Cheering on the Losers

Editor's note: this has been sitting in draft form since the 22nd as various events have postponed it's release...

Having grown up in the Metromess, otherwise known as Fort Worth-Dallas, I grew up a fan of the Texas Rangers. When I was much younger, I could care less that they were an average team. All I cared about was that I was getting to go to this really neat place where people could be loud and spend time with my Dad. I was very fortunate as the bank Dad worked for had box seats so I was treated to things most folks don't get to experience. I was also lucky enough to see Nolan Ryan on several occasions (unfortunately none of the milestones of his career like the 5,000 K, or 6th and 7th no-hitters). The Texas Rangers won a few games, lost many more we were at, and languished in mediocrity for much of my adolescence.

Then things changed.

1994. It is just a number of some year in the 20th century. However, in that year things changed for the Rangers. Something clicked with the residents of the Metromess and a beautiful new home was built for the Rangers, always and forever known in my mind as THE Ballpark in Arlington. A new Manager (and amazing Christian) was hired by then name of Johnny Oates. The All-Star game came to town the next year. Then the greatness of the late 1990s Texas Rangers happened with 3 AL West Division Championships, only to lose to the Evil Empire (a.k.a. the NY Yankees) in 1996, 1998, AND 1999. It was a short glimpse of glory that Dad and I were able to participate in going to many games over the summers. Could the Rangers finally become a premier team and make it all the way to the World Series and be crowned kings of the baseball world???

But then things changed again.

New ownership, new management. Johnny Oates leaves for medical reasons. The team Oates had molded that won the AL West three out of the last four years of the 20th century was dismantled and once again the Texas Rangers were demoted back down to a mediocre, and in some years BAD, baseball team. Yes, there are shining moments in the past 7 years such as yesterdays 30-3 walloping of the Baltimore Orioles which, BTW, set these following Modern History MLB records amongst others:

• Most runs scored against an opponent (27) since 1897
• Most RBIs in a double-header (which was set in the FIRST game alone!)
• Tied the most at-bats in a 9-inning game (57, tied with Milwaukee)
• Most RBIs in a single game since 1927, when that statistic was first recorded
  

It amazes me that in a year as bad as the Rangers have been having, a group of individuals can work together and achieve something that replaces records over 100 years old. That in a brief moment, a team that is still trying to meld accomplishes something so unusual. That regardless of how bad they are, I still root, root root for the Rangers. That a losing team can still conjure up memories of when Dad and I attended games on those hot, muggy, North Texas nights.

From my perspective, it seems that many people have become "fair weather" fans, cheering on whomever is the "hot" team, item, person, or thing around. As soon as that "thing" becomes cold, they go in search of the latest, greatest, and best thing around. For me though, it is knowing things are bad now but that I can say I stood by my team through the dark times when they finally are on top of the world; champions. I'm not saying that I'd be smug, "Told you So!" kind of person but I'll be celebrating with a much deeper sense of joy because I stuck through the hard times to reach the good.

Hmmm...sorta sounds like what being a person that loves Jesus is about as well. Cheering for the underdog/losers/bottom of the barrel/cellar-dwellers knowing that someday, we will be having the grandest of grand parties with all those before and after us who have silently cheered on those who it seemed were losing.

The similarities between Baseball and loving Jesus. Sounds like a thesis title to me...