TheGoal.com Presents The 1998 New York Yankees


	SS: Is there any resistance to the spiritual atmosphere on this team? Andy: I don't think so. There's such a large group of guys on this team that it's not really an issue. Joe: Some people might think that because God is in control we don't look at the wins and losses. And because we look at how to serve the Lord that we might be weak as players. You can ask people—we go out and play for Jesus Christ, so we have a responsibility to Him and to our teammates to give it everything we have. We play the game with an enormous amount of intensity. Chad: The guys on our team who are not a part of our group see the authenticity of our group. They realize that there's nothing to belittle. I think the guys who aren't a part of our group have no choice but to respect the players who are a Christian influence on this team because of the group's effort to keep the walk. SS: Chad, your name is often mentioned as the leader of the Christians on this team. In what ways has your spiritual journey made it possible for you to be in such a position?

Chad: It's kind of a tough issue because I know the Bible says that a leader will be held more accountable than someone who is not a leader. It's probably something I try to avoid. But when God puts you in a position to be able to do His work, then you need to accept that.
There have been times when I chose to serve baseball or chose to serve my next contract, and God has shown me that's fruitless. He's worked it out in my life to allow me to have a more eternal perspective and more of a desire to do His work. I've been tested through fire, and God has refined me. It hasn't always been a pleasant process, but I know that it was for my good.
I continue to fail, and He continues to lift me up. He continues to work on me. I just thank God for the opportunity He's given me to fellowship with the guys on this team.

SS: How has your faith helped you play in a "glass house" that is legendary throughout sports—Yankee Stadium?
Scott: It's been a great source of strength and encouragement. When you have a group of guys like this who get together on a daily basis and stay in the Word—you stay fresh.
I learned a lesson last year in Oakland, where I went through a really difficult year. As I was going through that, the same people who had been on my bandwagon were the ones who were ready to boot me out of town. It was a good lesson to understand that while men will change, God never changes. There's no greater confidence than knowing that God is in control of your life.

Andy: It gives me great peace to know that no matter how good or how bad I do, the Lord loves me. That's all that really matters to me. Baseball isn't what everything is about. It's about the way I'm being a Christian husband, a Christian father, or the way I'm living my life and trying to be a Christian testimony to people.

SS: Let's look at the flip side of the success of this team. If you were 35 games out of first place, how would the spiritual atmosphere on this team change?

Darren: I came from the Rockies. My first year, we won something like 65 games. I didn't feel like spiritually it was any different than what I'm experiencing here. We had a good spiritual mix on that team. When we were going bad, we still had fellowship. I didn't notice a difference in my spirituality.

Joe: I think our perspective is always the same. Our perspective is to live godly lives. Do our best for the Lord Jesus and spread His gospel. Wins and losses will not change what our perspective is in life. I've been on good teams and I've been on bad teams, but our perspective is still the same. We go out there every day and do our best to glorify Jesus. Whether we win or we lose is not in our control. So our perspective isn't going to change. Whether we're 30 games over .500 or 50 below, it will always be the same.

Scott: This is the one thing that is mentioned a hundred times throughout the year: We don't use God as a good-luck charm. We're not getting together because we think He's giving us wins!
The character and confidence this team has is a result of the Christian influence and the core group of guys. It certainly wouldn't change anything in this group if we were 35 games out.

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