West Cocoa Chat

“Timing” is an interesting concept. Having a son who is in love with baseball I’m somewhat familiar with the concept. The difference between whiffing on a pitch or hitting a hard line drive down the line for a double does not necessarily depend on (although at times it doesn’t hurt) strength as it does getting the bat through the zone and making contact with the ball on the sweet part of the bat.

I remember a hitting lesson Rusty Kuntz (MLB Outfielder – played with the Tigers in 84, game winning hit in a World Series Game – now a MLB 1st Base Coach) gave my son’s AAU Team when he was 10 and playing with his son. He had all of the boys stand parallel to a fence with their bats on or near their shoulder. When he instructed them to swing each one hit the fence which prevented them from completing their swing. Then he had them all elevate their bats so they were in a raised position. Standing in their same spots each boy was able to swing the bat w/o hitting the fence. It was his way of showing them that a shorter swing arc means getting the bat into and through the zone quicker – timing.

I don’t know who’s timing was worse the other day, the (pardon me while I go NBA for a moment) Knicks or the Nuggets. Most of you have probably seen video tape of the brawl that took place the other night resulting in all 10 starters being ejected with the League’s leading scorer, Carmello Anthony receiving a 15 game suspension.

The timing involved here consisted of the Nuggets being up by 20 points with 2 minutes left to go and all 5 of their starters still on the floor, aggressively attacking the basket almost at will. The Knick’s Coach, Isaiah Thomas, a former member of the “infamous” (unless you’re a Piston fan) “Bad Boy” Detroit Piston teams who won a couple of NBA Championships while knocking anyone who attacked the (including “Air Jordan” – anyone remember “The Jordan Rules?”) basket to the floor in the process. Flash forward to 2006 with “Zeke” (Isaiah’s nickname) now a coach, getting his face rubbed in it and apparently telling his team, “No more lay-ups or dunks.” In other words, any Nugget driving to the hoop gets a one way ticket to the Stands.

Well they did and it happened. I liked what one New York reporter wrote. He placed the blame fully on the Nuggets’ Coach, George Karl. He wrote that by having his starters on the floor with 2 minutes left and a 20 point lead, he forced “Zeke” into the role of “Colonel Jessep” (remember Jack Nicholson in the movie “A Few Good Men”) ordering the “Code Red.” Why do I have this urge to yell out, “You can’t handle the truth!” Sorry, digressing again. Again, everything was about timing although this really isn’t good timing.

Then there was Monday in our household. My son, a junior in high school, came home in a grouchy mood. I guess semester exams would make anyone grouchy. His frustration was over more than exams. He continually fights the fight that I wished in some ways I had to fight more for it would strengthen my faith. You see, he is a Christian young man in an environment that labels him at times, an outsider. He has always been able to mix well with all kids and being an athlete on the baseball team certainly opens some doors.

But for the most part he is the only kid on the team trying to live a life that would honor Jesus. It’s tough because we all need to belong to something. He is O.K. on Wednesdays and Sundays because he has our youth group to encourage him. The other days he feels alone at times.

So he came home in that mood, me against the world and is it worth it. Then his Uncle Greg (Stoogelover) and wanted to talk guitars and amps. His face lit up, he laughed, and stayed on the phone for a record amount of time. He also had a couple of cards from 2 students who attend Lipscomb University who recently visited with our youth group. I’m glad Steven wants to go to a Christian College but it was Greg’s phone call that turned the tide of that day.

You’ll never know Greg how much that phone call and your conversation with Steven means to me. You brightened his day. You had terrific timing. Seems to me the Apostle Paul said something about timing? I’ll leave you with the best example of timing on this side of eternity:

Romans 5:6 - You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.