The Colorado Rockies- God's Team??

[milbraves]

Here is a fascinating article that ran in USA Today last summer, I'm sure someone probably posted it then, but it's very interesting right now:

<A href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/rockies/2006-05-30-rockies-cover_x.htm">Baseball's Rockies seek revival on two levels<A: />

[TheMatrix31]

That's incredible. They are officially my "second favorite team". I've already rooted for them to do well for a long time, and this just ices it.

[JCStone57]

That's incredible. They are officially my "second favorite team". I've already rooted for them to do well for a long time, and this just ices it.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/jcstone07/Randoms/bandwagon.gif

[charpotsss]

At least this is a decently respectable reason to jump on the bandwagon, rather than simply because they're doing so well.

Very interesting article - definitely bumped the Rockies up quite a few spots in my book.

[Hobbes]

It's kinda cool that I actually attended a Rockies game in Denver this season. I watched them pummel the Mets on the 4th of July, with fireworks after.

It looks I was the missing factor that enabled the Rockies to win. :D

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

I'm not going to jump on any bandwagons here because I wouldn't consider any team a favorite except possibly having a favorite AL team(if there is such a thing :) ), but with values like that they are def going to be the team I will enjoy watching represent the NL West in the playoffs, and being the team we meet in the NLCS...

[cjones1999]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/jcstone07/Randoms/bandwagon.gif
that smiley is awesome

And to be on topic, the rockies are a real suprise to me.

[tigerfan]

lets hope god's team doesnt show up too strongly on the mitchell report....

[ifthenwouldi]

That was a strange article.

(And I'm a Christian).

[milbraves]

lets hope god's team doesnt show up too strongly on the mitchell report....

Good one!
<img src="http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x285/thebusket/ohsnap.gif">

[Ol' Drippy]

I'm rooting for them because they're a small market team that has never won a title and is going to their first World Series. I don't care for all the religious crap, and I absolutely hate it when people thank God for their accomplishments -- as if God would play favorites. "Yeah, I pretty much helped them win the NLCS because 80% of them are Christian!"

[charpotsss]

I absolutely hate it when people thank God for their accomplishments -- as if God would play favorites. "Yeah, I pretty much helped them win the NLCS because 80% of them are Christian!"

you can pray and ask God to help you play to the best of your ability and work together as a team, then thank him when it works and you win

[TheMatrix31]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/jcstone07/Randoms/bandwagon.gif

LOL, nah. It's really not like that at all. I used to love watching the Rockies back when they had Walker, Bichette, Castilla, etc. The whole Coors thing was (and still is) fascinating to me.

[McCarroll21]

I don't care for all the religious crap, and I absolutely hate it when people thank God for their accomplishments -- as if God would play favorites. "Yeah, I pretty much helped them win the NLCS because 80% of them are Christian!"I may be opening up a can of worms here, but I'm with you.

This is the way I see it, and keep in mind that I'm not a religious person, so I could be way off base.

Those 25 men in the Rockies clubhouse may be turning to God for guidance, wishing him to be by their side, etc. but don't you think there are a few guys in the Diamondbacks and Phillies clubhouses that were doing the same?

Did God help the Rockies players that asked for his help more than he did the guys on the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Thanks a lot, God!

Another thing: If there is a team prayer before a game, you can rest assured that in that prayer there was something about no one getting hurt. Does that mean that anytime a player gets hurt that God turned his back on those two teams?

I mean, if you're one that believes you have to turn to him for guidance and want him by your side, by all means, do it, but don't think for one minute that any edge you get is because of God. For all you know, the person/team you're competing against could have asked for the same thing.

[TheMatrix31]

Well, I personally respect the team more after reading this article because they're establishing a sense of morality and humility within the clubhouse and organization. With morality and humility comes class, and out of class comes respect and honor. I'm glad they can use religion for positive purposes.

[absintheofmalaise]

God doesn't give a shit about baseball. It's all well and good that these guys are Christians and all, but how would you like it if your employer forced whatever religion that he/she happened to champion down your throat? You don't need any particular religion to learn morality, humility and respect and to be a decent human being. That all comes from your core value system.

[charpotsss]

Those 25 men in the Rockies clubhouse may be turning to God for guidance, wishing him to be by their side, etc. but don't you think there are a few guys in the Diamondbacks and Phillies clubhouses that were doing the same?

Did God help the Rockies players that asked for his help more than he did the guys on the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Thanks a lot, God!

This could be said about prayer in many situations that peopl e pray about regularly. One example is a job candidate praying before an interview. The other candidate may also pray before going in. The thing is to pray for the best outcome possible, for what is meant to be, for the ability to put your best foot forward, etc. People can involve God in everything in their lives without asking him to help them "win" or "get the job" (though I'm sure some definitely do that).


God doesn't give a shit about baseball. It's all well and good that these guys are Christians and all, but how would you like it if your employer forced whatever religion that he/she happened to champion down your throat? You don't need any particular religion to learn morality, humility and respect and to be a decent human being. That all comes from your core value system.

Agreed you don't need any particular religion to do those things, and while I don't think it said the Rockies were actually forcing the religion on anyone, I can see how a guy might feel like a bit of an outcast he was one of very very few who wasn't a practicing Christian. Hopefully they're trying to make a very open and accepting environment without pressuring people or alienating them.

[JCStone57]

I'm not going to jump into the religious cross-hairs. But it's good see the Rockies are becoming closer with each other in a spiritual sense. But this article came out a while ago so it's more of a hindsight thing.

[milbraves]

God doesn't give a shit about baseball. It's all well and good that these guys are Christians and all, but how would you like it if your employer forced whatever religion that he/she happened to champion down your throat? You don't need any particular religion to learn morality, humility and respect and to be a decent human being. That all comes from your core value system.

Didn't you read the article??

We try to do the best job we can to get people with the right sense of moral values, but we certainly don't poll our players or our organization to find out who is Christian and who isn't," says O'Dowd, who says he has had prayer sessions on the telephone with club President Keli McGregor and manager Clint Hurdle. "I know some of the guys who are Christians, but I can't tell you who is and who isn't."

It doesn't sound forced.

Faith in baseball is like faith in anything else. If they believe that their values and their faith is what's driving them towards success, then it is. You can't argue with the results.

[absintheofmalaise]

Yes, I read the article when it came out last year and again this year. If you don't think that it's true that when the underlying principle of an organization is to promote Christianity that they aren't forcing it to some degree then you are very naive. Their faith is not what put them in the WS. Their skill as ballplayers put them in the WS.

[MSU Bulldog]

I may be opening up a can of worms here, but I'm with you.

This is the way I see it, and keep in mind that I'm not a religious person, so I could be way off base.

Those 25 men in the Rockies clubhouse may be turning to God for guidance, wishing him to be by their side, etc. but don't you think there are a few guys in the Diamondbacks and Phillies clubhouses that were doing the same?

Did God help the Rockies players that asked for his help more than he did the guys on the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Thanks a lot, God!

Another thing: If there is a team prayer before a game, you can rest assured that in that prayer there was something about no one getting hurt. Does that mean that anytime a player gets hurt that God turned his back on those two teams?

I mean, if you're one that believes you have to turn to him for guidance and want him by your side, by all means, do it, but don't think for one minute that any edge you get is because of God. For all you know, the person/team you're competing against could have asked for the same thing.

I think their point is to recruit good character players to avoid Denny Neagle type situations in the future. We all know that malcontents and miscreants can be very disruptive, to put it mildly, to teams and organizations, ie:Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I wouldn't think they would have a Christian check box on their HR forms. As they stated, they are open to all forms of spirituality.

[C-Dawg]

you can pray and ask God to help you play to the best of your ability and work together as a team, then thank him when it works and you win

If God is even paying attention to the MLB playoffs with all the plight and strife in this world, then I officially quit.

[C-Dawg]

I think their point is to recruit good character players to avoid Denny Neagle type situations in the future. We all know that malcontents and miscreants can be very disruptive, to put it mildly, to teams and organizations, ie:Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I wouldn't think they would have a Christian check box on their HR forms. As they stated, they are open to all forms of spirituality.

I'm pretty sure Denny Neagle was a "good christian", as was Eugene Robinson, Larry Craig, Ted Haggard, Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, the BTK killer, all those child-molesting priests, and so forth. So this notion that somehow a person's character can be judged by his willingness to buy into fairy tales is utter bunk.

[McCarroll21]

I think their point is to recruit good character players to avoid Denny Neagle type situations in the future. We all know that malcontents and miscreants can be very disruptive, to put it mildly, to teams and organizations, ie:Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I wouldn't think they would have a Christian check box on their HR forms. As they stated, they are open to all forms of spirituality.
I'm all for that and I'm not against people feeling that way, I just wanted to expand on the thought presented by Ol' Drippy in saying that it's sometimes annoying how people thank God for them winning something or any of their successes in life.

[MSU Bulldog]

I'm all for that and I'm not against people feeling that way, I just wanted to expand on the thought presented by Ol' Drippy in saying that it's sometimes annoying how people thank God for them winning something or any of their successes in life.

I too think it is very annoying when players point to the sky when they get a hit, a HR or any other good play.

Paul Byrd (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=alipour/071016&sportCat=mlb) shares this sentiment as well.

[MSU Bulldog]

I can't find an article on it right now, but I think Evan Longoria made it known when he was drafted that he had no interest in playing for the Rockies because of the organizations convictions and clubhouse rules.

[Zack]

Let me start off by saying I'm a Christian. What the Rockies are doing is good, but whoever started the discussion of "God is why they are winning" is an idiot, because there are Christians on every team.

Secondly, the Rockies management is doing a great thing and doing well in what they are trying to represent. It is a private organization, and if they want things done a certain way, then the players need to deal with it or move on. It's different than the U.S. government forcing morality issues i.e. gay marriage, etc. I'm a Christian, but I am strongly against the U.S. government enforcing one type of religion, even if it is my own.

I was just making a comparison, so I'll get off my politics soap box now. In conclusion, no, God is not the reason they are winning, so for the "religious haters" out there, stop thinking that for the one idiot who said that, that it represents everyone that is a part of the Christian religion; and the Rockies front office has the right to run their organization however they want, enough said.

[MPH]

... the Rockies front office has the right to run their organization however they want, enough said.
Yes, enough said. This thread is moving too far away from baseball and into territory more appropriate to some other forum.

[Justin]

This actually makes me dislike them a little. No profanity? Get real.

[milbraves]

Yes, enough said. This thread is moving too far away from baseball and into territory more appropriate to some other forum.

No shit.
:argue:

[JCStone57]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/jcstone07/Randoms/giveup.gif

[cjones1999]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb145/jcstone07/Randoms/giveup.gif
That's what i say to the headline: "Holliday wins MVP":(