(With apologies and condolences to my friends in Southern California.)

I've always been a baseball fan - maybe it runs in my blood (my mom's uncle pitched for the Indians). Plus I grew up cheering on the Orioles in the days of Cal Ripken, Jim Palmer and Eddie Murphy. And I have a son who is a great player already - he's outside throwing a ball up and catching it at the moment!

This year our whole family really got into following the Rockies, so we were thrilled when it looked like they had a shot at the NL wildcard spot several weeks ago. But even more, we've learned about some of the individual players, men for whom I have a lot of respect. Matt Holliday, Jamey Carrol, and Aaron Cook (sadly out for the rest of the season because of a strained muscle) are all men of deep faith and incredible humility - in addition to awesome talent! These are men I wouldn't mind my son admiring.

J asked me once several months ago, "What's so important about baseball?" I explained to him that our culture really admires athletes, and if he does excel at this sport, he will gain a lot of respect from other men and have a platform from which to talk to others about his faith. And the camaraderie of a baseball team is a great place to encourage teammates, sharing God's love and acceptance with them regardless of how well they play.

So, Rock on, Rockies! I hope this team will see miracles in the clubhouse this postseason - not just on the field!