You may have heard the news this past week about the tragic death of a young baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim named Nick Adenhart. He was killed late one evening in a hit-and-run accident on the same night in which he had fulfilled a lifelong dream of pitching in the “major leagues”. Adenhart was only 22 years old. Shortly before his season debut, Nick had called his dad and said, “You’d better come. Something special is going to happen”. Something special did. The rookie pitcher shut-out the Oakland Athletics for six innings in his first “big league start”. Although the Angels eventually lost the game (after it was turned over to their bullpen), Nick’s teammates, managers, and the media all spoke of the great game he had pitched and the hard work he had done this past year to reach his goal. The news of the accident came as a shock to everyone. No one expects that to happen to a young person who is on the verge of living the dream of a lifetime. However, death is no respecter of persons.
While you may have heard about Adenhart’s death, you may not have heard about the death of a former major league baseball pitcher who had lived out a dream similar to Adenhart’s. Former Detroit Tiger pitcher, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was found dead this week in an apparent accident involving a truck used in his hauling business. He was 54. Fidrych was nicknamed “The Bird” because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the popular children’s television show, Sesame Street. Mark was tall and gangly with long, curly, blonde hair. He had a gregarious personality as well as many endearing eccentricities.
I had the privilege of attending the very first game that Fidrych pitched at Tiger Stadium. What a memorable experience for a teenager! It was the summer of 1976 and just happened to be the once-a-summer trip I made to Tiger Stadium back then. The young pitcher on the mound that day seemed very different than the Mickey Lolichs, Denny McClains, and John Hillers that had dominated from that “holy hill” before.
In between innings, Fidrych was down on his hands and knees patting the dirt on the mound. In the middle of an inning, you might see him running around the infield high-fiving his teammates when they made good defensive plays. I found out later that he was actually “talking to the baseball” before he pitched it. “The Corner” (Tiger Stadium was at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull streets) was electric that day as “The Bird” had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning. He ended up throwing a complete game, two-hitter defeating the Cleveland Indians, 2 - 1. What excitement he brought to “the old ballpark” that day and for the rest of the summer. He won seven of his first eight decisions including a complete-game win on “ABC-TV’s “Monday Night Baseball” against the Yankees. He sold out stadiums wherever the Tigers played and was voted to be the starting pitcher in the All-Star game as a rookie. He pitched 24 complete games that season and won 19. He was the American League Rookie-of-the-Year and runner-up to the Baltimore Orioles', Jim Palmer for the Cy Young Award. He too, like Nick Adenhart, was living a childhood dream.
Unfortunately, injuries cut short Fidrych’s baseball career and certainly, this recent accident cut short his life. It reminds us again that death is no respecter of persons. As coaches, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, the dreams and the thrill of the moment and forget about the seriousness of life and death issues. These two deaths give us a sobering reminder of what is most important to prepare for – not the next game, but eternity.
Where will you spend eternity? Click on this link and scroll down to the "What about you?" section.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The "Ought", the "Is", and the "Absolute"
Last weekend at the NABC Convention I had the opportunity again to attend a clinic held by Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. I have had the privilege of attending quite a few of his sessions over the past five years or so and he always challenges my thinking and causes me to reflect on my philosophy of sports. His thoughts also drive me to the absolute truth of God’s Word.
Mr. Josephson’s organization (Josephson Institute of Ethics) has partnered with the NABC to promote sportsmanship and character development as well as to encourage coaches to have high ethical standards. You can check out his website at www.josephsoninstitute.org . He does tremendous work with businesses, schools, and with public servants such as police officers. The results of his work have been featured on national television programs and he is a well-respected consultant on ethical issues and challenges we face in our culture today. The sports related arm of the ethics institute is Character Counts which emphasizes a program called Pursuing Victory with Honor. His “six pillars of character” are certainly worth promoting in any endeavor that works with young people. Check it out at www.charactercounts.org.
In one session I attended entitled, "The Toughest Decisions Coaches Make", Mr. Josephson dealt with lying and deception specifically related to the recruitment of athletes. There were many coaches in the session who agreed with him regarding what he called the "Ought". We ought to be truthful with the athletes we recruit. We ought to be "up front" with both the athletes and their parents. We ought not to lie. We ought not to deceive. We ought not to make promises that we cannot fulfill. While many coaches believed and agreed with the "ought" that he was presenting, you could tell by the reaction of most of them, that they didn’t believe that they could maintain job security in that kind of environment. The "Is" environment that most coaches lived in contrasted significantly with the "Ought" environment that they all agreed was right. They justified what "Is" because they felt that they could not live by the "Ought" and survive in a work environment that depended on winning for job security. In short, the end justified the means and the end seemed to be self-preservation for many coaches. The only way to accomplish that was to win, and to win often. A necessary ingredient to consistently winning is to have superior athletes. Whatever it takes to get them is justified as long as the outcome is winning.
As Christian coaches we should function beyond even the "Ought" that Michael Josephson presented. We have absolutes. We have the truth of God’s Word. The reason why we don’t lie, deceive, or cheat is not because it’s just a good idea to help us maintain a civil society. It is because it is God’s law. Admittedly, none of us is capable of keeping God’s law, but that’s not why He gave it – to see if we could keep it. He gave it so that it would point out how far we fall short of His absolute holy standard. Then, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to perfectly fulfill the law by living a sinless life and becoming a sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He paid the death penalty for our transgression of the law, but he didn’t just die. He rose again and became victorious over death. We especially celebrate His resurrection this weekend with the Easter holiday.
So, what goes beyond the "Ought"? The absolute truth does! The truth is that none of us deserves to stand in the presence a Holy God, but He made a way by sacrificing His Son to clothe us in His righteousness. The truth is that Jesus paid the penalty of death, was in the grave for three days, and then conquered death for every man. The truth is that Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. (John 14:6) The evidence of his death and subsequent resurrection is overwhelming – the empty tomb, the testimony of the soldiers guarding the tomb, the eyewitnesses of the resurrected Savior, the changed lives of not only the followers of Christ after His resurrection, but of those today who have accepted Christ as their Lord. In the book of Acts, Luke writes that Jesus showed himself alive after His death by "many infallible proofs", a phrase that indicates the strongest possible legal evidence.
I heard it said once that "facts don't cease to exist simply because they are ignored". In a similar way I believe that "the truth doesn't cease to exist simply because it is rejected". God’s word is absolute truth. We need to obey it and live it in every aspect of our lives, even when coaching and/or recruiting athletes. Let’s maintain honesty, integrity, character and sportsmanship in our coaching not just because we "ought to", but because it is absolutely right to.
Mr. Josephson’s organization (Josephson Institute of Ethics) has partnered with the NABC to promote sportsmanship and character development as well as to encourage coaches to have high ethical standards. You can check out his website at www.josephsoninstitute.org . He does tremendous work with businesses, schools, and with public servants such as police officers. The results of his work have been featured on national television programs and he is a well-respected consultant on ethical issues and challenges we face in our culture today. The sports related arm of the ethics institute is Character Counts which emphasizes a program called Pursuing Victory with Honor. His “six pillars of character” are certainly worth promoting in any endeavor that works with young people. Check it out at www.charactercounts.org.
In one session I attended entitled, "The Toughest Decisions Coaches Make", Mr. Josephson dealt with lying and deception specifically related to the recruitment of athletes. There were many coaches in the session who agreed with him regarding what he called the "Ought". We ought to be truthful with the athletes we recruit. We ought to be "up front" with both the athletes and their parents. We ought not to lie. We ought not to deceive. We ought not to make promises that we cannot fulfill. While many coaches believed and agreed with the "ought" that he was presenting, you could tell by the reaction of most of them, that they didn’t believe that they could maintain job security in that kind of environment. The "Is" environment that most coaches lived in contrasted significantly with the "Ought" environment that they all agreed was right. They justified what "Is" because they felt that they could not live by the "Ought" and survive in a work environment that depended on winning for job security. In short, the end justified the means and the end seemed to be self-preservation for many coaches. The only way to accomplish that was to win, and to win often. A necessary ingredient to consistently winning is to have superior athletes. Whatever it takes to get them is justified as long as the outcome is winning.
As Christian coaches we should function beyond even the "Ought" that Michael Josephson presented. We have absolutes. We have the truth of God’s Word. The reason why we don’t lie, deceive, or cheat is not because it’s just a good idea to help us maintain a civil society. It is because it is God’s law. Admittedly, none of us is capable of keeping God’s law, but that’s not why He gave it – to see if we could keep it. He gave it so that it would point out how far we fall short of His absolute holy standard. Then, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to perfectly fulfill the law by living a sinless life and becoming a sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He paid the death penalty for our transgression of the law, but he didn’t just die. He rose again and became victorious over death. We especially celebrate His resurrection this weekend with the Easter holiday.
So, what goes beyond the "Ought"? The absolute truth does! The truth is that none of us deserves to stand in the presence a Holy God, but He made a way by sacrificing His Son to clothe us in His righteousness. The truth is that Jesus paid the penalty of death, was in the grave for three days, and then conquered death for every man. The truth is that Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. (John 14:6) The evidence of his death and subsequent resurrection is overwhelming – the empty tomb, the testimony of the soldiers guarding the tomb, the eyewitnesses of the resurrected Savior, the changed lives of not only the followers of Christ after His resurrection, but of those today who have accepted Christ as their Lord. In the book of Acts, Luke writes that Jesus showed himself alive after His death by "many infallible proofs", a phrase that indicates the strongest possible legal evidence.
I heard it said once that "facts don't cease to exist simply because they are ignored". In a similar way I believe that "the truth doesn't cease to exist simply because it is rejected". God’s word is absolute truth. We need to obey it and live it in every aspect of our lives, even when coaching and/or recruiting athletes. Let’s maintain honesty, integrity, character and sportsmanship in our coaching not just because we "ought to", but because it is absolutely right to.
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