new baseball fan

I have never been an especially devoted fan of any sport, though I can still sing my high school fight song and remember every single word.
If I had to choose one sport I enjoy watching it would have to be basketball....I understand it, you can see what the players are doing, it moves quickly, all the important elements for me and my miniscule athletic attention span.

I did love watching little league baseball when my two older boys played but hadn't thought much about baseball until last winter when our son, Sam, went through the school that trains professional umpires. But that is for another blog entry.

I think I may have become a real baseball fan. Today I had my own Jerry MacQuire moment, or at least I have come to realize that there are some professional athletes who have a conscience, who are living a life that makes one a worthy role model.

Our son, Clayton, directed me to a website that has given me hope and encouragement and also a new interest in the St. Louis Cardinals because of Albert Pujols and his very public and very moving personal testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ. Pujols is not only a Christian but unquestionably the best player in major league baseball today.



Beyond that, he has done something else that is very politically incorrect. Pujols has started a foundation that, among other things, aids children who have Down's Syndrome. Their mission statement reads as follows:

Mission Statement:
To live and share our commitment to faith, family and others.

The Pujols Family Foundation was founded in 2005 with the sole purpose of reflecting the love and compassion for children in the hearts of Albert and Deidre Pujols. We are committed to a calling of love and service, dedicating our lives to seeing every child as God’s creation - more precious and important to Him than anyone could ever imagine.

At the core of the Pujols Family Foundation is the belief that every person is special in the sight of God. Albert, Deidre and Todd all have a heart for faith, family, and others. Each have been blessed with different talents and abilities that come together to create a team that is greater than the sum of its parts.

In a day when one rarely sees a child with Down's because of the nasty search-and-destroy procedure called amniocentesis which leads to abortion, Pujols has set a fine example for those who do not see all children as made in God's image. Check out his site. You, too, will be impressed and possibly also become a Cardinal's fan!