Faith In The Game

Forty Thousand to One, by Ben Petrick

The following is excerpted from Ben Petrick’s acclaimed new book, Forty Thousand to One. Petrick was a catcher for the Colorado Rockies and one of the top prospects in baseball when he was told he had Parkinson’s disease — a diagnosis he hid for four Major League seasons.

After his retirement, Petrick became a full-time caregiver to his daughter, Makena, while his wife went back to work. His health deteriorated greatly until one year ago, when he underwent a radical surgery in an attempt to lessen his Parkinson’s symptoms.

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In 2003, I was traded to the Detroit Tigers, an extremely young team on its way toward finishing 47 games out of first place. Just three years later, they reached the World Series.

The very next year, my original team, the Colorado Rockies, made a miraculous run to the World Series behind Clint Hurdle and the group of players with whom I’d come up the baseball ranks.

I wasn’t there for either.

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The Bicycle — by Ben Petrick

The following story is excerpted from Ben Petrick’s new book, “40,000 to One.” To find out more about the book, and to place an order, please visit www.BenPetrick.com.

Ben is founder of Faith In The Game. A former Major Leaguer with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, Ben has Parkinson’s disease and recently underwent an aggressive surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation to alleviate his symptoms. A recent ESPN feature on Ben and his family can be found here, and a television news story on Ben’s amazing recovery can be found here. Ben chronicles his progress, along with stories of faith, family and baseball, in this blog.

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In the film “The Tree of Life,” the mother says in narration, “There are two ways through life — the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow.

“Nature,” she goes on to say, “only wants to please itself. Get others to please it, too. Likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it.

“But grace doesn’t try to please itself. Grace accepts being slighted, forgotten. Accepts insults and injuries.”

It’s not adequate to say that my mother possesses grace. Grace is my mother.  The two are interchangeable.

I’ll pause right here and say that I realize it’s not uncommon to write about your mother in awe-inspired terms, as if you’re seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. But if you met my mother, you’d know.

You’d know she’s a revelation, like seeing anything for the first time must be.

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Announcing Ben Petrick’s new book

We are excited to announce a new book by Faith in the Game founder Ben Petrick titled 40,000 to One. You can order the book and read about it in greater detail by visiting BenPetrick.com.

40,000 to One is a collection of stories written by Ben, detailing his meteoric rise as a prospect with the Colorado Rockies, his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, and the courageous saga that followed. Amazingly, Ben played parts of five Major League seasons while hiding the disease. When he finally retired, Ben became primary caregiver to his daughter — the “One” in the book’s title — during the day while his wife worked. Eventually, Ben underwent two dramatic surgeries in an effort to improve life for his wife and child.

Several of the stories in 40,000 to One have appeared in some form on Faith in the Game, though the majority are original works. In all, we’re confident you’ll agree with nationally syndicated columnist Sharon Randall, who wrote of 40,000 to One:

“Ben writes with a kind of honesty and grace that both breaks your heart and makes it soar. He makes me want to be not just a better writer, but a better person. Never maudlin, truly inspiring, he and his book are a treasure.”

Jeff Bradley, one of the best sportswriters in the business today, just posted, “The story of Ben Petrick, written by Steve Wulf, is quite simply the best story to ever run in ESPN The Magazine. Read it and learn more about Ben by reading his Faith in the Game blog.”

The story is available in print editions of the magazine only right now, and will be online later in the month. For what it’s worth, we couldn’t agree more — Steve Wulf is a legend in the business for good reason, and he does incredible justice to the Petrick family’s astonishing journey. Please read and tell your friends.

Ben’s new book, 40,000 to One, is available at BenPetrick.com.

Going It Alone

From the New York Times, on American distance runner Ryan Hall, who decided to go without a coach and put his training in the hands of a higher power:

Hall, who will turn 29 next week, said he came to his decision a year ago when he was the great hope for an American winner in Chicago, as he is this year. He had come in fourth in Boston, with a time of 2:08:41. But on Sept. 29, 2010, less than two weeks before the race on Oct. 10, he announced that he was overtrained, too tired to race, and withdrew.

“I was just way overfried and overcooked,” he said in a telephone interview.

He began to consider whether he really wanted to be coached and run with a group — he had been running with the Mammoth Track Club, where he was coached by Terrence Mahon.

“The thing that was disappointing, even though I was training really hard, I wasn’t seeing any improvement,” Hall said.

And he felt he was not close enough to God, he said. As a Christian, he decided he would, in effect, let God be his coach.

“I really wanted that,” Hall said. “To wake up every morning, to get down on my knees and say: ‘God, I need your help. I don’t know what to do.’ ” He reasoned that even if his running got worse, he would gain something because he would be closer to God.

What do you think of Hall’s decision?

To participate in the discussion, please head over to our Facebook page.

The Astronaut — by Ben Petrick

Ben Petrick is co-editor of Faith In The Game. A former Major Leaguer with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, Ben has Parkinson’s disease and recently underwent an aggressive surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation to alleviate his symptoms. A television news story on Ben’s amazing recovery can be found here. Ben chronicles his progress, along with stories of faith, family and baseball, in this blog.

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I’ve found myself at an interesting crossroads lately. Is it possible to feel guilty for experiencing improved health? I spent so much time praying for a something to alleviate my Parkinson’s symptoms. Now that that’s happened, I’m overwhelmingly grateful, but also conflicted because I’m leaving someone behind.

I’ve always had a partner on this walk: my father.

I recently returned from a two-week vacation, which left me with two main thoughts: First, I am so thankful for the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery I had last winter that has improved my symptoms greatly. Second, I want so desperately for DBS to be an option for my dad, who also has the disease. Because of his being older and having other health complications, DBS might not be viable for him.

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This video is a little old, but just came to our attention. A defining moment in South Africa’s history wasn’t an uprising or a coups. It was the formation of a soccer league by political prisoners during apartheid. These same men who lost their freedom but found hope in a game they loved, would go on to govern the new South Africa. It’s a beautiful demonstration of what sports reveals about the human spirit.

The Jackson 7: A Week’s Worth of Word

We’re excited to welcome respected broadcaster and new Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson as a contributor to Faith in the Game. An ordained minister, Jackson and his wife, Desiree, founded True Love Worship Center in Southern California.

Every week, Jackson will provide some “assigned reading” for the week, along with his thoughts. You can follow him on Twitter at @JacksonMark13.

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Day 1

Romans 8:8: “…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Those who are living the life of the flesh cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. Look to please God.

Day 2

James 1:8: “…being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”

A double-minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. Get your mind right!

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“Crash,” by Ben Petrick

Ben Petrick is co-editor of Faith In The Game. A former Major Leaguer with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, Ben has Parkinson’s disease and recently underwent an aggressive surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation to alleviate his symptoms. A television news story on Ben’s amazing recovery can be found here. Ben chronicles his progress, along with stories of faith, family and baseball, in this blog.

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Like many sports fans, as a kid, I grew up idolizing players and praying that one day I could be a professional athlete. I had my idols: Don Mattingly, Roger Craig and Clyde Drexler — all men of character, though not men of outward faith.

Ironically, if they had been, I might have been less apt to follow them.

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“Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don’t Matter and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind.” — Dr. Seuss

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” — Jeremiah 13:23

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is a great friend to Faith In The Game, providing us with thoughts to pass on to our readers. They’ll be shared periodically on this blog. Here is today’s —- it’s a bit of a quick one:

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln

Make a difference today.

Love,

Clint

“Tough Enough,” by Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday, 31, is an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A member of the 2011 National League All-Star Team, Holliday is batting .324 with 14 homers and 49 RBI despite dealing with injuries. Drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round in 1998, he elected to sign rather than attend Oklahoma State, where he would have split time playing baseball for his father, Tom, as well as quarterback for the football team.

Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner. He was the runner-up in the National League MVP voting for the 2007 Major League Baseball season.^[3] He won the 2007 National League Championship Series MVP as he helped guide the Rockies to their first-ever National League pennant and World Series appearance.

Holliday and his wife, Leslee, have two sons, Jackson (born December 4, 2003) and Ethan (born February 23, 2007), and a daughter, Gracyn (born November 7, 2009).

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My dad is a baseball man. When I was younger, he’d tell me about guys he’d been around in the 1980s, and how once they became men of faith, they got soft. They weren’t the players they used to be.

I laugh at this now. Hey, Jesus turned over a few tables in his day. He knocked over the post-game spread. He wasn’t the soft Jesus you see on a stained-glass window. He had his moments. He died on a cross, for goodness sake. This was a tough dude.

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“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” —
Mike Singletary

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. — Ephesians 5:19

Comments today from Josh Hamilton in the wake of the tragedy in Arlington:

“It helps me handle life,” Hamilton said, “and this is life, this tragedy. There’s things that happen that you have no control over and you don’t understand them and you will never understand them until you stand in front of your maker.”

Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why.” Not literally about faith, but nonetheless a powerful message about living an inspired live — and the difference between having the ability to inspire others and merely being in charge. What separated the Wright Bros., Martin Luther King, Jr., and Apple from the rest? They “started with why.” We all know what we do. Some know how we do it. But very few know why we do it. What is our cause? What is our reason? What is our purpose? Are we communicating the meaning of our life from the inside out?