The All-Time 9

My love of Baseball is pretty well documented and so it should come as no surprise that with the American and National League's Championship Series almost complete my thoughts have turned to the World Series. While I am personally pulling for the Philadelphia Phillies to repeat as World Champions the caliber of play by all teams has made for some of the most thrilling baseball this season despite the fact that my own team the Detroit Tigers choked.

The Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, and perhaps less so the Angels are some of the most established teams in the history of Baseball and carry with them a great roster of Hall of Fame players. As someone who likes to think about the history of the game I am excited about a poll that Major Leauge Baseball is offering where fans like you and me can vote for the All-Time 9, the single greatest player at his position in the history of the franchise. Teams with short histories like the Colorado Rockies have their 9 filled with names like Vinnie Castilla, who is the top vote getter with over 90% voting for him as the Rockies All-Time greatest Third Baseman but compared to teams like Baltimore who had Brooks Robinson or Kansas City with George Brett it is easy to see that the Rockies are lacking the depth to make this interesting.

Scanning some of the more historic teams we see names like Ty Cobb & Babe Ruth (who hated each other), Micky Mantle & Jackie Robinson, and other "who's who" of Baseball. I personally have had a great time both strolling down memory lane and honoring some of the greats with my vote. To think of the history that is contained in this pursuit reminds me of a term that we use in our faith to talk about this very same thing: A Great Cloud of Witnesses.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses, is an expression that gets at the central theme that we are united by those brothers and sisters who have gone before and on who's shoulders we now stand. Included in their number are the Ty Cobbs and Babe Ruths of this church and our faith. We are able to lean into their example, learn from their mistakes and successes, and ultimately provide that same service for the generation to come. Soon enough folks will be standing on our shoulders, talking about the people here and now like we do about the heroes of our churches and faith.

As for Baseball, we will have to wait to see if Red Hot players of today like Phillies standouts Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will have the staying power and production to earn them a spot in Cooperstown. Only time will tell. Yet for the Cloud of Witnesses, we are all a part of the witness of the Church in this and every age. The Cloud of Witnesses is our Cooperstown, our All-Time 9