Berardino: Dozier shares his faith in Detroit

[Seth Stohs]

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/05/10/twinsights-brian-dozier-proudly-shares-his-faith-journey-with-pregame-crowd/

 

Mike Berardino posted a blog about Brian Dozier speaking to a Saturday morning crowd in Detroit about his faith. Great quotes from Dozier about speaking about such a personal thing in public. Check it out.

[Thrylos]

That is a huge can of worms, as are any discussions that mix baseball with politics and religion and the such.

 

just my 2 cents and I will leave it at that.

[Longdistancetwins]

Well, thanks, I appreciated the little story. Baseball Chapel is quite an old organization, and a lot of fine fellows (and "good guy" Twins) have been involved in it.

[twinsfan34]

There's a lot who say faith and don't do it. Most often when we hear someone say they're a Christian or anything really, a woman, a European, a man, an 80 year old, a banker, a professional athlete - in all of those things we often throw our projects, both favorable and unfavorable upon them as if we actually knew them.

 

Dozier is fun to watch and seems to be a genuine guy.

 

There's much expectation that faith and behavior should go hand in hand. Just like a young prospect coming up through the minor leagues, for some, it takes a lot of time to overhaul what they knew previously.

 

Faith won't give you win's and tons of money, it's not what it's about. The Bible says there was no greater man born of a woman than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). He was beheaded on request of a stripper (Matt. 14). And Jesus was crucified. Good behavior doesn't necessarily equate to 'life results'...Sabermetricians agree.

 

To bring all this to a close. Thanks for sharing Seth. Glad Dozier is humble enough to show how it was not easy at first and the more people he shares with the more it weighs with him. If you're not nervous, it probably doesn't matter that much.

[Thrylos]

Seth, told you, you were opening a can of worms

 

. The Bible says there was no greater man born of a woman than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). He was beheaded on request of a stripper (Matt. 14).

 

Alright. Matthew 14:

 

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, ² and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ⁴ for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much ⁷ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

 

I think I missed the stripper part. Seems that Matthew did too.

 

Matthew 11.11:

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Let's not turn this into an argument over the meaning of scripture.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Seth, told you, you were opening a can of worms

 

 

 

Alright. Matthew 14:

 

 

 

I think I missed the stripper part. Seems that Matthew did too.

 

Matthew 11.11:

 

its interesting to hear other people's faith story. I am not so bold to share it so openly in public face to face.

 

the back story is, John the Baptist told Herod it was a sin to be hot for your step daughter (or niece depending on your translation)

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/matthew/14.htm

Herod wouldn't "Marry" Salome because of it, but told Salome (or Herodias again translation) he'd give her anything she asked for a "dance". Being vindictive she asked for John the baptists head on a platter, which he obliged.

 

Stripper isn't so far off, and this book has been translations of translations for hundreds of years.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Let's not turn this into an argument over the meaning of scripture.

Sorry Brock, should've read further. I'm done

[Brock Beauchamp]

Sorry Brock, should've read further. I'm done

 

No worries, thanks for responding.

[Craig Arko]

This is going to end well.

[Brock Beauchamp]

This is going to end well.

 

May he who casts the first stone have a long career in the Twins bullpen.

 

Or something like that.

[Thrylos]

May he who casts the first stone have a long career in the Twins bullpen.

 

Or something like that.

 

If the stone approaches 100 mph and is on target of course. Gardy 4:20

[old nurse]

If the stone approaches 100 mph and is on target of course. Gardy 4:20

 

Thou shshoud not throw the stone straight. Jim Hoey 1:98

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Thou shalt not throw in excess of 100 stones, lest ye be unable to throw stones again on your fifth day.

 

- the Book of Rick

[zchrz]

Thou shalt get after it

[AlwaysinModeration]

Thou shalt not covet thy opposing team's impending free agents, or at least contact them until after the end of season tournament concludes.

[diehardtwinsfan]

If the stone approaches 100 mph and is on target of course. Gardy 4:20

 

I don't know. Gardy 5:1-20 is all about how the stone needs to have some decent sink to it.

 

And then there's the book of Anderson.... talk about something that gets people riled up....

[diehardtwinsfan]

That is a huge can of worms, as are any discussions that mix baseball with politics and religion and the such.

 

just my 2 cents and I will leave it at that.

 

All kidding aside, I think we can have these conversations and still be respectful. I think we are all aware that there are liberals, conservatives, and libertarians that visit this site. It doesn't mean we can get along. I'm fairly certain there are Christians, Atheists, and Agnostics that visit too. We can all get a long. No one is saying that an atheist needs to become a Christian or vice-versa. I do think though that where people land, we can talk about it respectfully.

 

Personally, as a Christian I like hearing about these things. I already really like Dozier and stories like this make me like him more. There's a lot more to life than baseball. If Dozier has a good baseball career, he'll be nearing retirement when he reaches my age. It's great to see that he wants to have an impact both now and when that time is reached.

[Craig Arko]

"You have to tell the truth the way you see it. And yet you have to be tolerant of the fact that neither you nor the man you are arguing with is going to get it right." - J. Bronowski.

[strumdatjag]

At the risk of digging into that open can of worms:

Dozier is having a great year as a player, but I don't think it's unusual or all that courageous for a baseball player to speak about his Christian religious beliefs in public. The members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes have been doing it for years. Brian is a guy from Mississippi, the heart of the evangelical Bible Belt. They're supposed to spread the word (and sometimes that can be counterproductive for the team - remember Tommy Herr, although I am not saying Dozier would be that divisive). If Brian Dozier had come out and said he was an atheist, maybe that would be courageous, but I'd be just as negative. Lace up your shoes, pick up your bat and glove and play the game - and tell us about that. I don't want to hear about you guru, your atheism or personal relationships with deities. I don't care how the deity got you successfully to negotiate your latest mega-million dollar contract (it's happened) or help you win the game over the poor "loser" Christian who lost in the other dugout (apparently not helped that day by divine intervention). On HBO, Larry Merchant, while interviewing winning boxers, would often cut them off when they'd endorse products ("This is HBO, we don't have commercials") or go into the obligatory "The first thing I want to do is thank God . . ." Larry was right - It's just NOT good sports commentary! We want to hear you talk about the game.

[Willihammer]

 

And then there's the book of Anderson.... talk about something that gets people riled up....

 

"... And verily, I say unto you, pay 1/10 strkeouts per 9 as a tithe. And behold, your defenders slave for you."

[twinsfan34]

At the risk of digging into that open can of worms:

Dozier is having a great year as a player, but I don't think it's unusual or all that courageous for a baseball player to speak about his Christian religious beliefs in public. The members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes have been doing it for years. Brian is a guy from Mississippi, the heart of the evangelical Bible Belt. They're supposed to spread the word (and sometimes that can be counterproductive for the team - remember Tommy Herr, although I am not saying Dozier would be that divisive). If Brian Dozier had come out and said he was an atheist, maybe that would be courageous, but I'd be just as negative. Lace up your shoes, pick up your bat and glove and play the game - and tell us about that. I don't want to hear about you guru, your atheism or personal relationships with deities. I don't care how the deity got you successfully to negotiate your latest mega-million dollar contract (it's happened) or help you win the game over the poor "loser" Christian who lost in the other dugout (apparently not helped that day by divine intervention). On HBO, Larry Merchant, while interviewing winning boxers, would often cut them off when they'd endorse products ("This is HBO, we don't have commercials") or go into the obligatory "The first thing I want to do is thank God . . ." Larry was right - It's just NOT good sports commentary! We want to hear you talk about the game.

 

this is exactly what I spoke to...projections. All generic stuff. Most people in the Bible belt are not Christians. Most people in Mississippi are not Christians.

 

Why do people project? Just the other day there was a Mississippi man who killed someone. Did he fit the Bible belt Mississippi man description?

 

And he did share, that it was a struggle to share in public. Again, that's different than the Tim Tebow and other types of Christian.

 

Let's not put projections of Dozier or Michael Sam or anyone we know onto them if we don't know them. Let each person speak for themselves and be distinctly themselves.

 

Did you know Dozier was a Christian before this? I don't get post-game stuff on MLB.TV so I haven't seen that many interviews of Dozier.

 

He's been with the Twins for almost 3 years....and I didn't know this. Doesn't seem to be 'over the top' as some are.

 

He doesn't even go as far as the Kirby Puckett 'sign of the cross' before his at-bats or anything else like that.

 

But to your 2nd point...or Larry the Cable guy...it's usually just out of left field, and if you 'share' in that moment, it's everyone's projection of Christianity - and personally I can't handle the dialogue of most people who claim to be "Christians."

 

It's not the right time to 'share' and people are only going to project what they know of Christianity upon you. Good and bad.

 

That's what my initial post tried to speak to.

[twinsfan34]

Seth, told you, you were opening a can of worms

 

 

 

Alright. Matthew 14:

 

 

 

I think I missed the stripper part. Seems that Matthew did too.

 

Matthew 11.11:

 

 

this is my projection...

 

but I didn't think you'd miss that kind of thing.

[Seth Stohs]

Just wow!

[D. Hocking]

And then there's the book of Anderson.... talk about something that gets people riled up....

 

This is controversial, because many people do not think it should have been excluded from the official cannon by the Council of Cooperstown - that it better reflects the spirit of Abner Doublesday than some of the official cannon.

 

 

This can be a controversial topic, although while not perfect, this board handles stuff like this better than others. I have heard Dozier mention his faith in passing before. It seems to be a sincere part of who he is, and when he has mentioned it, it has seemed to have been an organic part of the conversation and not something he is forcing into it. At this article he was speaking at an event where this was the subject matter. I don't think Dozier is going to be causing any problems unless all of a sudden his baseball skills plummet.

[Craig Arko]

Just wow!

 

Wow upside down is of course, Mom. That works.

[JB_Iowa]

 

Did you know Dozier was a Christian before this? I don't get post-game stuff on MLB.TV so I haven't seen that many interviews of Dozier.

 

Yes, I did. And I loved this story about his faith in action:

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/north/story/faith-first-for-twins-rising-dozier-020214

 

 

That's the type of "testimonial" I prefer.

 

 

(And that doesn't mean that non-Christians can't and don't do wonderful service projects. It's just that I prefer to see people put their efforts -- and their money -- in action instead of mere words.)

[Mike Sixel]

I am an atheist, but greatly respect those with other beliefs. I think people should share their stories and beliefs. I think people should not take away others' freedoms based on their beliefs, however. that's as far as I'll tiptoe....

[Jerr]

I am an atheist, but greatly respect those with other beliefs. I think people should share their stories and beliefs. I think people should not take away others' freedoms based on their beliefs, however. that's as far as I'll tiptoe....

 

As a Christian, I applaud your post, "can't we just all, get along":D?

 

Life is short, enjoy what you have. And if, you throw "stones" hope it has a great hook, as the Twins need it:th_alc:

[strumdatjag]

People certainly have a right to speak about their religious views, and I have a right to hope they get to talking about the game or their playing of the game. If an athlete appears on Pat Robertson's show or at the pulpit of a local church, those are great places to talk about religion. In fact, those would be weird places to talk about changing batting stances or being more aggressive in running the bases (except as a parable to the religious lesson). However, if you're talking in the ballpark or in your short TV interview before, after or during the game, I want to hear about what happened, is happening or what to expect to happen in the game and how you are playing, ailing or whatever. I don't want to hear about religion - And I say that in accordance with my First Amendment rights (freedom of speech) - Just my opinion.