|
His
Name Was John
Unfortunately,
he was known to many as “Bat Man.”
John
C. Odom demonstrated tremendous talent as a baseball
pitcher. With
a 90 mph fastball, a sharp curve, and a good changeup,
John made the team at Tallahassee (FL) Community
College as a walk-on.
He later committed to Oklahoma State but signed
instead with the San Francisco Giants.
After four bumpy years in the Giants’ system
(none above Class A) including some time out with
injuries, the Giants released him in spring training
last year. The Calgary (CA) Vipers of the independent Golden Baseball
League offered John a job, but because of a criminal
conviction back in 1999, John was not allowed to enter
Canada.
Jose
Melendez, General Manager of the Laredo (TX) Broncos
of the United League, proposed buying John’s
contract from the Vipers for $1,000.
Calgary team president Peter Young rejected the
offer, saying the Vipers didn’t make cash deals
because they made the team look financially unstable.
However, the Vipers could use some baseball
bats. So
the Vipers traded John to the Broncos for 10 bats
valued at $665.
Instantly,
John became known as “Bat Man.”
Although
he was assured that the trade was not completed to
embarrass him in any way, John couldn’t escape the
label. Three
weeks after the trade, he abruptly left the team.
Six months later, he was found dead in Georgia
from an accidental drug overdose.
He was 26.
Was
there a connection between the trade and his untimely
death? No
one knows
for sure. Some,
like Dan Shwam of the Laredo Broncos, believe there is
a connection. “This
trade thing really bothered him,” said Shwam.
“I really believe, knowing his background,
that this drove him back to the bottle, that it put
him on the road to
drugs again.”
Ripley’s
Believe It or Not! heard about the trade and
offered $10,000 to the Vipers’ children’s charity.
Ripley’s has discussed creating an exhibit around them. *
I
say, “Burn
the bats!”
No one’s life should be measured in terms of baseball bats!
Each
and every person is valuable because each one has been
created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
Even though that image has been marred by sin
in every person, God loved us so much that He gave His
Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins (John
3:16).
Because
of JESUS... WE can be forgiven of our sins
when we submit our lives to Him in faith
(Acts 16:30-31), repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confession
(Romans 10:9-10), and baptism
(immersion) into Christ (Acts 2:38; Galatians
3:26-27).
The
value of something is often determined by what someone
is willing to pay for it.
Open your eyes and LOOK at the price that was
paid for YOU
and for ME!
No,
he was NOT “Bat Man.”
His name was John!
And God
also knows YOUR name, and He wants YOU to be His child
and live eternally with Him when this life is over.
Won’t
YOU submit your life to
Him and be born again into His family?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned from Ben Walker of
the Associated Press in “A Tragic End for Minor Leaguer Traded for
Bats.”
To
Subscribe to "Living Water"
send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
TEXT version: subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net
Follow
this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com
Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website
at: www.creekwoodcc.org
|
