K e e p t h e r u l e s • keep faith with your comrades • keep a stout heart in defeat • keep your pride in victory • keep a sound soul, a clean mind and a healthy body. These are rules to be repeated before each game. When I graduated from high school I had an oppor tunity to fulfill an ambition of many young fellows — to enter professional baseball! I signed with the N ew York Yankees and reported to their farm club in Norfolk. I will never forget it! This was m y first time away from home in a big city. The fact that I knew no one, nor even to whom I should report, was discouraging, and made me down-hearted and lonely, About this time I received a letter from a former coach in which he quoted Matthew 6:33: “ Seek y e first the kingdom o f God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you .” This re newed m y faith, brought me closer to God, and things went well. The follow ing year we were in spring training" and word came that there was a boy com ing down from a higher classification club about whom I noticed there was much comment. I wondered why, and after I got to know him, I found out. He was a dedicated Chris tian and had devoted his life fu lly to God. Some of the things he stood for were resented by other team members, perhaps because of the way they wanted to live their lives. But inwardly they had a respect and an admiration that, I’m sure, drew them closer to God, as I was drawn to Him. W e must have a purpose in life, and that purpose should be to please God-— to know Him, to love Him, to walk with H im in our daily lives. Baseball is a profession full of temptation, just as other professions, and it is a challenge to lead the Christian life. But a verse that has strengthened and challenged me, because I know to claim it means a completely surrendered life, is Galatians 2:20: “ I am crucified w ith Christ: nevertheless 1 liv e; y et not 1, but Christ liveth in m e: and the life which I now live in the flesh 1 live by the faith of the Son o f God, who loved m e, and gave h im self fo r m e.” I realize simply that it is God who has given me the ability, the opportunity and the supposed earthly glory that might come through playing ball. I enjoy the sport I am in, because I feel that this is where God would have me serve Him. Twelve years ago when I accepted Jesus Christ as m y Saviour, I took John 3:16 at its word: “ For God so loved th e world, that he gave his on ly begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
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A Purpose in Life by Bobby Richardson
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have everlasting life.” It was a wonderful day that I made this decision, and I am thankful that He sent His Son to die on the cross for me, that I, through His grace might have everlasting life by simply trust ing in His completed work of salvation at Calvary. “ I am not ashamed of the gospel o f Christ: fo r it is the pow er o f God unto salvation to ev er y one that believeth ” -(Romans 1: 16). As we count up we find-— Only one life, ’Tw ill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ W ill last. It matters not our profession or our field; the thing that counts for eternity is our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Courtesy of The American Tract Society
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Second baseman BOBBY RICHARDSON of the New York Yankees finished the 1959 season with a batting average of .301, tops of all the Yankees.
Average and Honor
Year
Club and League
.310 All-Star Team .296 All-Star Team .328 Ail-Star Team .256 All-Star Team .247
1954
Binghamton, N. Y. Eastern League Denver American Association Denver American Association New York American Association
1955
1956
1957
1958
New York American League New York American League
1959
.301 All-Star Team
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