Consistency Counts

In the next few days one of the most revered records in major league baseball will be broken.

The legendary Babe Ruth reigned supreme as baseball's home run king for nearly 40 years, until his record 714 lifetime homes was broken by the Braves' Hank Aaron in 1974. Many fans of "America's Pastime" felt that Aaron's record of 755 lifetime round trippers was untouchable. But as the old saying goes, "records are made to be broken". Sometime in the next few days or weeks Aaron's record will fall to baseball's new home run king - The San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds.

As of this writing Bonds is only four "taters" away from the magic number of 755, but interestingly there is nowhere near the hype surrounding Bonds' chase of the record that that accompanied Aaron's quest three decades ago. Barry is an interesting and polarizing character. He is almost universally booed and jeered in stadiums all across America - everywhere that is but AT&T Ballpark in his native City by the Bay. In San Francisco he is adored by the fans. It's hard to find many folks who are neutral in their opinions of Barry Bonds.

Barry seemed destined for stardom. He grew up around major league baseball, the son of Giants late, great Bobby Bonds. His godfather was none other than Willie Mays, one of the most talented athletes I have ever seen play, and arguably the greatest player in modern times. Barry broke in as a rising star with the Pittsburgh Pirates and never looked back.

The issue that overshadows Bonds' chase of the home run record revolves around his alleged involvement with taking steroids and performance enhancing substances which have been banned in baseball for several years. Bonds denies "knowingly" using any such substances, but he is at the center of a federal investigation which began looking into a company called BALCO in the San Francisco area. The alleged use of steroids by Bonds , supposedly supplied by a personal trainer who was connected to BALCO, has led to his having to testify before a federal Grand Jury.

Bonds has not been indicted, but has been implicated through leaks from another witness. He rarely talks to media representatives. Even Aaron, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and many of Bonds' colleagues seem somewhat ambivalent about the important milestone he is about to reach. I have no idea if Bonds has used steroids, but the visible evidence of his appearance would indicate that possibility. Over a period of about a year, Bonds went from a slender athletically built player to someone with a body akin to that of a WWF wrestler. In an expose' of sorts last year, "Sports Illustrated" published a number of "before and after" photos of Bonds and the contrast is nothing short of amazing. In fact, SI reported that his hat size has even increased over the time period in question. Pretty unusual stuff.

I am not a great fan of Barry Bonds. His sullen actions and aversion to the media may be understandable to an extent, but it's no way to win friends and influence people. Personally, I feel that Barry Bonds' attitude and choices would not make him the role model I would choose for my grandsons. However there are two positive points I would like to make about this guy.

First is his natural God given ability to hit a baseball, a feat in itself which is thought of by many to be the most difficult task in any sport. Now think about it for a moment. Think of the sharp eyesight that is required to be able to pick up the spin of the baseball. Think of the quick reaction time required to mentally assess whether or not the pitch will be in the strike zone, and to make the decision to take the pitch or swing away. Think of the hand/eye coordination required to make contact with the ball that is thrown by a superior athlete from only 60 feet 6 inches away, often at speeds of over 90 miles per hour. Furthermore think of the pure physics involved in hitting a sphere with a cylinder. The batting coaches always tell you to "hit the ball squarely" (go figure).

My point is that steroids may make you stronger and may have added to the length of some of the shots hit by Bonds, but they would have no effect on the sheer ability to hit major league pitching. Not everyone has that talent. That is a gift from God.

The point that really fascinates me, however, about Bonds is his CONSISTENCY. The Associated Press ran a story today by Josh Dubow that listed many statistics regarding Bonds home runs through July 10, 2007. I won't list them all but I do want to call your attention to some very interesting numbers.

Bonds has hit home runs against 442 pitchers from 28 teams in 38 major league ballparks. He has had 68 multi homer games. His three favorite hurlers to hit against are pitching greats Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Curt Shilling. Now look at these telling stats:
Home Runs hit at home - 374
Home Runs hit away - 377
Homers when his team was ahead - 271
Homers when his team was behind - 266
Homers when the score was tied - 214
Homers hit with no outs - 268
Homers hit with one out - 259
Homers hit with two out - 224

Barry Bonds is not exactly a fan favorite. Barry Bonds is not a media darling. Barry Bonds may be indicted by a federal grand jury. But, when it comes to doing what he does best, Barry Bonds is consistent.

If there is one important quality missing in the lives of many Christians today, it is consistency. Practicing what we preach. Walking the walk as well as talking the talk. Being the same every day. Always treating others equally and treating them the way we would like to be treated. Regularly reading and studying the Word of God, and consistently getting alone with Him in prayer. Praising Him in the bad times as well as the good times. Consistent in giving of our time, talents and treasures.

Each of us who are Christ Followers have been given the wonderful gift of God's Grace. We need to be consistent. Not for our glory, but for the glory of God.