A Better Way [In the Bullpen]

Every decision, every offseason, every workout, every practice, every game, matters.

Spring training games, matter.

World baseball classic games, count.

Welcome to In the Bullpen with Mark Dewey.

Brought to you by Developing Contenders Ministries.

You're listening to the Fight Lab Feast Network.

Thank you for joining us.

I have already told you that I am a big fan of the World Baseball Classic.

And I also have told you that, to varying degrees, I have rooting interest for a number of teams participating in the World Baseball Classic.

Light Spring training, the games being played in Tokyo, San Juan, Miami, and Houston, matter.

In those cities, men are getting prepared for the upcoming regular season.

But in those cities, the games being played count.

They aren't remotely simply a means to the end or an end.

Unless, of course, the end is winning.

Winds and losses count.

Runs allowed often count.

National Honor counts.

Even the reaction of the players in the World Baseball Classic is an indication of how important these games are to those involved in them.

Even players that typically do not show much emotion, that play the game more subdued, are showing emotion that is not usual.

And that's not to mention something like Tarek Scooble or someone like Tarek Scooble.

And something like the fact that he went to the World Baseball Classic thinking, I'll make one start.

Then I'll go back to Lakeland and get prepared for my season in Detroit.

Well, he made his one start.

And now he's trying to figure out how can I stay and pitch again?

That's just awesome.

Now, I told you that I have a strong desire to see Team Australia do well because a good friend of mine, a dear brother of mine, David Nielsen, is the manager.

I'll fill you in on what's going on with Team Australia in a minute.

But they won Game 1.

They played Game 1 in the Tokyo Dome against Chinese Taipei and won that game.

And after that game, I read a story of Travis Bazana.

He was the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft.

And the story said that he has been dreaming about this moment in the World Baseball Classic for years.

And it tells us that in college, he kept a note on his phone.

And on that note or in that note, he outlined his dream 2026 World Baseball Classic lineup.

And he dreamed that his name would be penciled a top manager, Dave Nielsen's lineup.

And then it quotes Travis Bazana.

He said, quote, the two things I thought about most growing up was playing in the WBC.

Thinking about the Tokyo Dome because we always come here and obviously playing in the World Series in Major League Baseball.

It's special.

And he hit a special home run in that first game for Australia.

And it sounded something like this.

Fourth trip to the plate in this game for Travis Bazana.

First pitch swinging.

High fly ball to deep right field.

A Bazana bomb in Tokyo.

A swing that will reverberate from Hornsby Australia to Corvallis Oregon in Cleveland, Ohio.

Three nothing Aussies.

It was a better time.

We know the talent.

We know the hunger.

We know the fire.

The spark that he brings.

And he has made it know that he is for real.

So Tim Australia got off to a good start winning that game.

Then they won their second game against Czech Republic.

Yesterday they lost a game to the defending WBC champs Japan.

A great game that they lost four to three.

But today just minutes ago before I opened up the mic to talk to you.

They lost to Korea seven to two.

So Tim Australia will be heading home.

Korea on the other hand goes to Miami for the quarter finals.

Now I don't have any particular interest in team Japan.

And although they still have one game to play in pool play in Tokyo.

Along with Korea they will be advancing to Miami for the quarter finals.

But even though I don't have any particular interest in team Japan.

That team happens to have the most well known.

The most popular and the most talented baseball player on planet earth playing for their team.

The two one now.

Tony likes it up.

It is gone.

Old Tony of course.

And the Tokyo Dome is on fire.

So that was the second inning of game one for Japan.

Otoni hits a grand slam.

They were playing Chinese Taipei.

That put them up for to nothing.

They went on to win 13 to nothing.

And Otoni did not stop hitting home runs.

So that was the second inning of game one for Japan.

Otoni hits a grand slam.

They were playing Chinese Taipei.

That put them up for to nothing.

And Otoni did not stop hitting home runs after that grand slam.

He continues to impress.

I have mentioned on more than one occasion that one of my career highlights of being in professional baseball.

Is the amount of time I was blessed to spend in the Dominican Republic.

Time that I spent when I was the assistant pitching coordinator and then the pitching coordinator for the Milwaukee Brewers.

And because of that, I enjoy watching the team from the Dominican Republic have success as a team as they represent their country.

And I also love seeing plays like this one.

At first case, I can pick everything.

Machado, not again.

Not again.

Oh man.

I know it's one thing to hear only the audio of home runs when you can't see the video.

But why did I just play an audio of a defensive gym.

And you really can't appreciate the defensive gym in the same way as a home run by only having audio by not seeing it.

Well, first of all, because I think you can get an idea of how amazing the play was that Mani Machado made by listening to the announcers and the crowd.

Second, if you have already seen the play, I trust that listening to it just brought a smile to your face.

The play is unbelievable.

And then finally, if you haven't seen the play already, I hope hearing that audio prompts you to go out and watch the video.

As it regards the Dominican Republic team, they play Israel today at noon.

My podcast drops at noon.

So depending on when you're listening to the podcast, that game may be going on.

Regardless of how much I want to see teams like Australia, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Nicaragua do well.

And I do because of personal connections that I have either with the countries or friends involved with those teams.

The team I want to win is the team representing the country I have been blessed by the Lord to be born in and to live my whole life in.

Judge swings launches a deep left field heading towards the wall.

It is called Aaron Judge the captain sets the tone in Houston.

It's too nothing United States.

That was Aaron judges first at bat in the World Baseball Classic.

It was in a game against Brazil.

And I mentioned that the reactions of some players in the World Baseball Classic are a bit more excitable than normal.

And that home run by Aaron judge you saw exactly that.

And that home run and that reaction after that home run by Aaron judge is a case in point of the excitement.

Now USA is off to a two nothing start.

They won their games.

They play tonight at eight o'clock against Mexico.

All of the clips that I've played for you thus far in this episode.

The words of Travis Bazzana.

The approach of those involved in the World Baseball Classic from GM's to managers to players to fans and everyone in between.

All of them are a clear indication of a better way to approach the game.

And it is fundamentally the way that says it's not about me but we as in the team.

Or in the World Baseball Classic we as in our country.

With so many nations being represented.

With players from such diverse backgrounds.

Even those who are playing on the same team.

With fans tuning in from all over the world.

I think we are witnessing a clear demonstration.

That somewhere within us.

We are still willing and able to take to heart this truth.

Don't ever think that this game is about you.

Amen.

And let's not stop there.

We should also appreciate statements like this one.

I mean everybody they're all working.

They being everybody every organization is working from the same sheet of music.

Because it's pretty much a competition among front offices.

Probably even more so than it's a competition on the field.

That's where it's gotten to.

So I will argue this with anybody any time.

I'm looking for that first group that comes back and incorporates tried and true methods with the incorporation of new data and stuff.

But at the end of the day one voice should be heard in a dugout on the field in the clubhouse.

The manager has been kind of castrated to a certain level.

And right now the front office has really ruled the rules.

Managers have turned into middle managers.

They no longer have the same authority to say what they think when they want to say it and express it the way they want to.

Because they got to run it through this.

This.

This.

This.

This.

Of information.

That the delusor extrapolates information down through the bottom that eventually is permitted or not permitted to be set.

Truth.

That's all truth.

That was the voice of an old man who is still in school.

You probably recognize the voice that was Joe Madden.

He was on Halo territory last week when he spoke those words.

If you need to play that clip again and again and again.

And then ask yourself the question is Joe Madden correct?

And if you are inclined to disagree with him.

I would ask that you make sure that you consider his background and his experience.

I also asked that you would consider his willingness to debate what he has said.

And something that he has established throughout his career as a manager in the minor leagues and the major major leagues is his willingness to be shown proven that he is wrong.

I have heard him enough especially over the last few years in the book of Joe podcast with Tom Verducci and Joe Madden to know so Joe Madden ran the minor league system for the angels at the time I was a player.

But I always thought if he was running a minor league system when I was coaching, I could have coached for him.

I would have loved coaching for him.

And I can guarantee you this even though I would have loved coaching for him.

And I think you would have appreciated me being a coach in an organization that he was running the minor league system.

We would not have agreed on everything.

We would have debated things.

Those debates may have gotten a bit excitable, heated, passionate.

But we both would have loved it and we both would have been the better because of it.

So if you are disinclined to giving a second thought about what Joe Madden said in the clip that I just played for you, I want to share something with you.

Something that I wrote this past week and posted on X.

I have told you many times I have absolutely no impact in social media.

I have very little following.

I get very little response to anything I put on there.

But this particular comment received far more than normal attention and response.

And the comment or what I wrote were these words.

I have read and listened to enough about things to realize I don't know enough about things.

I am convinced that we live in a day when people as a rule don't read, don't listen to enough things to be humble enough about what they do.

Or do not know.

I have a habit of telling my family, if you don't listen, you cannot learn.

And I'll add to that now, if you only listen to one person's side, even if that person is correct.

But don't think through things well.

You're incapable of understanding an opposing view, at least understanding it enough to intelligently refute it.

You may indeed come to an accurate conclusion.

But likely you haven't learned much.

Following up on that, have you thought through what I said at the end of last week's episode?

Now, I know I have both Christians and non-Christians that listen to this podcast, though I believe the majority may be even overwhelming majority of people that listen to our Christians.

But if you are not, if you are not a follower of King Jesus, did you simply ignore my words?

Did you say, I don't want to deal with that?

And if you are a believer, if you have repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness,

but you've also been taught to practice what Dr. Joe Boot has labeled Churchianity,

are you just saying, you know what, I'm comfortable with a status quo.

We don't need to bring that stuff into the game of baseball, or even into a podcast talking about the game of baseball.

Whatever the case, I ask you this, and I ask especially if you are a follower of Jesus Christ.

Are you working from the same sheet of music as everybody else?

Who are you competing with? Where and why?

Are you willing to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ in every area of your life?

Do you acknowledge that one voice should be heard before all others, and that it should take precedence over all others?

The voice of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speaking to us in Scripture.

Have you been castrated?

Because if you haven't figured it out, I have news for you. There are plenty of people that their intention is to do just that.

Have you found yourself running everything through the same sieve as the world?

And doing so in order to be politically correct, to appease an HR department somewhere, to make sure you don't ruffle any feathers.

These are monumentally important questions.

Don't ever think this life is about you.

It is about the glory of God and the good of others.

And to pursue the glory of God and the good of others is a far, far better way than most people are traveling.

Truth, it's all truth.

I'll argue this with anybody any time.

But that's a conversation for another day.

Join us next time for In the Bull Pin on the Fight Laugh Feast Network.

Thank you for listening.

Bye!