The Splendid Splinter

“God gave us this one shot at life on earth for a purpose. He wants us to live life to its fullest and He has an individually tailored plan for every single one of us. He has fully equipped us to accomplish His purpose and stands ready to assist whenever we call upon His name.” – Bob Williamson

He was born on August 30, 1918, in San Diego, CA. His father was a soldier, sheriff, and artist from Ardley, NY and his mother was a Mexican American from El Paso, TX. Not much is known about his dad, but his mom was a lifelong soldier in the Salvation Army.

Taught to throw a baseball at age 8 by his uncle Saul, the prodigy starred for both his American Legion and high school teams. In fact, he was so gifted at the game that both the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals offered him contracts before he turned 18. However, his mother felt he was too young to leave home and so, he signed with a local minor league team, the San Diego Padres.

In his first season, he batted .271 after working his way into the starting lineup. The following year, he upped his average to .291 with 23 homers. That was enough for Eddie Collins, the Boston Red Sox general manager, to orchestrate a trade for the up-and-coming outfielder.

In his lone season with the Double-A Minneapolis Milers, he batted .366 with 46 home runs and 142 RBIs, good enough to win the American Association’s Triple Crown. The following spring found him in left field at Fenway Park, which he patrolled for 19 years. Despite missing three full seasons due to military service in World War II and most of two others in the Korean War, he accumulated 521 home runs and 1,839 RBIs in his illustrious career, which ended in 1960 with an epic home run in his final at bat.

By now, you have probably figured out that today’s devotional is about Ted Williams… known by baseball fans as the Splendid Splinter, the Kid, Teddy Ballgame, and the Thumper. And speaking of at bats, Williams titled his autobiography, “My Turn at Bat,” in which he shared his lifelong goal. “I want to be able to walk down the street in any town in America and have people say, ‘there goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.’”

Since Williams lifetime stats include a .344 average and a still record .482 on-base percentage, many baseball historians would say that Ted accomplished his goal. But what about you and me, my friend? What goals do we have for our singular time at bat? The Bible says that we aren’t guaranteed today, let alone tomorrow, and that the average lifespan will be 70-80 years. When we are born, our “count” is 0 and 0. By middle age, it may have risen to 2 and 1… or 1 and 2. And in our Golden Years, our count is full at 3 and 2, with the next swing and miss sending us to our eternal destination.

Don’t waste your time at bat, because God only grants us one and He expects us to make the most of it.

“The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President