Pete Rose was as exciting to watch as any player in my lifetime. If you saw him play, you knew he was going to play with the intensity of a linebacker and yet with the finesse of a fly fisherman, who can place a light hand-made fly on a leaf floating along a rapid river. I saw Rose take out a catcher, spike the baseball after the final out of an inning at first base, run like he was being pursued, and come in and out of the park like he had somewhere important to go. "Charlie Hustle" was an obvious nickname.
Yet he is haunted, and I hate it. If you divide his talent and success on the field by three players, you have three all-stars who qualify for the Hall of Fame, but Rose is haunted by the fatal sin in baseball, gambling on the game. Gambling on the game while playing, managing, being under investigation, and now supposedly even while supposed to be rehabbing his character to finally gain access to the Hall. As much as I love Rose, the player, it aggravates me that he callously refuses to admit his problem and learn to deal with it. Instead, he almost taunts baseball, including a commercial during the Super Bowl when he was "in the hall" even though he's not supposed to be "in the hall." A friend of mine said it was funny. I said it smacked of arrogance.
The new commissioner of baseball ruled this week writing, "Mr. Rose's public and private comments, including his initial admission in 2004, provide me with little confidence that he has a mature understanding of his wrongful conduct, that he has accepted full responsibility for it, or that he understands the damage he has caused." (ESPN 12/14/15)
As much as I'm a baseball purist, and as much as a potential great has a stained reputation, I realize as I sit and watch Rose that I'm glad it is him and not me. How would I stand if my life had the public viewing his does? Personally, I'm glad I'm a private citizen, and that my life isn't displayed for public consumption. Yeah, but Rose signed onto that when he became a major league player, you might say. Are you kidding? In the era he signed to play they had one game per week on television, didn't delve into player's lives and put them on display, have 24/7 sports' news on several networks, have the internet, blogs, and other such media. In addition, the public didn't seem to have the appetite for such news as it does now either. Mantle and Mays suffered a minor ban for working in Vegas that was known but quietly reported during those years.
Christ came into this world to save us from ourselves. Our arrogance in our successes, our arrogance in our weaknesses, and our arrogance in our refusal to admit wrong-doing or to do so begrudgingly because we were caught in spite of the fact that God not only sees all, but knows what is on our heart. "Joseph went there (Bethlehem) to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 3:5 - 7)
A baby came to save us from ourselves. A baby is our king. We pray a prayer of thanksgiving that Christ came into this world to save us from ourselves and our inability to overcome our sin.
Hope Men's Ministry
No comments:
Post a Comment