Skip to content ↓

Why I Love Baseball

“I feel bad for them for having to hit somebody.”

Last night the Bluejays played in Chicago against the White Sox. In the eighth inning the Bluejay pitchers hit two Chicago batters. It was clearly unintentional. Josh Towers, one of the pitchers, said “I wasn’t trying to hit A.J. [Pierzynski] by any means — you guys know that. And Justin [Speier] wasn’t either. It just worked out that way, unfortunately for those guys.”

But according to the unwritten rules of baseball, two hit batters requires retaliation. So the next inning, when Russ Adams came to the plate, having already hit two home runs in the game, he was deliberately hit by a pitch. Since it is accepted that there will be retaliation, the Bluejays did not object – they knew it had to happen. “I feel bad for them for having to hit somebody and Russ for getting hit,” said Towers. Note the word “having.” This was something that had to be done, plain and simple.

I guess baseball is a game of law, not grace.


  • Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Not a Hindrance But a Prerequisite

    Many Christians feel they are too unholy or too sinful to participate in the Lord’s Supper. They come to the table downcast, convinced that their sin makes them unworthy. They may refuse to participate at all.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (January 17)

    A La Carte: Look to and learn from older saints / Don’t overthink your problems / Rebellion / When there is no good church / Teens and popular music / Where the gospel costs everything / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of Why We’re Feeling Lonely (And What We Can Do About It) and be encouraged by Shelby Abbott’s practical, biblical insights for young adults struggling with loneliness.

  • Gospel way

    Truths That Take on the World

    Christianity has a long history with catechisms—summaries of key doctrines that are arranged in a question-and-answer format. Traditionally, Presbyterians would be taught The Shorter Catechism, Dutch Reformed believers The Heidelberg Catechism, and Baptists one of the Baptist equivalents. Sadly, the use of catechisms began to decline as the years went by, so that it became…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (January 16)

    A La Carte: Business meetings at the urinal / Ambition and competition / The loneliness crisis / Better than feeling seen / Exhausted and overwhelmed / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 15)

    A La Carte: Young people are turning to the Bible / What conservative young men need / Justifying self-gratification / The influence of reading / On boredom / and more.