Matheny talks to the Missouri State Bears about Faith, Family, & Forgiveness

Missouri State Bears First Pitch Night

Last Saturday night myself and a few hundred other Missouri State Bears fans gathered at Hammons Field for the sixth annual Bears First Pitch Night. The event is held each year to raise money, to showcase the current Bears talent and to remind the fans of a few that have come and gone including some names we all remember such as Ryan Howard and Ross Detwiler.

While I am alumni, and a fan of Bears athletics, I admit–that’s not why I bought my ticket.  No, I purchased my tickets in early January and took my son along with a gaggle of  his second-grade friends in matching baseball caps to see the featured speaker for the event, St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Mike Matheny.

What can I say, we’re fans.  I know there are 162 games in the regular season and I’m a mom who watches or listens to some part of all of them.  I read the blogs, I follow the fan pages and people look at me like I’m crazy when I say my second grader does as well. We affectionately refer to him as Johnny Ballgame and he’s always able to amaze me.  Take Saturday night’s silent auction moment, when I didn’t know who Dustin Ackley was and he thoughtfully told me he was a second baseman for the Seattle Mariners.  I googled it, he was right.

But it’s tough being a baseball mom.  Yes, he has a baseball Dad too (we’ve been married for 21 years), but many times it’s just the boys and I, waiting for an autograph or in line for a replica ring when it’s 104 degrees in the shade and we’re not in the shade.  And I’m the mom that reminds them–“hey if you’re ever famous or on TV, remember I’m the one who stood in this line for 4 hours”. Guilt is a powerful emotion.  

I won’t say the night was perfect.  We arrived early and waited for hours with free soda and ice cream.  While it’s a lovely gesture and the Bears certainly did it right, I quit counting after 8 trips to the bathroom.  I finally did what all good moms would do, I made them go in groups of two, reminded them of the rules of Stranger Danger and contented myself in the belief that no one would keep them (The Ransom of Red Chief coming to mind).   But as a baseball mom in Cardinal Nation, this is a moment you don’t want to miss with your son, again–it’s Mike Matheny.

I’ve been a Matheny fan for years.  I still remember feeling heartbroken when Yadier Molina came to town.  I remember the character of Matheny when he essentially trained his replacement.  I followed him as he made the move to the Giants, and watched as true life, which is always stranger than fiction led him to be replaced by Yadi’s brother, Benjie Molina.  Benjie who would later be given his first major-league coaching opportunity by Mike Matheny and the Cardinals.  While it all seems crazy now and perfect for the future biography, of all the players I’ve followed over the years, Matheny seemed like a great choice when endoctrinating a second-grader into the world of sports and baseball.  When Johnny Ballgame wanted to read sports blogs, we started with Matheny (http://mikematheny.com) because I made two assumptions:  1)  it would be clean and kid friendly and 2) it would be somehow spiritual.  I was not disappointed.

So on this night, with my boys in tow, I did not come for the autographs or the auction items, or a chance to win the door prize.  I came because as a mom, I wanted to see and hear for myself the man who is Mike Matheny.  Sure I’ve watched Mike’d Up, I’ve seen press conferences, video clips, interviews–but those were mostly about the Cardinals.  I’ve heard all the stories and lines that he’s a great guy, but as an educator, and someone who works with student athletes I wanted to hear what he would say to these young boys, to the kids in the audience, to his son as a Bears teammate.  I was hoping for one of those real moments that you don’t get often in the public arena of sports, especially not among veteran athletes.

The message was one that he had obviously delivered before, he was polished, perfected even, and at first I was a little disappointed–I wanted real.  But then I began to wonder, did I want him to change the message?  And in that moment I realized, he can’t change the message because the message doesn’t change.  He talked to these boys about service, and selflessness, and sacrifice.  He challenged them to “never put what you can achieve above that which you can achieve together.”  He called them to be examples.  He talked about making bad decisions, he called out PED’s and steroids as cheating, and cheating as being wrong.  He spoke of having to pay the price for mistakes and in the same breath spoke of grace and forgiveness.  He called them to step up and to willingly be part of something greater.

As I quickly scribbled notes in my notebook, I began to realize that he was holding fellowship with these boys and I was an interloper.  I watched as my own son and his friends listened intently to the message as if they understood every word, but yet I knew they were listening with more than their ears and a message was being delivered with more than words for those who were open to hear it.  I began to think of a phrase that my pastor often uses, “He doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.”  How incredible is it to be able to stand before a group of onlookers and deliver a message without ever saying the words. And to have those who would reject the message not even know that they’d heard it.

Later, as the evening drew to a close and we hurried the boys through an autograph line with an odd assortment of hats, baseballs and other items, I watched the Coach with his son Tate, who begins his second season with the Missouri State Bears.  I watched how comfortable they were together and how proud Tate was to be with his dad, and it was a sweet and fitting end to a message I almost missed.  And as I walked to the car with the boys examining their treasures and me examining me, I thought of how proud and blessed I am to be a baseball mom.

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.–St. Francis of Assisi

Luke 10 : 1 – 11

*Note–Part of the proceeds of this event benefitted the Wounded Warrior Project.  This is a great organization, dedicated to restoring the lives of post 9/11 veterans.  For more information or to make a donation go to http:http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

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DeAnn Short is a wife, mother of two boys, educator and high school counselor.  Born and raised in Springfield, MO, she still resides in the Southwest part of the state.  She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Missouri State University. She is a devoted sports fan, proud citizen of Cardinal Nation and self-proclaimed minor league aficionado. She also writes a blog called Raising Johnny Ballgame  http://cdshort.wordpress.com/ in which she combines two of her loves, her boys and sports.  Her favorite place to be– on the river or at the ballpark, any ballpark.  Follow her https://twitter.com/DeAnn5372 on Twitter