Bottom of the Ninth #49 - Country Music and Baseball
by Blake Johnson Senior, Pitcher, Valor Christian High School
I love the twang of George Strait, the soothing voice of Chris LeDoux and the versatility of Brooks & Dunn. There is nothing better than a good old country song about rodeo, or love, or how an Amarillo sky can mean so much. Country music speaks to me more than any other. Growing up in Nashville might have a little something to do with that but regardless, there is just something about it that stirs my heart and makes me think. Often times, believe it or not, country music brings me closer to the Lord.
In Highlands Ranch there are plenty of distractions: phones, houses, buildings, cars, people, stores and restaurants. Alabama does a song called “In a Hurry” that describes how much “go, go, go” there is in today's world and rings so true, especially where we live! Now, if you think I’m just griping about where I live, think twice because I am very blessed to be where I am, but on the other hand, have you ever taken a back road (Rodney Atkins “Take a Back Road”)? or ever seen a “Western Sky” (Chris LeDoux)? Being out in the country is about as refreshing as jumping into a pool on a hot summer’s day. My mind doesn’t have to run so fast to try and catch up with everything that's going on around me.
In the same way that I see the country, I see a baseball diamond. The green pastures, the soft red dirt, the fences. The parallels are many and almost anything that country music talks about can relate to baseball for me. Just as baseball is a game where details matter, country music truly appreciates the details; just listen to “Little Moments” by Brad Paisley. Sure, it’s a love song, but everything he sings about in that song is in such fine detail. Baseball is a love of mine, country music has passion and romance. In both baseball and in country music, greatness is found in the details.
Just as the beautiful scenery found in the country gives me peace, so does being on the mound on a baseball field. It takes me to a place where I can connect with God on a personal level while I'm competing. If someone told me to find my “happy place” I would go one of two places: out in the country where there’s green grass, soft dirt, and lots of space, or on a baseball diamond where there’s green grass, soft dirt, and lots of space.
So if you ask me about country music and baseball, I’ll tell you that the crack of the bat or the sound of a ball smacking a leather glove sounds a lot like a Darius Rucker or Josh Turner song. I'd tell you that my love of baseball and my love of country music have lots in common.
Here’s a little taste of some of the stuff I’m talking about:
Amarillo Sky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc823UD0LeU
Take a Back Road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9GrGheMRw
Me and God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seIFa359jLs
Just as I see the country and the baseball diamond, God creates a scene for us to take peace in:
Psalm 23:1-3 "1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake."