I don't know what the big deal is. KC has been doing this for several years - like that's helped. :rolleyes:


The Rockies Pitch Religion
Southpaw by Dave Zirin
[posted online on June 2, 2006]

In Colorado, there stands a holy shrine called Coors Field. On this site, named for the holiest of beers, a team plays that has been chosen by Jesus Christ himself to play .500 baseball in the National League West. And if you don't believe me, just ask the manager, the general manager and the team's owner.

In a remarkable article from Wednesday's USA Today, the Colorado Rockies went public with the news that the organization has been explicitly looking for players with "character." And according to the Tribe of Coors, "character" means accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior. "We're nervous, to be honest with you," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "It's the first time we ever talked about these issues publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend anyone because of our beliefs." When people are nervous that they will offend you with their beliefs, it's usually because their beliefs are offensive.

As Rockies chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort said, "We had to go to hell and back to know where the Holy Grail is. We went through a tough time and took a lot of arrows."

Club president Keli McGregor chimed in, "Who knows where we go from here? The ability to handle success will be a big part of the story, too. [Note to McGregor: You're in fourth place.] There will be distractions. There will be things that can change people. But we truly do have something going on here. And [God's] using us in a powerful way."

Well, someone is using somebody, but it ain't God. San Francisco Giants first baseman-outfielder Mark Sweeney, who spent 2003 and 2004 with the Rockies, said, "You wonder if some people are going along with it just to keep their jobs. Look, I pray every day. I have faith. It's always been part of my life. But I don't want something forced on me. Do they really have to check to see whether I have a Playboy in my locker?"

Then there is manager Clint Hurdle and GM O'Dowd. Hurdle, who has guided the team to a Philistine 302-376 record since 2002, as well as fourth or fifth place finishes every year, was rewarded with a 2007 contract extension in the off-season. Hurdle also claims he became a Christian three years ago and says, "We're not going to hide it. We're not going to deny it. This is who we are."

O'Dowd, who also received a contract extension, believes that their 27-26 2006 record has resulted from the active intervention of the Almighty. "You look at things that have happened to us this year. You look at some of the moves we made and didn't make. You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this." Or maybe the management that prays together gets paid together.

O'Dowd and company bend over backward in the article to say they are "tolerant" of other views on the club, but that's contradicted by statements like this from CEO Monfort: "I don't want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing those." Assumedly, Shawn Green (Jew), Ichiro Suzuki (Shinto) or any of the godless players from Cuba don't have the "character" Monfort is looking for.

Also, there are only two African-American players on the Rockies active roster. Is this because Monfort doesn't think black players have character? Does the organization endorse the statement of its stadium's namesake, William Coors, who told a group of black businessmen in 1984 that Africans "lack the intellectual capacity to succeed, and it's taking them down the tubes"? These are admittedly difficult questions. But these are the questions that need to be posed when the wafting odor of discrimination clouds the air.

Then there are the fans. I spoke with journalist Tom Krattenmaker, who has studied the connection between religion and sports. Krattenmaker said, "I have concerns about what this Christianization of the Rockies means for the community that supports the team in and around Denver--a community in which evangelical Christians are probably a minority, albeit a large and influential one. Taxpayers and ticket-buyers in a religiously diverse community have a right not to see their team--a quasi-public resource--used for the purpose of advancing a specific form of religion. Have the Colorado Rockies become a faith-based organization? This can be particularly problematic when the religion in question is one that makes exclusive claims and sometimes denigrates the validity of other belief systems."

You might think MLB Commissioner Bud Selig would have something stirring to say about this issue. But Selig, who hasn't actually registered a pulse since 1994, only said meekly, "They have to do what they feel is right."

It's not surprising that Selig would play it soft. First and foremost, Bud's First Commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Criticize the Owners. Second, Selig and Major League Baseball this year are experimenting for the first time with Faith Days at the Park. As if last season's Military Appreciation Nights weren't enough, the New York Times reported yesterday that this summer "religious promotions will hit Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves are planning three Faith Days this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks one. The Florida Marlins have tentatively scheduled a Faith Night for September." These religious promotions are attractive to owners because they leverage a market of evangelical Christians who are accustomed to mass worship in stadiums at events staged by sports-driven proselytizers like Promise Keepers and Athletes in Action.

As part of the MLB promotion, the Times reports, "local churches will get discounted tickets to family-friendly evenings of music and sports with a Christian theme. And in return, they mobilize their vast infrastructure of e-mail and phone lists, youth programs and chaperones, and of course their bus fleets, to help fill the stands."

At one of the Faith Days in Atlanta, the team will sell special vouchers. After the game, the stands will be cleared and then only those with the specially purchased vouchers will be re-admitted. Those lucky chosen "will be treated to an hour and a half of Christian music and a testimonial from the ace pitcher John Smoltz." Smoltz is the player who in 2004 opined on gay marriage to the Associated Press, saying, "What's next? Marrying an animal?" Good times for the whole family.

The Rockies right now are a noxious reflection of a time in US history when generals speak of crusades and the President recounts his personal conversations with Yahweh. ("You're doing a heckuva job, Goddy!")

If Monfort, O'Dowd and Hurdle want to pray on their own time, more power to them. But the ballpark isn't a church. Smoltz isn't a preacher. And fans aren't a flock. Instead of using their position of commercial power to field a God Squad, the Rockies might want to think about getting some decent players. There was once this guy named Babe Ruth. Not too much for the religion, and his character was less than sterling. But I hear he could play some decent ball.

I'm sure Faith Day at those parks will be held without selling any beer.

And then you have the team from St. Louis...the Flying RED Devil Rats, whom must have cut a deal with Satan himself for sending them Albert Pujols.

:lol:
As far as I know, there's no prohibition on the buying or selling of beer (or the hard liquor that's also sold) at the KC Royals "Christian Family Day" game. The game is on a Saturday night, so you wouldn't want to cut into the big, drunken bucks too much. In the Royal's defense, they don't limit the post-game Christian concert to only the "chosen" - like Atlanta. ;)

Omaha does the same thing. I can't attest to the atmosphere at either park during these faith/Christian events since our ticket packages have never included these nights. I like my beer with my ballgames and I like my fellow fans to want to be there to watch the game (so I'm often disappointed with that one, but less than when half the crowd got their tickets for free).


As for the flying red devil rats....not enough live sacrifices since he's on the DL now? :evil:

A disclaimer: I am a Christian (sometimes struggling). I feel highly repulsed by businesses and politicians that attempt to use Christianity to make money or win votes. In the version of Christianity that I was brought up in, people shouldn't know that you're a Christian because you continuously tell them how good of a Christian you are. People should know you're a Christian because of your actions. If you have to repeatedly tell someone that you're a good Christian, you must not be.

Maybe I should get a "Cubs Fan for Christ - WTF????" sign to hold up when I'm at Coors next week.

Now - on to the funny. ;)

The Craziest F'n Baseball Story You'll Read This Year
Eric J. Weiner
06.08.2006

They say pitching wins baseball games. But if you ask the Colorado Rockies, accepting Jesus Christ may be more important.

The Rockies, perennial also-rans in the National League, have been one of the surprises of this young baseball season with their relatively competitive play. So last week, the team's management came out of the closet (so to speak) and acknowledged their secret to USA Today sportswriter Bob Nightengale.


It turns out the Rockies operate on a Christian code of conduct and with the belief that faith in Jesus Christ will translate into wins on the field.

You may think this is a joke, but unfortunately it's not. If you're at all intrigued by this bizarre conflation of religion and national pastime I strongly recommend that you check out the full story here. But for the time deprived, the money quote comes courtesy of Charlie Monfort, Rockies chairman and CEO and a reformed hard partier who spent 18 months on probation for drunk driving before becoming a serious Christian three years ago:

"We started to go after character six or seven years ago, but we didn't follow that like we should have. I don't want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing those."

Holy crap! It's enough to make me thank God I'm a Bronx-born Yankees fan...and a Jew.

I wonder if Monfort could enlighten us as to exactly which character tests Christians have "endured" in this country to make them stronger than people of other faiths? And exactly what does any of that have to do with winning baseball games?

Now in case you think Monfort might've been speaking for himself and not the team, here's manager and fellow devout Christian Clint Hurdle chipping in with his two cents: "We're not going to hide it. We're not going to deny it. This is who we are."

Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd, who has to go out and actually sign people to play on the team, told Nightengale there isn't a Christian litmus test on his club, but that "we try to do the best job we can to get people with the right sense of moral values." O'Dowd also was nervous about going public with the team's Christian focus. "It's the first time we ever talked about these issues publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend anyone because of our beliefs."

Monfort, O'Dowd and Hurdle are dead right to worry that they'll offend people with their stated beliefs. Wanting to build a team of players with outstanding moral fiber, a team of community leaders and role models, is a worthy goal. But by connecting that ideal moral character with practicing Christianity the Rockies have set up an "us-against-them" scenario that leaves a lot of people - fans as well as players - feeling like outsiders.

First, there's the ludicrous holier-than-thou hypocrisy in their statements. Early in my career I spent time as a sportswriter, and just about every athlete and coach I spoke to would accept Satan as a teammate if they thought he'd help them win and be good in the locker room. I suspect that's also the case with the Rockies, despite the religious bluster. I mean, this is the team that over the winter signed Jose Mesa, a 39-year-old relief pitcher who earlier in his career stood trial on rape and gun charges. Mesa was acquitted in a Cleveland court, but nobody will ever describe the guy as a choirboy.

And then there's the self-righteous way the Rockies link being an evangelical or outwardly practicing Christian with possessing "the right sense of moral values." Obviously the vast majority of big league baseball players identify themselves as Christians. Sure a number of professional athletes, particularly in the NBA, are members of the Nation of Islam. But the list of great Jewish athletic heroes would fill a small pamphlet, and there aren't too many Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, and so on, out there either.

So are the Rockies saying that only Christian players who wear their Christianity on their sleeves have the appropriate kind of values? And by extension, are they also saying that those values make these players superior to their competitors?

When the Yankees were winning World Series in the late '90s pitcher Andy Pettitte spoke openly about the strength of his faith. But I don't remember starters David Cone and David Wells ever discussing their relationship with Jesus. Rather, Cone and Wells, Christians both, enjoyed partying with the latest celebrities to swing through town and made frequent appearances in Page Six and the other local gossip columns. On the field, Cone, Wells and Pettitte were terrific players. But we're supposed to accept that because of his religious fervor and moral rectitude Pettitte had a stronger character and therefore was the better pitcher? Cone and Wells both tossed perfect games in pinstripes. Yet God was on Pettitte's side?

Of course, what's most galling about all this is the Rockies' cynical use of religion to create an identity for a franchise that's been devoid of personality since its inception in 1993. The Rockies have reached the playoffs just once in their history. Over 14 seasons they've lost many more games than they've won. And now, even with their supposed resurgence, they're still languishing in last place in the National League West, with a record that's once again below .500.

As you'd expect, the team's uninspiring performance over the past several years has resulted in lackluster crowds at Denver's Coors Field. Attendance reached a high of 3.9 million in 1996 and 1997. But by last year it had fallen to just 1.9 million, the third worst total among the 16 teams in the National League.

In all likelihood, the Rockies' plummeting attendance figures, more than anything else, are driving their public embrace of Christianity. It's doubtful that playing the God card will make the team more competitive on the field. But it could be an effective marketing tool to build fan loyalty in an area that has no baseball tradition, creating natural bridges to ticket-buying church and prayer groups throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Then again, the scheme also could backfire. As far as I know, there's no evidence that practicing Christians follow baseball particularly closely. In the areas of this country where evangelical Christianity is most influential - the Southeast and Southwest - NASCAR and college football are much more popular than baseball. So just because the Rockies are openly discussing their Christian principles, it doesn't mean that Christians in the area will flock to the team. Plus, the Rockies run the risk of alienating many other potential fans in the Denver area who find the religious posturing to be wildly inappropriate.

Hell, for all we know Jesus himself may have been turned off by all of Colorado's holy chatter. The Rockies did drop four straight games after the story appeared in USA Today. Perhaps God didn't appreciate being publicly linked to a bunch of losers.

Amen to that.

I guess the Rockies won't be bringing Denny Neagle back anytime soon. :lol:

Or bring in Shawn Green for that matter. :blink:

"Maybe I should get a "Cubs Fan for Christ - WTF????" sign to hold up when I'm at Coors next week."

Dear DC, It certainly couldn't hurt. However, I agree wholeheartedly with you.

Ok, I'm going to touch on this pet peeve of mine very briefly. Then I'm going to let it die a sure and swift death.

Christ would certainly be ashamed of the religion generally practiced in his name today.

During the earthly ministry of Jesus what did he do? He fed people. He healed people. He ministered to their physical needs first. THEN he preached and ministered to their souls.

Today, what many of the mainstream demonimations seem to be burdened with is simply building bigger shrines, more tv towers and solely "spreading the word". Let's minister to peoples earthly needs first. Clothing. Shelter. Food. Medicine. If Christianity had this as their primary and steadfast concern overall, it would be the major World religion today. In fact, this would be true for any faith.

As it is, we have centuries upon centuries of poverty, greed, famine, racism, war, murder and even torture, instead. Man is more of an ignorant animal than the nobel creature he often imagines himself instead. It's our nature to feel that we have cornered the market place of truth. Sadly, it's also our nature to be intolerant to other people's life experiences and inner truths as well. :(

Yes, let's all practice what we preach FIRST! Peace to all of my Cub fans in Christ. ;) I'm out. Cle