I'm a cypher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce. Also, my name is Kev and I own this here website.
The following is a repost of an entry titled A Christian Warrior I wrote on August 1, 2006. John Smoltz, the inspiration for that post, announced yesterday he is undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. At age 41, this very well could be the end of his career.
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 have to 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 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. I followed the team religiously. Players came and went, but Smoltz remained a constant.
In high school, I found out he was a Christian. At 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 job or a new pair of glasses. 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 groaned on several occasions over the years after Smoltz, a pitcher with mediocre hitting abilities, would get a base hit because they knew 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 been an exception. And he 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.
If this is indeed the end, thanks for the memories, John. My apologies to everyone for the serious, humorless post. I will bring back the funny tomorrow.
;-) 6.5.08 at 2:52 pm:
Wow, this is amazing. I didn’t know all that about him – I vaguely remember reading this post the first time around, but forgot about it. It’s pretty sad when athletes call themselves “Christians” but then make no effort to actually walk the walk. It’s almost like they do it to be popular.
God bless John Smoltz!!
;-) 6.5.08 at 5:43 pm:
Hmm. I wonder where he is these days. Those who break up their young families through divorce aren’t typically known as Christian warriors. Suffice it to say that I was thoroughly disappointed when that was announced last year. I wish him all the best.
;-) 6.5.08 at 7:08 pm:
The guy’s incredible. One of the best change ups in the history of the game and clean as a whistle. He’s a living legend and should be honored as such…HOWEVER!!! (Sports guy emerging….RAWWWWWRRRR) We all know that that won’t happen. The only athletes are the ones who open their mouths and get into trouble. IE: Chad Johnson, Pac Man Jones, John Rocker, Ron Artest….the list goes on. Well done for giving John Smoltz credit, the good guys rarely get it
;-) 6.5.08 at 8:46 pm:
I’m sorry to hear John Smoltz is perhaps facing the end of his career. I’m not a sports fan per se but I am from the Atlanta area originally and EVERYONE in my house loves the Braves. We are also Christians and we admire John Smoltz for his testimony. And thank God we do not have to be perfect; it is enough that we are forgiven. Thanks for that great post, Kev.
;-) 6.5.08 at 8:56 pm:
Too true, and I fear my comment came across too uncharitably. My original intent was just to wonder aloud how he’s doing emotionally and spiritually in recent times: the breakup of his family and the end of his career have got to be taking a toll on him, and given his legendary competitive nature I doubt he feels too lionish lately.
;-) 6.5.08 at 9:33 pm:
Hardest thing in the world for them. Most people don’t understand how hard it is on an athlete when he realizes he’s getting too old for the game…They call it dying the second death
;-) 6.6.08 at 9:54 am:
Thanks for the comments, guys. In his press conference, Smoltz maintained he did not want to retire. Of course, what the doctors find when they operate on his shoulder will obviously play a big role in whether or not he wants to put in the time in rehab to return. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
@Steve: I understood what you were saying. Honestly, I keep forgetting about his divorce. I think this is partly due to the fact he’s taken on a larger-than-life persona in my mind, but also because literally no details of the divorce have been revealed to the public. Did he do something wrong? Did she do something wrong? Did he want to stay together, but she didn’t want to? I guess since we don’t know, my brain has tricked itself into forgetting it even happened. I want to believe it was all out of his control.
;-) 6.11.08 at 8:28 pm:
I’m not a big sports fan but I admire people with passion and integrity. It’s always weird getting serious on a humor blog, thanks for sharing a good story.
;-) 7.10.08 at 10:59 am:
[...] my regular readers know and loath, I am a baseball fan. Occasionally, I like to blog about the sport. This is another fact known and loathed by my readers. As a regular reader once e-mailed me, [...]
;-) 7.12.08 at 1:56 am:
I was an avid Braves fan until the strike in the mid=nineties. Smoltz was one if not my absolute favorite Braves player. I remember when he struggled in the 1991 season (I think that’s right) and then came back in the latter half to help the team win the division and go on to the world series.
He lost all of my respect though during the strike. He made a comment that people didn’t understand what the players went through having to leave their families to be on the road etc etc. The fans owed him is basically what he said.
Well, you know what? Screw you, John Smoltz. I am married to an Engineer who travels as much if not more than you do Mr. Smoltz and he doesn’t make the millions of dollars that you do. His brains support his family and not his ‘athletic talent’. My Engineer and I have been married for 24 years and will be forever.
So, you can strike all you want, but maybe a few million dollars less would have kept your family together. Or, maybe it may have just been your self-centered holier than thou attitude that broke the marriage up.
;-) 7.12.08 at 2:02 am:
Oh, and one more thing John. Without the fans you wouldn’t have a job.