Sometimes things just work out. We were rooting for the Atlanta Braves in the World Series:

• We’re National League fans in our family…my dad pitched in the NY Giants (National League) minor league system back in the late 1920s.
• We have one son that lives in Atlanta and often goes to games.
• The Houston Astros are documented cheaters.  In 2017, the year they won the World Series, they were stealing signs by illegal means and signaling to the batters what pitch was coming by banging trash cans. (You can’t make this stuff up!) No players were punished, and the four current Astros infielders all took part. (Which is a shame since Altuve, the second baseman, is a fantastic baseball player.)

If you follow baseball, you know that the Braves, improbably, won the Series in six games, despite having the least number of regular season wins among all playoff teams. But they had the best record in baseball in August and September.

Here’s what’s interesting:

• The Braves won 44 games prior to the all-star break. 
• They won 44 games after the all-star break (in fewer total games)
• They won the World Series on Tuesday, November 2, in the 44th week of the year.
• The great Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth’s lifetime home run record in 1974, played for the Braves wearing what number? You guessed it: 44.

Sometimes God does seem to care about sports! 

Two hometown men were on the team: Freddie Freeman has been with the Braves organization since he was 17 years old, playing for the Braves at the Major League level since he was 19: 12 years with the team. Here’s a snippet of a NY Times piece:

HOUSTON — The friendliest man in baseball is a champion. Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves’ slugger known for smiles, small talk and soft serve ice cream hit the last home run of the season and caught the throw from shortstop for the final out of the World Series. Nice guys finish first. 

Freddie is so friendly, other players can’t help but like him:

Another home-town boy playing for the Braves was Dansby Swanson. On October 30, 2021, Swanson hit the game-tying home run in Game 4 of the 2021 World Series. Jorge Soler followed with a solo home run to provide the Braves a 3 games to 1 lead in the World Series. Swanson also hit a two-run home-run in Game 6, giving the Braves a 6-run lead. He fielded the last out as well. He said:

Destiny, I guess. The good Lord, he has blessed me with so much. Wouldn’t be here without him. Just the peace that he gives me, it’s remarkable. Especially in moments like this, you can never go wrong trusting in that. Like I said, I’m just so thankful to be here, truly. – Sports Illustrated

Sometimes the winners give God good press, and that’s nice to see. Apparently, “whatever you do” includes baseball!

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3.17, ESV)

And there’s always a basic lesson from sports:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9.24 – 27, ESV)