Miracle Doubters

First we had the Red Sox miracle stories. Now we have the skeptics. Laura Vecsey of the Baltimore Sun wonders of the blood on Curt Schilling's ankle was fake during his last two starts. She thinks he's playing up the baseball savior role:


"Even factoring in the sour grapes, word out of New York is that some Yankees players wouldn't put it past Schilling to dab his sock with red magic marker, or apply generous amounts of Mercurochrome - anything to amplify the Red Sox's amazing postseason run and, of course, to hoist his stature. "


Schilling insists it was blood in an interview on Boston.com, and then had this fascinating exchange on the theological question of whether God cares about baseball:


While many think you're a great pitcher and a courageous human being, some don't understand why you think the supreme being cares about whether you win a baseball game or not.

CS: "I never said he did."

Don't you pray before every game?
CS: "Yes."

What happens with your god when you lose?
CS: "With my God? Or God? I don't think anything happens to him, but I think pretty much every time I do lose I get taught some sort of lesson. Be it preparation, aggression, execution, or humility."

Wasn't he listening that day?
CS: "He listens everyday."

If there is a supreme being of some sort, some may question whether he cares who wins the World Series. There just might be a few more pressing problems in the world.
CS: "Agreed ... I never asked the Lord for a win, or a strikeout, or to be better than anyone on the other team. I simply asked him to provide with the strength to get to the mound and compete, and to give me the strength to glorify Him when I was done. I have had the opportunity to do this in my career, and until this year I had basically passed. No more. Like every other time in my life when I looked to him for help, for answers, He answered. But this time He answered in a way I felt. I always thought that when I asked, he was supposed to answer in a way I could easily see and understand, but I know now that a lot of times I am asking for one thing when I really mean something else, or asking for something I don't need. So now I stop asking the old way, and start letting Him decide what I need and how I need it.

"There are so many more pressing problems in the world I agree, but I can't be more than one person, so I asked for me, and for everyone on the field, the ability to compete, and do right, and wisdom.

"I proved to myself Game 1 that I didn't have the strength to do it, to overcome whatever it was I needed to overcome, Game 6 and Game 2 were all His. He got me out there, and my teammates took care of the rest.

"If you haven't checked it out, read Philippians 4:13, can't do anything these days without having that reverberate in my head."