Balls and Strikes with Your Coffee?

This morning, I arose at 4:30 am to watch the opening game of the World Baseball Classic. the game was Japan-China live from the Tokyo Dome. It wasn't the marquee match-up we'll see in the later rounds of the WBC, but it was still baseball. If they showed live Japanese League baseball games on TV at 4:30 am every day here, I'm pretty sure I'd watch enough to make it worth their while.

At the outset of the 2nd WBC, I already love the event. Scratch that: I am in love with the WBC. 16 teams, 3 weeks. An international baseball tournament with nothing but national pride on the line. And I'm a sucker for any event with national pride on the line: Olympics, World Cup, Ryder Cup, and now the WBC.

But part of the reason I love the WBC so much is that every few years, it offers meaningful baseball a month before the season begins. And I need it sorely. It's been a rough month from the Super Bowl until now, where there's nothing but hockey and hoops. Don't get me wrong, I like hockey and hoops, but it's not enough to sustain me. I need baseball or football to watch if I'm to be truly happy.

All this may seem trivial to some. But as my seminary friend Lance once said, "Everyone's a dork in their own way." He was right -- he owns over 150 Star Wars books. Until I met him, I didn't know there were Star Wars books, let alone hundreds. In seminary alone, I met people with the following obsessions: Star Wars (Lance), Vera Bradley purses (Jill), zombies (Corey), dogs (Karney and Kat), Jacoby Ellsbury (Matt), UNC hoops (SPugh), and making babies (Chad and Melissa). And that's just a few.

Well, my obsession is sports, particularly baseball and football. When I watch a game of interest to me, I can escape into another world. My stress goes down, my endorphins are released from captivity. Simply put, it's healthy for me to watch sports.

That's why I'm watching the WBC. I've been putting in 45-50 hour weeks the last few weeks, losing my Fridays (my usual day off). That won't change anytime soon. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm desperately trying to keep up with all the Lenten responsibilities, long-range planning for summer, confirmation classes, new membership classes, bible studies, youth group, hospital visits, funerals, committee meetings, premarital counseling, and the always-looming Sunday morning service (sermon included).

I'm watching the WBC, even if it means sacrificing more sleep. Because in the end, I think it's actually healthier for me to lose sleep over the WBC than to lose sleep over all my pastoral opportunities (which was happening before the WBC).