Tim Ellsworth

This morning I got to hang out with Tim Cash, the Braves chaplain, and Brad Prater, a pastor from Rome, Ga., who was there with Tim for chapel. Only the players are allowed in the chapel service, so I didn’t get to sit in on that. But I did get to visit with Tim and Brad, and with Kip Wells, John Smoltz and Blaine Boyer a little bit as they talked to them.

Didn’t stay for the game today, because I had finished all the interviews I knew I was going to get. So I headed home to see my family. Behind another strong outing by Smoltz and two dingers by Rafael Furcal, the Braves won 5-4, their sixth win in a row.

My big disappointment for today was my failure to interview John Smoltz. I was just about to get to talk to him when Blaine Boyer came up and said it was a good time for him. We had been interrupted several times, and since Blaine is the primary reason I’m here, I had to go with him. Thus, no Smoltz. Smoltz is starting tomorrow, so there’s probably zero chance that I’ll get to talk to him then. Oh well. Maybe a telephone interview sometime soon.

I did get to finish my interview with Blaine, and I think I have the makings for a decent story. He’s very transparent, very honest. I also caught up with Chris Reitsma for a few minutes (Chris saved his career-high 13th game tonight), as well as Leo Mazzone. Kip Wells of the Pirates has still managed to elude me , through nothing deliberate on his part. Maybe I’ll catch him tomorrow.

Not many rumors in Atlanta about last-minute trades before tomorrow’s deadline. The Braves are apparently going to dance with those who have gotten them to this point.

Jeff Francoeur just cut the Pittsburgh lead to one with a two-run blast in the bottom of the fourth. It’s Francoeur’s sixth homer of the year. He’s making quite an impression since his promotion to the bigs earlier this month.

UPDATE: Francoeur just doubled in two more runs in the sixth to give Atlanta a 4-3 lead.

UPDATE #2: Just how old is Julio Franco? He turns 47 next month. Somebody in the press box just pointed out that Gramps Franco had 161 hits before Francoeur was born. ‘Nuff said.

UPDATE #3: Looks like Blaine Boyer, my subject for the weekend, is getting ready to come in to pitch.

UPDATE #4: Man, the Braves are just pummeling Pittsburgh this inning. Eight runs in the 6th, with a man on third and one out. Marcus Giles just tripled in two.

UPDATE #5: The Braves just batted around with a 1.000 batting average — a walk, six hits and two sac flies. The inning is finally over. Atlanta up 9-3. Here comes Boyer to pitch.

UPDATE #6: Boyer made quick work of the Pirates in the 7th. He struck out the side and was regularly hitting 94 mph on the gun.

UPDATE #7: Boyer just left the game with an injury of some sort. Looks like he may have pulled a groin (Insert Keith Olbermann joke: “His own, we hope”). Gosh, I hate to see that.

UPDATE #8: Boyer is day-to-day with a lower left back strain. Glad to hear it’s nothing more serious.

Atlanta Braves first baseman Julio Franco collected hit number 2,500 for his career tonight. He ranks fourth among active major leaguers in career hits.

Pittsburgh leads 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. More to come …

Braves rookie pitcher Macay McBride got out of a ninth inning, bases loaded, one out jam to preserve a 2-1 win for Atlanta Friday night. It was McBride’s first career save.

Atlanta took the lead over Pittsburgh in the seventh with a two-run single by Chipper Jones. Braves closer Chris Reitsma was unavailable in the ninth since he had pitched three days in a row, so Atlanta manager Bobby Cox turned to veteran Jay Powell. Powell’s second pitch sailed wildly outside as he fell off the mound in pain. It was eerily similar to what happened to Dave Dravecky. Powell’s injury was serious — either a broken arm or ligament damage in his elbow, most likely. He was taken to the hospital after the game.

John Foster relieved Powell and promptly walked Rob Mackowiak to lead off the inning, and Cox then turned to Jim Brower, who gave up a double to Jason Bay, moving Mackowiak to third. Brower struck out Brad Eldred for the first out, then walked Jose Castillo intentionally to load the bases.

McBride then relieved Brower, and he struck out Ryan Doumit before getting Tike Redman to ground out to second to end the game. Definitely a lot of drama in the ninth.

NOTES

– I spent a little bit of time with Braves pitcher Blaine Boyer tonight, but we didn’t cover as much ground as I want to. So, we’re going to talk some more tomorrow. He’s very gracious and accommodating. I also spoke briefly with John Smoltz and Chris Reitsma, and they each said they’d be happy to give me some time tomorrow or Sunday.

– I listened in as Smoltz was talking to another reporter. He’s a big golfer and is good friends with Tiger Woods, so this writer was asking him about that. I’m hoping to talk to him about whether he’s had any spiritual conversations with Tiger.

– The Pirates’ starting lineup tonight had a grand total of 50 home runs. When your 4-5-6 hitters are Brad Eldred, Jose Castillo and Humberto Cota, you just plain stink. My sympathies to Pittsburgh fans, who have struggled through serious stinkage for a long time now.

– McBride was obviously thrilled about the save, but he readily admitted he was nervous to enter such a close game. This was only McBride’s fourth appearance since getting called up last week. Blaine Boyer tells me he’s a believer as well, so he’s another one on my list to interview.

– Atlanta rookie outfielder Jeff Francoeur has “Joshua 1:9″ written on his batting gloves. The verse reads, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

That’s all for now. More tomorrow.

OK, I’m here in my hotel room in Atlanta, where I’ll be watching the Braves and Pirates series this weekend. My main assignment is a story on Braves rookie pitcher Blaine Boyer, and what life is like for a Major League rookie. I’m hoping to get to spend a decent amount of time with him this weekend, but we’ll see how it goes. Also on my list are John Smoltz and Chris Reitsma of the Braves and Kip Wells of the Pirates.

I’m off to the stadium now. I’ll post again tonight after the game.

Al Mohler’s recent column about couples who are deliberately childless has generated quite a discussion at Steve McCoy’s site. Mohler argues in his article that couples who intentionally refrain from having children are living in moral rebellion to God. Interesting article, interesting discussion.

NOTE: My wife and son have been gone this week, visiting her parents in Nashville. I’ll spend the night there tonight on my way to Atlanta for the weekend. Below is a letter I wrote in to Daniel in December when he and Sarah were visiting family in Illinois.

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December 7, 2004

Dear Daniel,

You’ll finally be home today. You and your mom have been back in Illinois the past week for a visit. While I’m sure your Grandpa and Grandma Ellsworth enjoyed having you around, I’ve missed you (and your mom). I’m excited about seeing you tonight.

The house just isn’t the same without you around. You bring so much joy to our home that it’s hard to think about what it was like without you. Although the house is certainly quieter when you’re not there, it’s an empty quiet. Your constant talking and laughing always brighten up my day, and your presence gives me something to look forward to each night.

I’m also excited about tonight because we’ll decorate our Christmas tree. Last year you were too young to be too involved in the process, but I imagine it will be different this year. You’ll probably enjoy seeing the lights on the tree and all the unusual ornaments – especially those with dogs on them.

Decorating the Christmas tree was a big deal when I was a kid. Even the dogs got excited when we brought the tree inside. We got a “real” Christmas tree every year — no fake trees at our house. Mom would string the lights, then your Uncle Marty and I would help her put on the ornaments. Dad always had to position a certain elf near the top of the tree. All the while, Christmas music played in the background.

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The 20-game suspension Kenny Rogers earned for attacking two cameramen will stand, after baseball commissioner Bud Selig denied Rogers’ appeal.

Good for Bud, although I wish he would have tacked on another 20 games just because Rogers had the audacity to appeal.

Imagine the horror this 4-year-old boy must have felt. His mother pulled off the side of the Capital Beltway in Washington, got him out of the car, left him on the side of the road and started to drive off.

The reason? She was angry with him.

He tried to get back in the car as she was driving off, and the car struck him, leaving him with cuts and bruises.

Fortunately, he’s OK and his mother is under arrest. I hope this poor boy finds a good home someplace else, because his mother should never have custody of him again.

My column this week is about Chad Lamberth, who is president of the Old Hickory Bat Co. near Nashville. Chad isn’t an outspoken kind of guy, but he tries to share the gospel by including a gospel tract in each order of bats he sends out.

Over at Monday Morning Insight there’s been a lot of discussion about my post about applause in worship. What gets me is the number of people who are saying there are more important matters to discuss.

Right there, folks, in a nutshell, is one of the biggest problems with the church today. The topic at hand is how to worship God appropriately, and Christians are saying there are more important matters to discuss. No wonder it’s so hard to find a decent worship service these days.

And by the way, if a matter isn’t important enough to discuss, then why bother posting a response to it on a blog? Wouldn’t it be better simply to ignore it?

Yesterday I posted a link to an article by Southern Baptist Convention president Bobby Welch, who criticized churches associated with the Founders’ movement for not being evangelistic enough.

Tom Ascol at Founders has responded with the first of two articles.

Jessica Simpson isn’t happy with the criticism leveled against her by John Connor, of the Christian group The Resistance. Connor blasted Simpson for dancing around like a stripper in her video, “These Boots are Made for Walking.”

“It’s disappointing to have Jessica, a pastor’s daughter and Christian role model, join the ranks of the ’singing strippers’ such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera,” Connor said. “She has one of the most beautiful voices, and is a very beautiful girl, but it’s sad to see her whore her self out like this.”

Simpson responded:

“It didn’t really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash. That’s why I didn’t end up going into the Christian music industry. I think that if they’re really good Christians the judgment wouldn’t be there.”

Mr. Connor is right, at least to a point. I disagree with him about Simpson being a Christian role model, however. She abandoned that image a long time ago.

I’m off to Atlanta this weekend for the Braves-Pirates series. I’ll be working on some stories for Baptist Press and will try to do some blogging as well.