Cheer For Your Team

David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. 

2 Samuel 6:14

David dancing before the Ark. Italian, Rome about 1660-65 Terracotta.
Location:Victoria and Albert Museum.
Photo by Yair Haklai

Before this story begins, I must make a confession. I intentionally did not use the actual name of some individuals in this story. This was done out of deep and abiding love and sympathy for those involved because they have clearly suffered enough. 

David was often referred to as a man after God’s own heart. Yet, he often was a warrior, a lover, an adulterer, a murderer, and a liar. Still, David’s dance before the Lord, I believe, was one of those events that God took great pleasure in. David was not ashamed of his love for the Lord at all, and saw the return of the Ark of the Covenant as a tremendous blessing on God’s people by God. In thanks and praise for all that God had done David danced, and in great joy he essentially danced in his underwear. David was not dancing to be titillating or vulgar; instead he danced the dance of a man that was truly thankful to God. David’s heart was in keeping with God’s.

Papaw was never the king of Israel, or even of Iredell County. He was the prince, to be sure, of his own land. The Ark of the Covenant never passed through his living room, but an occasional Braves game did. David danced for joy and so did Papaw, and for both men it certainly raised eyebrows. There can be little doubt, however, of the genuineness of either man’s joy or elation.

There are not many games like baseball that inspires the loyalty that it has. Baseball goes back for generations with entire families showing a common loyalty to a given team. Even the Civil War did not show that kind of loyalty within a family. Families take their loyalties to a particular team very seriously, and families have had significant squabbles over who would inherit the season tickets at certain parks. Others have had significant rifts develop all because some family members expressed a loyalty to another team by something as mundane as accepting a job in that other team’s hometown.

Papaw was a Braves man, and beyond that a National League man. Visiting him in the summers, he and I would discuss all manner of things, but always seemed to come back to baseball. His commentary on the fans was just as colorful as his commentary on the game. I once heard him refer to a fan chewing a wad of gum as looking like, “a horse chewing a mouth full of briars.” I suppose he must have actually witnessed that in the past, but I certainly never have.

One summer he and I were discussing the fact that he had been to a number of the ball parks around the country, how he got to go, and what he remembered about it. Usually, these visits coincided with his days as a truck driver. He would ensure that his arrival at the truck terminal corresponded with a particular game so that as his truck was loaded or unloaded he would venture across the street or around the corner to watch the game. That particular summer the New York Yankees were doing quite well, and I asked Papaw if he had ever been to see them play.

His initial response was in the look he had on his face of absolute righteous indignation that I could ever utter something so foul in his presence. How could I possibly utter something so vulgar about his behavior? He was not so upset that I had proposed that he had gone to see the Yankees play, but that I had suggested he might have been to an American League park or worse yet be an American League fan. There was no ambiguity in his loyalties at all as he responded, “I am a National League man.”

Later in his years, Papaw’s enthusiasm for doing a number of tasks waned. Pretty much any task that required movement from him was a challenge to impose on him. Paramount in this list was getting a bath. Mamaw would beg and plead to get him moving and to make his way to the shower. Usually, Mamaw resorted to bribery and / or extortion (both are excellent qualities for a Christian grandmother to possess and use) in order to convince the man, stubborn as he was, to wash the filth from his body.

One year, late in the baseball season, the Braves were looking great. Their possibilities for a pennant and the World Series were exceptionally good, and Papaw was beside himself. The pennant race was close and a season decider was on, but Papaw still needed to bathe. Normally Papaw showered, but this evening, after much debate, coercion, and bribery, Mamaw was able to convince Papaw that he could listen to the game from the other room as he bathed if Mamaw turned the TV volume up. Both parties reluctantly agreed, and set about their tasks.

The whole scene was quite comical. Papaw’s hearing was such that the volume had to be turned up to the point that the neighbors about a half a mile away could easily determine the fate of the game as well. All of the interconnecting doors in the house were opened so as not to impede the status of the game from making it to Papaw.

As the game progressed it became a real nail-biter. The score was tied in the late innings of the game, with the Braves up to bat. The first batter up was walked, so now the winning run in on first. Papaw’s interest just got peaked, and now he is sitting up a little taller in the tub. The batter and the pitcher bantered back and forth with a volley of foul balls, strikes, and balls. Each time the batter connected for another foul Papaw eased closer to the edge of the tub as the color announcer called the game. The atmosphere was absolutely electric.

Finally, the batter connected for a long fly ball, and Papaw made his way out of the tub ensuring that he didn’t miss even a moment of the precious game. Inch by inch, as the color commentator called the play, Papaw made his way closer to the game. When the ball cleared the outfield fence Papaw was standing in the hallway, dripping wet, jumping up and down for joy. Papaw was so happy and so enthralled in the game that he had never even heard the knock on the door.

Miss Hazel was a lovely lady in her late sixties. She and Mamaw were in the same circle at the Methodist church together, and often Miss Hazel would lead the Bible studies for their circle or help coordinate some of the activities that they did. Today she was preparing for a study based on John 4, the story of the woman at the well, as well as coordinating some of the refreshments for their next meeting tomorrow.

When she arrived at the old farmhouse, she didn’t think it all that odd that the TV was loud, although it did seem to be a bit louder than usual; after all, the elderly couple that lived there were a bit hard of hearing. As was customary, when she arrived she went to the back door, since only door-to-door salesmen ever used the front door.

Now Miss Hazel had been through many things in her life. She had seen a lot, and experienced much of what life has to offer. But, nothing could have fully prepared her for the scene she was walking into. At the old farmhouse, knocking on the door was simply a formality before walking in to say hello. Formality, of any form, had never been a part of my grandparents’ household. Hazel, following tradition, knocked on the door, but she was certain that due to the volume of the TV that no one had heard her knock so she stepped up and into the house. Just as she got through the door and had it closed behind her, a wet, naked, eighty-year-old man came tearing out of the bathroom, jumping up and down, and hollering like a wild man. This was almost more than her heart could take.

Hazel had just learned more about my grandfather than she had ever wanted to know. The entire crowd, Mamaw, Papaw, and Hazel were all in stitches and bright red. Hazel was confident that there are certain things in life that are better left to the imagination, and all she could seem to do was remember the words to a Ray Stevens song, “Oh, yes, they call him the Streak…He likes to show off his physique.” No matter how hard she tried, she could not find a way that this would help her to complete her Bible study preparation. Also, no matter how hard she tried she could not figure how she would ever look at Papaw with a straight face again at church.