There is Crying in Baseball
Illustration
Stories
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. (vv. 1-2)
I wanted to cry last summer when it was announced that my favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, had traded my favorite player, their all-star ace relief pitcher, Josh Hader, to the San Diego Padres. I knew somehow that it signaled the end of the Brewer’s season, even though the Brewers were leading the central division and seemingly on their way to the playoffs again. And alas, my intuition proved to be on the mark.
The chemistry that kept the Brewers winning all summer was gone. Their season was soon over, and Brewer fans had to watch Hader pitch lights-out baseball for the Padres in the playoffs. We are still crying in our beer in Milwaukee.
My favorite scene in the movie, A League of Their Own, is when one of the women players begins to cry during a game. The crusty old manager, played by Tom Hanks throws up his arms and says, “There’s no crying in baseball!”
Many tears flowed when they buried slugger Ken Caminiti on a cloudy day in October of 2004. A veteran of fifteen years in the big leagues, Caminiti was the unanimous choice for the National League’s most valuable player (MVP) in 1996, batting 326, with 40 homeruns and 130 runs batted in. He led the San Diego Padres to the World Series, and just six years later admitted to using steroids throughout that MVP season. Dead at 41. There is crying in baseball! There is crying in everything.
As wrenching as it can be, weeping is the best way of coping with overwhelming emotion. It is unfortunate that our culture has not encouraged weeping, particularly among men. Many men, and some women, are taught that it is a sign of weakness to weep, that public displays of emotion are unseemly.
Tears are the safety valve for the body -- and the soul. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, he wept so loudly the Egyptians heard him through a closed door in the next room. When King David heard of the death of his wayward son, Absalom, he wept. He went to his bedroom and wailed. When Jesus was faced with the death of his good friend, Lazarus, he wept. Be thankful if you cry easily and often. There is no merit in holding back tears. “Big boys don’t cry” is a lie that has brought many a man to an early grave.
People express concern if you are unable to cry at appropriate times. “You need to cry,” they say. “Just let go, get it all out.” Tears are healing, even when it seems they will never stop. Tears open a portal that allows the Spirit to come in and do its healing work. The psalmist wrote: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Tears of joy are one of the great blessings of life.
Baseball announcer and ESPN writer, Tim Kurkjian, tells of that day in Atlanta when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record. The historic ball was caught by one of the Atlanta Braves’ relief pitchers. They had all positioned themselves in what they thought was the most likely spot to catch the big one.” I was way out in left-center field,'' reliever Tom House said. "Hank could hit them out anywhere, but I didn't like my chances. Then, as soon as he hit it, I thought, 'Oh my god, this is going to hit me in the chest.' I didn't even have to move. It was unbelievable. After I caught it, I ran the ball to home plate. I handed the ball to Hank. He was crying. I'd never seen Hank Aaron cry.''
There is crying in baseball!
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StoryShare, August 20, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
I wanted to cry last summer when it was announced that my favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, had traded my favorite player, their all-star ace relief pitcher, Josh Hader, to the San Diego Padres. I knew somehow that it signaled the end of the Brewer’s season, even though the Brewers were leading the central division and seemingly on their way to the playoffs again. And alas, my intuition proved to be on the mark.
The chemistry that kept the Brewers winning all summer was gone. Their season was soon over, and Brewer fans had to watch Hader pitch lights-out baseball for the Padres in the playoffs. We are still crying in our beer in Milwaukee.
My favorite scene in the movie, A League of Their Own, is when one of the women players begins to cry during a game. The crusty old manager, played by Tom Hanks throws up his arms and says, “There’s no crying in baseball!”
Many tears flowed when they buried slugger Ken Caminiti on a cloudy day in October of 2004. A veteran of fifteen years in the big leagues, Caminiti was the unanimous choice for the National League’s most valuable player (MVP) in 1996, batting 326, with 40 homeruns and 130 runs batted in. He led the San Diego Padres to the World Series, and just six years later admitted to using steroids throughout that MVP season. Dead at 41. There is crying in baseball! There is crying in everything.
As wrenching as it can be, weeping is the best way of coping with overwhelming emotion. It is unfortunate that our culture has not encouraged weeping, particularly among men. Many men, and some women, are taught that it is a sign of weakness to weep, that public displays of emotion are unseemly.
Tears are the safety valve for the body -- and the soul. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, he wept so loudly the Egyptians heard him through a closed door in the next room. When King David heard of the death of his wayward son, Absalom, he wept. He went to his bedroom and wailed. When Jesus was faced with the death of his good friend, Lazarus, he wept. Be thankful if you cry easily and often. There is no merit in holding back tears. “Big boys don’t cry” is a lie that has brought many a man to an early grave.
People express concern if you are unable to cry at appropriate times. “You need to cry,” they say. “Just let go, get it all out.” Tears are healing, even when it seems they will never stop. Tears open a portal that allows the Spirit to come in and do its healing work. The psalmist wrote: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Tears of joy are one of the great blessings of life.
Baseball announcer and ESPN writer, Tim Kurkjian, tells of that day in Atlanta when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record. The historic ball was caught by one of the Atlanta Braves’ relief pitchers. They had all positioned themselves in what they thought was the most likely spot to catch the big one.” I was way out in left-center field,'' reliever Tom House said. "Hank could hit them out anywhere, but I didn't like my chances. Then, as soon as he hit it, I thought, 'Oh my god, this is going to hit me in the chest.' I didn't even have to move. It was unbelievable. After I caught it, I ran the ball to home plate. I handed the ball to Hank. He was crying. I'd never seen Hank Aaron cry.''
There is crying in baseball!
*****************************************
StoryShare, August 20, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
