Monday, October 8, 2012

Act of Valor - 10/8/12


Act of Valor - 10/8/12

My season ended last week after my participation in Team Canada's World Baseball Classic Qualifying Tournament in Regensburg, Germany.  We won the tournament and qualified for the World Baseball Classic which is in March of 2013.  I only pitched 1 inning because we dominated.  We beat Great Britain by 10 runs, Germany by 9 runs, and in the last game beat Germany again by 10 runs.  We are now looking forward to Canada doing some work in March.  My season was an interesting one.  My doctor told me in January that my arm was probably going to hurt until at least half way through the season and that is exactly what happened.  So, in the first half of the season it was slow going and plodding work.  Although each time I took the mound I competed, I was not myself.  But, my arm started to respond about halfway through the year and I finished really strong in AA New Hampshire.  I was in Extended Spring Training until joining A Dunedin Blue Jays in May.  I pitched in 13 games, throwing 18.1 innings for Dunedin going 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA, 25 hits, 11 earned runs, 4 homers, 26 strikeouts and 3 walks.  I joined the AA New Hampshire Fishercats and went 0-1, with 5 saves, while posting a 1.95 ERA in 25 games, 32.1 innings, 26 hits, 7 earned runs, 1 homer, 24 strikeouts and 7 walks.  The most important stats I think come from the 2nd half of the season, after the all-star break in AA.  In the 2nd half I went 0-0 with 5 saves while posting a 0.82 ERA in 19 games, 22 innings pitched, giving up 16 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 homer, 15 strikeouts and 5 walks.  Like I said, my arm felt better the 2nd half of the year.

Not long ago I watched the movie "Act of Valor".  It was a fantastic movie.  I really enjoyed it.  It did such a good job showcasing the sacrifice, the service, that so many of our armed forces give.  It is the ultimate act of service, the ultimate act of love, just as Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13) There are husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons, and daughters, who put themselves in harms way to protect us and on the behalf of others.  They are heroes.  They live lives of valor.  Am I a man who is going to live a life of such courage?  Each one of us has the opportunity to live with honor and courage.  Not only with physical acts of courage, but also mental and spiritual acts of courage.  Soldiers are called not only to act with courage in a physical way, but mentally as well.  In fact, it is the mind and heart that needs to be trained so that the body will act the way it is supposed to. God is looking for men and women to act with valor. He is searching for people who want Him, who desire Him, who desire His peace and goodness. But, goodness and living for Christ requires valor.  It requires courage. He develops us into people with backbone.  People who have found such a treasure in Him that they can act with bravery and determination  in the face of the world. "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one." Psalm 15:2-3 Am I going to be a man of valor in the lockerroom, on the field, in my thoughts, with my actions, with my finances, with my time? I don't want to be a part of the "all" who turned aside.

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