NEWS FEATURE: Some pro players depend on faith on the road, at home

c. 1999 Religion News Service ATLANTA _ Keith Lockhart was on a cell phone aboard a plane, listening closely as his wife, Lisa, gave him a play-by-play of his son’s baseball game.”I listened until we got too far away from the signal,”said Lockhart wistfully.”That’s when it’s really tough being in this business.””This business”is professional baseball. […]

c. 1999 Religion News Service

ATLANTA _ Keith Lockhart was on a cell phone aboard a plane, listening closely as his wife, Lisa, gave him a play-by-play of his son’s baseball game.”I listened until we got too far away from the signal,”said Lockhart wistfully.”That’s when it’s really tough being in this business.””This business”is professional baseball.

It’s a business in which players are away from home 50 percent of the time during the season, which can last from early March through late October.


For players who are husbands and fathers, it can be especially tough. They often miss important family events such as Little League games, piano recitals or school plays. They are rarely home to help with household emergencies or to take care of a sick child.

Lockhart, an infielder for the Atlanta Braves, says he relies on his faith in God to get him through those times he can’t be with his wife and children.”Having a family and being a professional athlete is tough on any marriage,”said Lockhart.”I worry about my wife having to take care of things when I’m not home. Then, when I’m home, she is always trying to make sure everything runs smoothly so I don’t have to worry about anything. She has a lot of responsibility during the season. I definitely have to depend on my faith in God to keep my marriage strong.” Braves shortstop Walt Weiss agrees.”It (baseball) can be very hard on a marriage,”he said.”There are a lot of temptations out there for athletes, and you and your wife have to have a lot of trust in each other, plus a lot of faith in God.” While neither Lockhart nor Weiss is able to spend much time with family or attend church-related events during the season, both are committed to sharing the gospel wherever they go.

The two players recently took part in the Southern Baptist Convention’s”Arms Around Atlanta”evangelism effort. Weiss was one of the instructors at a baseball clinic in which he shared not only his knowledge of the game but also the gospel with Atlanta-area youths. Lockhart was one of several celebrities featured in a series of television commercials sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention last month.

Being a professional athlete is demanding and Weiss, Lockhart and teammate Ryan Klesko all agree their faith helps them weather tough times, whether on the field or in their personal lives.”My faith is very important to me,”said Klesko.”When things are bad, you have to depend on your faith to pull you through.” Lockhart, who spent eight seasons in the minor leagues before being signed by Kansas City in 1995, is one of 22 professional athletes featured in “A Path to Victory,” a sports New Testament published by the International Bible Society. In it he relates his struggles in trying to make it to the major leagues before finally dedicating not only his life but also his career to God. Shortly after that he was signed by Kansas City and led the team in batting with a .321 average.

Lockhart, who was traded to Atlanta in 1997 to help shore up the Braves’ infield, said he uses his career to help bring people to Christ.”Many people will listen to us just because we are professional athletes,”he said.”It just opens more doors for us to share our faith.”

DEA END WHITE

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