Perfect pitcher on the power of prayer

Despite their similar hair- and waist-lines, no one is likely to confuse Yankee hurler David Wells with Thomas Aquinas. A hard-drinking, hard-living, hard-throwing left-hander, Wells is no theologian. But what he said after tossing a perfect game last Sunday qualifies him for at least a commendation for believing in the power of prayer.

After completing the rare feat of retiring all 27 Minnesota Twins batters he faced at Yankee Stadium (an accomplishment that has happened only 14 other times in baseball history), Wells told a TV interviewer that he prays before every game. He doesn't pray for victory, he said; rather, he asks God to take care of his late mother and grandmother, and to give him the strength to use his talents to help his team.

Sunday's prayer was answered in boldface, capital letters, something Wells attributed to his mother's persistent intercession with God. We admit that he used less than delicate language to describe his belief that his mom must have been imploring God to do something especially nice for her son. He had no other explanation for his success, since he doesn't believe he has enough talent to throw a perfect game without divine intervention.

Wells' difficult childhood has been chronicled many times; his taste for (often alcoholic) good times is well known. It's good to know something else about him: his endless devotion to his mother (whom he credited for giving him life) and grandmother, his regular reliance on the power of prayer, and his belief that God listens to those He loves, something Jesus taught us through the story of the persistent widow and the judge (Luke 18:1-7).

Jesus said: Be perfect as my heavenly father is perfect. Who could have guessed that on a Sunday in May, one week after Mother's Day, He meant a stout southpaw for the Bronx Bombers?

(05-21-98)
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