A bunch of nobodies

Everyone (in Colorado at least) is talking about the Rockies. Umm…that's our baseball team, if you've never heard of them. They're in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, and the second time in franchise history. And they're winning. They're a bunch of nobodies from nowhere who seem to be succeeding. Today, a vague memory of an article I read a while back prompted me to do a web search. I went to Google and typed in "rockies christian clubhouse," and brought up an article that appeared on the front page of USA Today in late May 2006. To check out the original article, click here.
Chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort, General Manager Dan O'Dowd, and Manager Clint Hurdle are Christians. A few years ago they started running the club and making decisions based on Christian values, selecting players with character as well as talent. According to the article, chapel services and Bible studies are well attended by players, and the execs pray together. But, their beliefs are not forced upon anyone; as this follow up article in the Rocky Mountain News clarifies: We're not the angels
So, that was last year…front page of USA Today, not because of baseball prowess, but because of God. How odd. The executives hoped their new approach would help them to succeed. Bloggers and media had a heyday. As did Christians. Does God care about baseball games, and who wins? Just because you're doing the right thing, doesn't mean you'll succeed. Don't nice guys always finish last? The Rox finished the 2006 season tied with the Diamondbacks for last place in the NL west. Looks like it didn't work.
Now it's 2007, they're in the playoffs…and they just keep winning. They have won 17 of the last 18 games, and will be paired off against the Diamondbacks for the NL Championship Series. Everybody is wondering "who are these guys and where did they come from?!" With the exception of Todd Helton, they're just a bunch of kids. I'm reminded of the story of another nobody kid from nowhere. This small scraggly kid was the youngest in his family and was sent to watch the sheep--probably because nobody else wanted the job. His older brothers were bigger and stronger and probably meaner. When a huge giant threatened the area, the bigger and stronger brothers ran away and hid. The little scraggly kid walked straight up to the giant, and took him down with a single stone to the head. Who was this kid, and where did he come from?! He was just a nobody that God turned into a somebody because of his faith. That is just one story; there are countless others. God uses nobodies, often preferring them to people who have made a name for themselves, because God's power is best revealed through a nobody. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. – I Corinth 1:27
I don't know the future, and I don't know how long the Rockies' postseason ride will last, but I'm looking forward to watching it play out. I would love to see them go all the way and win the World Series. Some may think I am being too presumptuous. For now, I'm rejoicing that the nobodies are becoming somebodys…and seemingly for the right reasons. And for the record, yes, I believe that God has had a hand in their success. I'm sure he has some ultimate purpose for a bunch of nobodies winning baseball games, and I'd bet it goes far beyond the field.
You know, scholars say that the stone David used against Goliath was the size of a baseball…