God Didn’t Hang That Slider
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007If you're new here, and you're into sports and/or the Christian faith, subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Last night the Cleveland Indians took a 3-1 Series lead, thanks in part to the right arm (and left arm) of Paul Byrd. The Red Sox are on the ropes, and even as a die hard Red Sox fan I’m not sure that they can escape Cleveland with a win on Thursday night. Beckett is going to have to be brilliant again.
But back to Paul Byrd, who despite being the #4 starter in the Indians rotation, is the only Cleveland pitcher to win both games he has started this post season. ESPN.com’s Sam Alipour sat down with Byrd on Monday night to talk to him about the book he just finished, titled The Free Byrd Project, which details “…Byrd’s spiritual journey through the major leagues and the pitfalls that pious jocks must leap in navigating a ballplayer’s lifestyle.”
The interview was done well and Byrd comes across as a human being, not as a religious zealot or pious superchristian. I found his answers and insights to be very refreshing. Some highlights:
- On why he wrote the book: “I think the last thing the Christian community needs is another person who says they have it all together, a 12-step process for being perfect. That doesn’t exist. I can help people by being honest.”
- On pornography: “I’ve had a real struggle with pornography, from before I became a Christian, when pornography was the good old American way. After I became a Christian, it really began to bother me, but God didn’t really take it away. I struggle with porn one night, and somebody asks me a question about Jesus the next day in the outfield, so you feel like a hypocrite trying to share. It’s the elephant in the locker room.”
- On how Jesus would play baseball: “I think if Christ goes into second base to break up a double play, he’ll do it cleanly, but he’ll try to knock the guy into left field.”
- On giving God credit for the highlights: “Do you see when guys point to the sky when they hit a home run? It’s funny, I never see anyone point up when they strike out. I’m not a sky-pointer. I’m more of a chest-grabber. I feel God inside of me. People seem to give praise a lot more when they hit a home run and not strike out. I give praise regardless of the outcome.”
- On blaming poor performances on God’s will: “I’ve been on a team where a guy shows no passion, and he says, “God meant for me to give up that home run.” I’m like, “What does that mean? God didn’t hang the slider, you hung the slider.”
It’s great to see a Christian giving intelligent, informed, and honest opinions on how his faith interacts with his craft. He comes across as someone who is not ashamed of his faith, but not arrogant either, which is not always easy to do. Based on the interview, I’ll probably pick up a copy of the book when it eventually gets published.
And thankfully, Paul Byrd won’t be starting another game for the Indians against the Red Sox this season, even if Boston can force a Game 7.
Tags: interviews, Paul Byrd
