A good contract (1950)

Billy Southworth had a good contract. In 1950 it had 3 years left on it. He would get $50,000 per season. 1949 had not been a good season. Yet, there was no doubt Billy would return as manager in 1950. And he did. The Braves finished fourth, 8 games back.

They did try to reformulate the team. Shortstop Al Dark and second baseman Eddie Stansky were sent packing. We got four players from the Giants for them. Only left fielder Sid Gordon made a difference. Where did the trade to the Giants get them? The Giants were contenders in 1950 and penant winners in 1951. Dark and Stansky help them get there. Thanks to the generosity of the Braves.

My work

Paul made tents for a living. It wasn't how he defined his work. His work was to help people understand the good news that God has for those who come into his life. It wasn't even something he was talented at. It was a gift from God. He wasn't qualified to do it but God gave him everything he needed to succeed.

My work is not what I do for a living. My work is to take advantage of the gifts He gives me and press on. It is His way in His world and that is good news.

This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. Ephesians 3:7-8

God's world is here now

We keep looking. We think, some day we will go to heaven. We hold out hope.

We don't get it.

God's world is already here. We must live it now. We must stop looking for a day when things will get better.

Grilled by the religious leaders on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." ~~Jesus (Luke 17:20-21)

May I see God's world today. May I know it is already here.

Moving your brother around (1878)

Imagine your brother being the manager? Well, Harry Wright managed his brother George for the Boston Red Caps (now known as the Atlanta Braves) in 1878. He decided to move him back to short stop from second base. He moved Ezra Sutton from short to third base. The move paid off, as sometimes they do. George led the league in team fielding at .947 for the only time in his Hall of Fame career.

The Red Stockings led the league in double plays with 48. They also placed second in ERA with 2.32 to Cincinnati. Their move to end up in first was real. It was Harry's third season and he would have his second championship in a row.

And he had his brother with him.

I resolve to do something out of the ordinary

I resolve to do something out of the ordinary. I commit to living a superordinary life in Jesus. I will live the radical life Jesus called me to live.

It was Henry David Thoreau who wrote, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." I don't admire Thoreau as a theologian, but I think he largely got it right in this quote describing the normal human condition and maybe the condition of lots of Christians.

I believe a large number of people, perhaps even you, get bogged down in the routines of life. I have nothing against routines, except when they become our master. Much can be said about the righteousness of living a careful, responsible life before God. But, this is not at issue for me in this resolution.

My fear is that the life Jesus lived and died to give us ("I came that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10) can get lost in the devotion to safety and routine. I'm not advocating going out today to partake in some "extreme" thrill sport. I'm simply encouraging you to do something outside of your normal routine, to experience life outside the lines you've drawn, to provide yourself with the opportunity to "sing your song." God is ready to do amazing things. His Holy Spirit is in us and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We can live an extra-ordinary life in Him.

How? Only you can decide for sure, but maybe it's as simple as, at the prompting of God, taking the long way home from school or work to gain a new perspective on the world right around you that otherwise goes unnoticed. Maybe he wants to perform a miracle in someones life we don't normally see. Maybe He wants us to be the Good Samaritan.

Frank in his second year (1891)

In 1891 during Frank Selee's second year as manager, the Braves (then known as the Boston Beaneaters) won the pennant. They finished first with a record of 87-51 and 3 1/2 games ahead. This would begin a decade of amazing achievements for them. It was unequaled by very few teams over the years.

It began with one of the most hotly disputed pennants in baseball history in 1871. It wasn't formally decided until Thanksgiving. In September and October, the Beaneaters won 23 of 30 games. This included 18 in a row. This allowed them to take the pennant from Chicago.

Frank Selee clearly had a command on how to win.

Southworth and winds of change (1947)

Billy Southworth is the manager in 1947. He had his first season as manager in 1946. The changes he brought to the team now appeared to not short term luck. The finished third in 1947, 8 games behind. They had their best winning percentage (.558) since 1916. They came closer to first than they had in a while.

The winds of change were blowing and the fans sensed it for sure. It was in 1916 that team under "Miracle Man" George Stallings had done pretty good. This year they were better. They had pretty very good hitting and pretty good pitching. They led the league with .275 team batting average. Now how was that? Combined with pitching of 3.62 ERA, second in the league, the winds were definately blowing. Good stuff to come.

He is not here

It is a simple message but the most powerful one I can know. I should not be afraid. Jesus was crucified. He has risen! God so loved me that He sent him to redeem me. The price has been paid and He has risen, defeating death.

What an amazing God we have! And how fortunate I am to have Him! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, I've been given a brand-new life!

May I fully know the power of the risen Saviour.

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. Mark 16

The long haul

The past is an interesting diversion. And a diversion it is. It can lead to an unnatural reliance on a reality that no longer exists in God. It can throw us off course. It can divert us from our God who is a TODAY God. He is, not was. If all we think about is what he did in the past, we are not in the relationship with Him for the long haul.

What is He saying today? What is He doing today?

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no unnatural unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so missing God's goal doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. These words keep ringing in our ears: Today, please listen; don't turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising. Hebrews 3:12-14

May I hear God today and act on His desires. May I be with Him for the long haul.

The whole package

What is in a name? In baseball, it doesn't really make a difference. With Jesus, it makes a difference what the name is. He is so many things to me. He is the whole package.

 He is the Lamb who takes away my sin. He came to liberate me from the paycheck of sin, which is death. And he has!! The sacrifice that was required has been made.

He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah who has triumphed. He has defeated my enemy. In this case, he is no lamb. He is the strong lion who protects me.

He is all this and more. Oh how sweet is the name of our Master Jesus.

• Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5

 

 

 

Bobbie as a player (1967)

Bobbie Cox played with Mickey Mantle. They were both from Oklahoma. I wish I could have played with Mickey. How cool that would have been? I am thinking he learned some stuff from that. It was Mickey's last season as a Yankee.

He also played with Clete Boyer and Graig Nettles. That was on the Yankees in 1967. He played there two seasons after being traded from the Dodgers (he never actually played for them). He mostly played third base. He had bad knees though. After the Yankees, he was acquired by the Braves. He never actually ended up playing for them though.

And so, he was destined to be a coach.

To busy to have power

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results."

-----Reuben Archer Torrey

The class of the league (1892)

Frank Selee moved into his third season in 1892. Great things were ahead for him. The Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves) had an amazing 102-48 record, finishing first, 8 1/2 games ahead. This may have been the greatest season in franchise history.

The National League expanded to 12 teams that year. They also adopted a split-season 154 game format. This played to the Beaneaters formidable strengths. The team was so good, it could release the pitching great, John Clarkson, at mid season.

With Kid Nichols, Harry Stanly, and a newcomer, Jack Stivvetts (picked up from the defunct American Association), the pitching staff rocked the league. They combined for 92 victories, 35 apiece for Stivetts and Nichols.

In spite of frustration

"How can we ever manage to love unselfishly, to serve humbly and patiently in spite of frustration, if we do not live on God's forgiveness?"
------ Peter G. vanBreemen

Really???

"Next to Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, the name A.G. Spalding is the most famous in American literature." - Boston Herald Editorial (1880)

Be direct with God

My on my how we love to bargain. Even with God. If you ... then I will ...

Jesus says to stop that kind of behavior. We should be direct. He knows what we need. We should just ask for it.

That is what pleases Him. Directness and not a game.  

"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need." ~~Jesus (Matthew 7:7)

Making a change (1930)

Judge Fuchs' decided to make a change in the manager position. He selected Bill McKechnie as the Braves manager in 1930. He had a pretty good track record. In Pittsburgh he won the World Series in 1925. In St. Louis he won the pennant in 1928. After he left Boston he won a World Series for Cincinnati in 1940.

In 1930 the Braves finished 6th, 22 games behind the leader. Their record was 70-84. It wouldn't get much better during his eight years in Boston.