It doesn’t really matter what I gain or lose on this earth because nothing compares to this promise He has given me. I am experiencing the sheer pleasure of once being lost and now being found. – John Smoltz

Normally, when someone asks you to name your favorite athlete, celebrity or role model; you give three different answers. I can give one answer.

When I was old enough to follow sports and know what was going on and why, John Smoltz was beginning his baseball career with the Atlanta Braves. In 1989, the team was awful. Smoltz, in only his second season at the age of 22, was the team’s lone bright spot. I remember walking down the driveway of our home in Winder, GA to get the newspaper and reading how he had made the All-Star Team. In the years that followed, the team got better and became a dynasty. As I grew older, my love for the game grew as well. I followed the team religiously. Players came and went, but Smoltz remained a constant.

In high school, I found out he was a Christian. After that point, my admiration for him reached a new level. Smoltz did not fit the profile the world typically associates with a “Christian.” He was fiery, competitive and intense. He never backed down and he had no problems letting an umpire know if he should get a new glasses or contacts prescription. He had to be the best at everything — whether it was playing golf, a video game, or a contest to see who could blow the biggest bubble of chewing gum. The radio and television announcers for the Braves have commented on several occasions over the years after Smoltz, a pitcher with mediocre hitting abilities, would get a base hit that the plane ride home would be a long one. They knew John would be talking about his hit the entire trip.

In a sport where players are mired in scandal, are rude to fans, cheat on their wives and worse, John has never shied away from sharing his faith. This past Thursday, on July 27, 2006, Smoltz was the featured speaker for the first Faith Day in the history of major league baseball. After an afternoon game against the Florida Marlins, Smoltz shared his testimony to a stadium of fans.

Baseball is a sport where it’s often in a player’s best interest not to let people know what he thinks or believes. Letting people know whether you are a Republican or Democrat will alienate half your fans. Letting people know where you stand on the War in Iraq will have the same effect. In Smoltz’s case, unapologetically declaring you are a Christian and witnessing to believers and nonbelievers alike will be met with strong reactions one way or another. Smoltz doesn’t care.

Now 38, Smoltz’s time in baseball is winding down. He’s still a great player, but sooner rather than later his time will come. His retirement or — worse — his leaving the Braves to go to another team will be one of my saddest days. His career has spanned the childhood, teenage, and early adult years of my life. To me, he is the Atlanta Braves. I’ll never look at them the same way once he’s gone.

Originally posted on August 1, 2006 at my Xanga.

While it originally debuted on my blog, this article was later published by Associated Content on July 13, 2007. You can go read it here.