a personal assessment.

Rickey interrogated Robinson extensively for three hours on August 28, 1945. In a dramatization of hotel, restaurant, and game situations, he glared at Robinson, shouting demeaning words and phrases while observing his reactions. At the end he quoted the Biblical passage that advises turning the other cheek. Satisfied that Robinson met the tests of ability, stamina, and tolerance, Rickey exacted a promise of extreme patience and forbearance for three years, then offered him a contract. On October 23, 1945, Rickey made the historic announcement that Jackie Robinson, a black man, would play for the Montreal Royals, the minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Satchel Paige gave a ringing endorsement of Robinson as the best possible selection for "The Noble Experiment."

Around the Horn

Three Christian baseball players break it down. Great article.
Click Here

Colorado Rockies

Baseball's Rockies seek revival on two levels (click on Title to read entire article)
By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY

On the field, the Rockies are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and only the second time in their 14-year history. Behind the scenes, they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success.

Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

Hamilton welcome addition to Rangers
Five-tool center fielder credits faith for renewed success
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

The growing feeling in the desert is Hamilton could be on the verge of the kind of player the Devil Rays had envisioned when they made him the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft. That was before Hamilton's perilous plunge beyond personal purgatory, first with injuries and then the death-like grip of an insidious drug addiction that had him on the brink of complete self-destruction.

There was a point where most people felt comfortable saying they would never expect to see Hamilton on a baseball field again. They were wrong. Giving all credit to his family, his support system, and renewed and unswerving faith in God, Hamilton is back in center field where he belongs, and not the gutters of life.

"It's like He's standing beside me, plugged into me," Hamilton said. "I'm not one of those guys who talks about God because it sounds good. It's because He changed my life. One thing I keep in mind first thing in the morning is no matter what I do, the Man upstairs already knows what will happen.

"All I can do is play to the best of my ability and have fun. If I strike out or make an error, I will know in my heart that I at least did my best. That's the way I looked at it last year whether I went 4-for-4 or 0-for-4."

Here's a video interview with Josh:

mlb.com interview with Josh Hamilton

Mike Sweeney, DH, Oakland A's

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Mat 5:16

My friends and I went to a K.C. Royals game one night while we were spending the summer in Kansas City. The game was delayed because a couple groups of stadium lights were out. Players and coaches were just kind of standing around in their dugouts. Some were talking to guys on the other team, some were sitting in chairs facing the crowd watching the fans, others retreated down into the clubhouse to relax, and a few actually walked around and chatted with some of the fans.

My friends and I were enjoying watching the interaction probably as much as we would have enjoyed the game if it were being played. One of my friends pointed out one of the Royals players and said, "That dudes a Christian." I asked him how he knew that, and he told me, "Just look at him."

We focused in on this one player for the remainder of the delay. He took some time to chat with fans and he took a trip to the other dugout to talk with some of their guys. He wasn't doing anything that would make him obvious as a Christian. He smiled a lot and he seemed genuinely interested in everyone that he was chatting with, whether it was a little boy in the stands, a teammate, or a player from the opposing team. There was definitely something different about this guy as we compared him to the other players. It made me think: if someone was watching me, would they guess that I was a Christian?

Later that summer my friend showed me an FCA: Sharing the Victory Magazine and pointed out Mike Sweeney from the K.C. Royals. That's our dude, he was a Christian.

As I read Jesus's sermon in Mathew chapter 5 and I hear, "let your light shine before men..." I always think of Mike Sweeney of the Royals. He stood out. He was shining before men.

Video of Mike Sweeney's last game in Kansas City.
Video interview with Sweeney at A's spring training camp.