DALTON, Ga. (ABP) — The leadership of First Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., expected no congregational split Oct. 6, regardless of which side prevailed when the local favorite Atlanta Braves took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a do-or-die game that would send the winner to the National League playoffs.
The dilemma for some at First Baptist was that one of their favorite sons, Mitchell Boggs, pitches for the Cards. Going into the single-elimination game standing between the Redbirds and an opportunity to repeat as Major League Baseball World Champions, the 6-4 righthander was 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 78 games, mostly out of the bullpen as setup man for Cardinal closer Jason Motte.
Mitchell Boggs signs autographs for students at Dalton Middle School. (Photo courtesy of Dalton Daily Citizen) |
“The banter that goes around sometimes has already started,” said Christian Byrd, minister to youth and their families at First Baptist, a church aligned with the Baptist General Association of Virginia, as well as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Southern Baptist Convention, CBF of Georgia and Georgia Baptist Convention.
It’s the same around the rest of the town. “Most people have grown up Braves fans in Dalton, but you have a group that’s been following the Cardinals since Mitchell was first drafted by them” in 2005, Byrd said.
Senior Pastor Bill Ireland said the in-town and congregational rivalry is a good-natured one. “It’s a win-win, because either way they have someone to pull for,” Ireland said of the Oct. 6 NL wild card playoff game which the Cardinals won, 6-3.
Both men agreed Boggs’ importance to the congregation, its youth and the entire community cannot be overstated. Boggs has maintained his faith and a Christian lifestyle, and is a living lesson that professional success — and fame — needn’t require a sacrifice of values, Byrd said.
“They see that the two can blend and co-exist,” he said. “From a youth standpoint, they see someone who is not obsessed with self and not drawn in” by the trappings of fame.
For Dalton, a carpet-manufacturing capital where unemployment has risen to about 15 percent, Boggs’ long, uncertain slog through the minor leagues has also been an inspiration. “Hearing how he’s gone through difficult times and how his faith got him through it, that’s a message that’s universal — especially in this community,” Byrd said.
Ireland said he’s been impressed that Boggs continues regular church attendance in the off-season, and does so without fanfare.
And the hurler is very down-to-earth, Ireland added.
“I asked him once if he always knows where the ball is going,” Ireland said. “He said ‘most of the time.’”
Jeff Brumley ([email protected]) is assistant editor of Associated Baptist Press.