So the National League Division Series (NLDS) is over and the San Francisco Giants sent the Atlanta Braves packing. I wonder if Brooks Conrad is going to become the new Bill Buckner? I heard from one of our readers who was in Georgia over the weekend that the people there were being pretty ruthless toward him, and she was wishing they all could read yesterday’s Catch.
It’s unfortunate how one player can get singled out like this. He’s only one of nine. The rest of the team could have played to a level where they would have absorbed an error without any problem. Even the best of players make errors now and then. It’s just when you make one at a crucial moment on a national stage that you have to pay an inequitable price. Most people who are still talking about it have probably forgotten that if Conrad makes that play the inning is over but the score is still tied. There’s no guarantee, had he made it, that the outcome of the game would have been any different. The Braves still would have had to win the game.
I thought it was great that Bobby Cox lead off the ninth inning of last night’s game with Conrad even though he hadn’t played in the game up until then. He put him in for his offensive abilities when they needed it the most – in the ninth inning trailing by one run and three outs away from elimination. And the crowd gave him a huge ovation.
You could say that was an expression of grace and mercy – an evidence of the fact that the crowd had already forgiven Brooks – but I doubt it. I bet it was more an expression of “Okay dude, here’s your chance to make up for your mistake yesterday. Hit a home run and all is forgiven. We’re all for you as long as you come through right here, right now. Make us forget yesterday.” As it turned out, he flied out weakly to center field.
Unconditional love – God’s love – says, “I love you,” regardless. “You can hit a home run or strike out; it really doesn’t matter. You are loved, forgiven and highly valued before you ever step up to the plate.” The crowd is not capable of that kind of love. God is not only capable of that kind of love; he IS that kind of love. God is love.
Hopefully Brooks Conrad knows that kind of love from God. I’m pretty sure Bill Buckner does. Do you?
John Fischer The Catch 
Sometimes a wrong move on our part doesn’t matter one iota in the whole scheme of things, just a simple mistake. Then the same mistake in another situation can mean life or death, victory or defeat. Mercy and grace are imperative for all of us because at any moment we can find ourselves in one or the the other situation.
A tweet from Rick Warren just came out that I have always thought was really important to keep in mind: “There are illegitimate parents but no illegitimate babies.Your parents may not have planned u but God did. He wanted u alive”. Isn’t this enough reason for us all to care, to learn to be merciful and graceful, to strive toward understanding how to overcome our human-ness… It ain’t easy, but God has done so much for each of us, whether we believe in Him or not.
[and on another note, you know I just cannot let this go unanswered]
Remember, there is a difference in what the media is doing with Brooksie’s errors vs what the fans are doing with it. We’ve watched this team play it’s heart out all year. Last night most of us were yelling hoping he would have one more chance to do something… for himself and his team. Not necessarily for a win, but as Braves fans we’ve learned never to give up until the last out is called. The media, however, will take this and do what they will with it.
I’m not sure I would say “it really doesn’t matter,” regarding the home run vs. strike out question, though I’m pretty sure I know where you’re going with that. It certainly matters, both to God and to humans, how we “perform” from day to day. It’s just that the quality of the performance doesn’t change the quality of the Master’s love. And you’re absolutely right about it – God IS that kind of love.
Why do we cling to other’s failures so much? “Dodging Bullets” [mercy and grace] happens too … but we don’t hold on to those memories. The night before Sergio Romo gave up a homerun that might have “lost the game” for the Giants but they made their own comeback and his failure was forgiven/forgotten. Just last night an oft-maligned veteran Renteria dropped an easy out that could have “let the Giants lose” … but again it was covered over by the fact that they got out of it and so today it doesn’t matter. I am convinced that part of heaven will be knowing how bad our “errors” were yet hearing “it does not matter … we won The Game anyway.” Can God’s Kingdom come by acting like Heaven is how we can live now? [For what it is worth, I heard that in the pre-game warm-ups a large group of Braves fans came down to cheer Conrad.]
Yesterday I was watching a show where they were showing a real-time interrogation of a 19 year old named Cameron who had been arrested for being with another guy who killed a guy
Cameron didn’t know the friend was going to stab a homeless guy. He didn’t see the start of the fight and then realized there was a problem and pulled his friend off the guy. The guy was asking for help. The boys left him and went home. The homeless man died alone after crawling a few hundred feet.
This show was talking about the case.
At one point Camerons parents were allowed to be in the room alone with him to talk to him. This is what was amazing that it was shown on TV. 3 times the parents prayed with Cameron. They kept talking to him about telling the truth and to quit covering for his friend. They mentioned to him how Cameron has had chance after chance and message after message from the Lord and that Cameron had ignored them all. They talked about how now you are out of our control. We can’t do anything. They tallked about how it affected the whole family…
Then they told him that they love him no matter what. That they are there for him. That he will be in jail….etc. They all then were huddling and asked for Gods Mercy.
It was the most profound prayer. The dad was saying that his son did wrong…that he deserved what he got but please show mercy. The dad’s whole message to Cameron was God loves you, I love you and now is the time to tell the truth no matter what and beg for mercy and that God never leaves you. Cameron was crying through the whole thing. The parents seemed to have the right amount of anger,compassion,advice etc. This was true reality tv. It was so emotional yet you saw how the parents kept turning to God in their grief. There should be a video passed around of this interrogation for other Christian parents when their kids mess up big time…
Anyway, that reminded me of what you just wrote so I thought I would share it.