11,000 Innings and 6,000 At Bats

"You can´t keep demanding more and more from your body, because there comes a moment when your body raises a white flag. Even though your head wants to keep going, your body says this is as far as it goes." – Rafael Nadal, announcing his planned retirement in 2024

I started playing organized baseball when I was 11 and played two years of Little League followed by three years of Babe Ruth League. I passed on playing American Legion Baseball, simply because I lacked the confidence.

When I was 18 and newly saved, I started playing softball in a fast-pitch church league. After three seasons playing shortstop for St. Paul’s Evangelical Bible Church in Pennsauken, I switched over to the Haddon Heights Baptist Church team for a single season.

A year or so later, I played a season for Hi-Fi Connections in a slow-pitch softball league and then a game or two for Moorestown Bible Church. When that church team disbanded a year later, God led me to recruit some of its players along with some high school friends to form The South Jersey Saints, the first Christian softball team in America to play exclusively in prisons.

After a few years – and multiple prison games outside of New Jersey – we changed the name of our organization to The Saints Prison Ministry. That began a 22-year run during which I played second base in thousands of games in hundreds of different correctional institutions in dozens of states. We averaged 60-80 games per year, so my best guess is that I played over 11,000 innings and, as a leadoff hitter, had more than 6,000 at bats.

That’s a lot of swinging, sliding, catching, throwing, and diving!

Relocating to Florida in 2011 to launch Risk Takers for Christ, I played several more seasons of slow-pitch softball behind bars and thousands of basketball games – some in prison, some in a local church gym, and some at outdoor parks.

Now, at age 63, my body is telling me that half-court basketball games are easier on my knees than full-court ones… and that golf is even more ‘arthritis-friendly.” However, that won’t stop me from playing 100 holes of golf (Lord willing and weather permitting) on June 14th to raise money for our Living H2O Initiative. And maybe, just maybe, God may allow me the privilege of suiting up a few more times for a prison softball game before I hang up my spikes for good.

However, just like Rafael Nadal said in today’s quote, nobody defeats Father Time. We may manage to avoid and evade him for a while, but he always has the last laugh. And so, my friends, I encourage you to enjoy your favorite activities while you can and not to take them for granted. Most importantly, play with a purpose… for Jesus!

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31 (NASB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President