"Lord, I don't ask that I should win, but please, please don't let me finish behind Akabusi."
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Tom Roy, Winona Lake, BMH Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-88469-269-0
Any book which documents the history of sports ministry is welcome in my book. As such the story of Tom Roy’s “ministry specifically to and through baseball” is important. Unfortunately the book lacks any structure and is a hotch-potch of loosely related incidents. Five pages written by the authors two daughters on the kind of man he is, were probably the strangest section.
The book charts the early days of chapel services for baseball teams, starting in the 1980s as the author followed his calling, “Tom, just reach your world”.
Anyone who works in pro sport will empathize with the comment: “Lifestyle can be tough on marriages. This is just a glimpse into the life of a pro baseball player, and it is into this culture that UPI is bringing the message of Jesus Christ, a message of meaning and hope. It is a message that gives a new perspective on life, a message that God is in control, even in the uncertainty of the baseball lifestyle”.
One quote completely baffled me: “ did you know that baseball is one of the only games in the world where the defense gets the ball? That makes it a totally different experience from soccer, basketball, or football”. I must say that I would have had a much better career as a football (soccer) forward had the defence not been allowed to get the ball!