Pitching in the big leagues is a dream. Preparing to pitch in the big leagues is a nightmare. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. Welcome to In the Volpin with Mark Dewy, brought to you by Developing Contenders Ministry. You're listening to the Fight Lab Peace Network. Thank you for joining us. And look to the coming up. I'm blindfolded to right PRESION! I would like to point out to you welcome in to From Anger's School With David Emperor Daniel Maura Jake Brown, I would like to point out to you that I diversified, I demonstrated my ability to diversify in the introduction. The first quote that I read to you, pitching in the big leagues is a dream. Preparing to pitch in the big leagues is a nightmare for the words of Nolan Ryan. The second quote, he who is not courageous enough to take risks, will accomplish nothing in life, with the words of Muhammad Ali. Baseball is the greatest game on earth. I love and miss being in the game and the people who are a part of the game. At the same time, I recognize other sports are great. And of course, they have men in them who have achieved greatness, who have achieved excellence by becoming better over a very long period of time. Whatever the sport, and for that matter, it doesn't have to be athletic at all. And whoever the person is who has such wise words, I'll quote, I like it when they encourage counting and paying the cost to get better. And I'm willing to bring in people from various sports and not even in the realm of the athletic world at all into our conversation. Let me give a demonstration. Vince Lombardi wisely declared, I'd like to say that the quality of any man's life is a full measure of that man's personal commitment to excellence and to victory regardless of what field he may be in. A few quotes from John Wooden. First, my definition of success is peace of mind, which comes through the self-satisfaction of knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable. Wooden Ossel said this, fouls, errors and mistakes are a part of the competitive process in sports, business and elsewhere. Don't live in fear of making a mistake. Finally from John Wooden. Mistakes come from doing, but so does success. The individual who is mistake free is also probably sitting around doing nothing and that's a very big mistake. College football from way back, Paul Bear Bryant. It's not the will to win that matters. Everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters. And then there's a man that I read a lot. I don't think his books were out when I was playing. I could be wrong on that, but I've read him a lot definitely as a coach. His name is Harvey Dorfman. And both of these quotes come from his book, Coaching the Mental Game. First, he writes this, personal desire resides in most people's hearts. Personal resolve is most often homeless. And then another quote from Harvey Dorfman. Isn't that normal? I've been asked many times after having it admonished an athlete for his poor approach. It is yes, but to be normal, ordinary should not be the goal of any competitive athlete. Exceptional is the goal. Normal is the excuse. One more. This comes from Jeff Colvin and his book Talent is Overrated. He really separates world class performers from everybody else. He writes, because the demands of achieving exceptional performance are so great over so many years, no one has a prayer of meeting them without utter commitment. I'm going to sum up all of these with a very short phrase, pursue excellence in all things. Whether we recognize it or not, words like the ones I have just read to you are being embraced, have been embraced, are being put into action, and have been put into action over a long period of time. And it is that reason or these reasons that men are able to enjoy moments like these. Incredible. So that was the St. Louis Cardinals fan base. Cheering, giving a curtain call to JJ Weatherhold. And that came after he hit a home run on opening day. And he is one of four former first round draft picks who made their Major League debut last week and did so in an impressive fashion. Like Weatherhold, Carson Benj of the New York Metz was also a first round draft pick in 2024 and is also only 23 years of age. Last year he began the season in high A ball, moved from there to double A and then to triple A. This year he made the Metz team and this was his first career hit. So his first Major League hit was a home run. And the reason you didn't hear play by play announcing in that is because that video and audio came from a fan sitting down the third baseline. But nonetheless his first Major League hit a home run. Another former first round pick who's even younger, Weatherhold and Benj are 23, Kevin McGonagall is only 21 years of age. And last year he started in low A ball then went to high A and finished in double A. He completely skipped over triple A to open the 2026 season in Detroit. I have about this situation right here. Kevin McGonagall's first Major League at bat, bases loaded. Line drive down the right field line. It's going to drop and score two. Keith is home, green right behind him, torque over to third, throw to second, not in time. Kevin McGonagall first Major League at bat is a two run double and the Tigers take a three nothing lead in the first. Welcome to the big leagues, Kevin McGonagall. And he followed that up with three more hits in his Major League debut. He went four for four in his first ever Major League baseball game. And not to be outdone, here's another former first rounder. Hit it to right in the first. He drives this one, B bright center, four, get about it, chase the water, what a regular season debut. A bomb to right center. And it's six to four, Cleveland. And chase the water has hit two home runs in his regular season Major League debut. That one four hundred and twenty two feet deep into the lower deck and right center. And the guardians with a six to four lead and the water with two home runs. And it's not just the young guys who are making their Major League debut. A couple of old guys have had a great start to the 2026 season. Three two on the way. And McCutchen lifts it to deep center field Crawford on the dead spread its over his head and up against the wall. Andrew pedaling for second he tipped toes in with a two out double. So Andrew McCutchen is in his 18th season in Major League baseball. He got a hit that hit you just heard with the Rangers on opening day against the Phillies. He hit his first home run of the year yesterday. And he said that he I'll quote him quote I honestly thought there was like a 90% chance that I wasn't going to play in 2026. To go from that in a very short amount of time to being here at this moment is crazy. It's a great story. As I said, this is his 18th year in Major League baseball. This man is only in his 16th year of Major League baseball, but it is the 16th of what will become a Hall of Fame career. What have another open day home run. There goes out to left away back and long gone opening day blast for Mike Trout. That was a nine to five. 108.5 off the bat. Oh my 403 feet. All of these men, the four rookies, the two older men, all of these men have something in common. Of course, besides being Major League baseball players, they have something in common that every Major League baseball player understands to one degree or another. Getting to the Major leagues, staying in the Major leagues. The four young guys have not yet done that. They're in the first week. Trout and McCutcheon have, but getting there and staying there is not easy. It doesn't happen by playing things safely. It is costly. They know that commitment doesn't make room for convenience. They have wanted to go to bed and didn't. They wanted to stay in bed and didn't. They have repeatedly done what was necessary rather than what was convenient. They have had coaches who pushed them past what they thought they were capable of doing. And I could go on and on, but I'll end with this. Each of these men and every man in Major League baseball and every man in the Major League baseball hall of fame. They have failed. They have failed again. And then they experienced more failure. They have and those still playing continue to pay the cost required to be better at what they do. And as it regards being a Major League baseball player, being less than 1% of 1% of all people who have ever played the game. Whatever you do, whether anybody sees highlights of your career or not, whether you're making millions of dollars a year or have very modest earnings, the question I have is, are you seeking each day to be better? To be better at what the Lord, Lord, has called you to be and to do at least at this time in your life. Do you expect to fulfill your dream? Whatever it is, without the nightmare of the costly work that is necessary to do so. Think again about no one Ryan's words. Now let's return to Mike Traut for a moment. I saw an interview that took place over the last few days that he did in which he was wearing a t-shirt. A t-shirt that has been quite prominent over the last two or three years. The t-shirt simply reads, Jesus won. I love seeing that t-shirt. I love seeing players being interviewed with that t-shirt on. But I also know this. There's a cost to wearing such a t-shirt. Now in a day filled with fake news, it's great to see something so undeniably true. And when we so often hear people speaking out of both sides of their mouth, equivocating, guarding their words so they don't offend anybody, I think it's wonderful to see and hear such a clear and concise message. I love the t-shirt. I'd be happy to see another one. It's not as lucidly brief, but it would still be very true. The t-shirt would read, Jesus won. Jesus is winning. Jesus will win. But as I said, there's a cost to wearing such a t-shirt. There's a cost to sending such a message. Now you might be thinking, well, Mike Traut, he doesn't have anything to worry about. He's made tens of millions of dollars. And even if he lost it all, his major league pension will be a couple hundred thousand dollars per year. And that's all very good and true. But what if? What if, after doing this interview, same day, some following day, later on this year, a reporter goes up to Mike Traut and says, Mike, I like you a lot. And I think I need to inform you of something. Amongst reporters that I know, and those that vote for who is inducted into the Hall of Fame, the word is getting around that many of them are considering not voting for you for the Hall of Fame because of that shirt. Hmm. What would you do if that was you? Let's change things. You weren't Mike Traut. What if you were an average major league player with, oh, let's say three and a half years of major league service time. So you haven't made that kind of money. Your pension's not going to be that high. What if that's you? What if you have a half year of major league baseball in? What if you're the four guys that I brought up and played highlights for at the beginning? They're just getting their career started. What if that were you? And it could cost you money. A roster spot. Maybe even your dream of playing major league baseball. What if? What if a reporter, whether out of sincere curiosity or sinister desires, starts asking questions about the shirt? What if a reporter says to you, what does it mean? And you give a response? Mentally it means Jesus is the king of kings and lord of lords. He won the victory over the world to flesh the devil over death and the grave. And the reporter said, that's interesting. And I'm really happy for you that you believe such things. And I'm wondering, what about those who don't believe Jesus one? Who don't believe he is king of kings and lord of lords? Who don't believe that he is won the victory over the world to flesh the devil, death and the grave? What about those people? And what if you compassionately and lovingly respond that for people who die apart from repenting of their sins and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ who won victory over those sins, they will forever perish in hell? Could that cost you? What if a reporter says to you, okay, given what you have told me, I assume you aren't willing to support the LGBTQ plus agenda. And you respond, no, I am not. I cannot condone, let alone celebrate what Jesus condemns. What would the cost be? What if the reporter followed up and said, so I also assume you oppose gay marriage? And you respond, no, I don't. And the reporter says, what? And you say, I don't oppose what doesn't exist. Marriage is defined by Jesus, who won, not by man individually or mankind collectively. And Jesus says marriage is a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife. I trust you see the potential cost, even for a person like Mike Trout. This could lead to some extremely costly consequences for any of us and even somebody like him. Now, if John the Baptist wore such a shirt, and of course there were no t-shirts at that time, but if he did in the presence of Herod, it may have made Herod a bit agitated. If John the Baptist had simply said to Herod, listen, I'll pray for you. Herod likely would have laughed at him. If John the Baptist said to Herod, you know, it may not be in your best interest to engage in this kind of behavior. It may have made Herod very agitated. But John the Baptist didn't do any of those things. John the Baptist said to Herod, it is wrong for you to have your brother's wife. And that resulted in John the Baptist being thrown into prison and then having his head presented on a platter. I trust that you can see that even a person so universally liked and respected as Mike Trout could quickly be hated and despised. Could end up paying a cost for believing in and living according to the glorious truth that Jesus won. And this should not surprise us. The slave is not greater than his master. If they hated Christ, they will hate those who follow King Jesus faithfully. And things can turn on a dime. Yesterday, many of us celebrated Palm Sunday. And on that Sunday, as Jesus entered into Jerusalem, often referred to as His triumphal entry, the multitudes were crying out, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. But a few days later, the multitudes were yelling, crucify Him. That triumphal entry is recorded in all four gospels, our pastor preached from the gospel of Luke yesterday. That's toward the end of Jesus' public earthly ministry. But if we go back to the beginning of Luke, in particular Luke chapter 4, and the beginning of Christ's public ministry, we see something very, very similar. In Luke 4 verse 23, we read of the people raving about Christ. We read that all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips. But then you just go down, I think it's five verses after reading those words, and you read that the people are filled with rage, and then they try to push Jesus off a cliff. And then when I consider to be a classic understatement, Luke writes, but passing through their midst, he went his way. We read again and again in the gospels that despite the repeated desire to kill Jesus multiple times, it did not happen at those times because His time had not yet come. That time had been appointed by His Father before the foundation of the world, not only the time, but the method of His death, crucifixion. No one and nothing could change the time or the way in which Christ died. And here's more glorious news. The same is true for each of us. Our Heavenly Father, before the foundation of the world, ordained when and how we would die. No one and nothing is able to change that in the least. I think a Stonewall Jackson, who got his nickname because he was like a stone wall in the midst of battle. And they asked how he could be like that, and he said, I'm as safe on the battlefield as I am in bed, because he knew that God had His days ordained before there were yet one of them. We have a definite and immutable number of days on this earth. And now to quote somebody that is not involved in baseball or athletics directly at least, a good friend of mine, David Bostrom, and these words are found in his book, Get Dominion, You Have Been Called to fulfill a mission. He writes, quote, your days are numbered. You can't control that. Yet you can control whether your life ends with or without regret. But you have a choice to make. End of quote. Have you made the choice to be better? If not, are you willing to do so right now? Just remember, you have a choice to make. But that's a conversation for another day. Join us next time for In the Bullpen on the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Thank you for listening. Get Out!