The Matheny Manifesto

As a Cardinals fan, I was thrilled to get my hands on the book The Matheny Manifesto by Mike Matheny. Matheny arrived at the Cardinals about the same time I started paying attention to them. He was then part of four playoff runs over the next five years. So I have a vested interest.

To be honest, the book wasn't quite what I expected. Perhaps I just hadn't thought through my expectations very well, but I had expected more of a biography.

If I'd thought about it I would have remembered the actual Matheny Manifesto that went viral online in 2008. I remembered I'd read it. I remembered I was impressed by it. But I didn't remember the details and that it was aimed at youth baseball parents.

This book will most benefit most parents and coaches of young baseball players. In fact, I'd describe it as a MUST READ! Second, parents and coaches of youths involved in any sport will also put the book down with some great ideas. Third, if you're a fan of the game, the Cardinals, or Matheny himself, you'll enjoy the storytelling that fills the book.

If there's one quote that summarizes Matheny's overall goal in writing the book and in coaching young players, I found it on the second last page (220).

I was honored to be a coach, and now I'm humbled to be a [Cardinals] manager and hopefully a mentor. My goal, my obligation, is to pass along what has been imparted to me. When I get that right and serve my guys without another agenda or motive or need to be acknowledged for it, I win their trust and know I have done my job.

That's what I meant from the beginning  when I said youth sports had to be all about the kids.

Throughout the book Matheny displays a welcome realism in recognizing that athletic success requires talent and and natural ability. He acknowledges that the vast majority of participants in youth sports leagues will never play in college, and even less will play professional baseball. Given this reality he could easily choose to expend his time, energy and experience on his most talented players. However, Matheny never limits his definition of success to on-field results.

As stated in the original manifesto Matheny's main goals are as follows: (1) to teach these young men how to play the game of baseball the right way, (2) to be a positive impact on them as young men, and (3) do all of this with class.

"Class" is an important word for Matheny. It recurs frequently throughout the pages of this book. It seems to represent "old-school" values that Mike holds near and dear to his heart. He insists on his players not protesting calls during a game and shaking hands with the umpires at the end of the game regardless of whether they like the way it was called. He'll rotate all the players through all the positions, giving them an opportunity to gain experience. He won't tolerate parents lobbying coaches for their child's playing time or position, and is just as insistent that parents should do no more than applaud from stands.

When players or parents can't abide by these requirements, they're asked to leave the team. It's that important.

This book did a great job of weaving stories about the youth league that started all this, about Matheny's own youth baseball experience and his time in the Majors, into a book that clearly wants to promote a set of values.  I felt he did all this without ever becoming particularly preachy.

I particularly appreciated Matheny's willingness to spend an entire chapter discussing his Christian faith journey. While explaining his commitment to Christ, he also described the challenges of knowing when to speak up about faith and when to be silent. Can a devout Christian also be a baseball tough guy? Can a Christian manager stand up for his players as they expect him to do? This chapter describes Mike's growth and approach to these questions.

I also appreciated his chapter toward the end of the book discussing the end of his Major League career. Matheny fell victim to concussions. As a sports fan we often hear of players having concussions. The recent NFL law suit has raised the public profile of the issue. Matheny provides a glimpse of what life is like for those dealing with serious concussion symptoms, and the struggle "The Toughest Man Alive" had to work through to change his views of what toughness means.

I am very thankful I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. They didn't demand that I like it, just read it and write about it. But I genuinely did find this an interesting read and if you like sports I think you will also enjoy the book.

You can buy the book on Amazon HERE.

When Shepherds Eat Their Sheep

FIFA is a corrupt organization.

We've known it for years. Now the FBI has evidence.

On 26 May Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials while another seven officials have also been charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

FIFA officials had a sweet setup where they would receive bribes for their personal account in order to give organisational favours such as allocating tournaments. Then they would also use FIFA's organisational money to invest in facilities and various funded development programs. This investment ensured that those countries would continue to vote for the officials in their current roles, maintaining the organisational status quo.

It seems the event that really shone the spotlight on this corruption was when Qatar was awarded the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar is a tiny, albeit very rich, Arabian nation. It also has terrible labour practices with thousands of construction workers dying in recent years and hundreds more projected to die on building projects for the World Cup. The climate also seems particularly unsuitable for a World Cup with an average temperature close to 100 degrees Farenheit (38 C). Yet they won the vote.

Rather than go into further details I'll point you to a several articles from real news sites that you might appreciate:

• The New York Times breaking the story of the initial arrests.
• The Washington Post interview with a British investigative reporter who uncovered a lot of the corrupt practices.
• ABC News (USA) summary of the charges and arrests for non-soccer readers.
• The Washington Post article describing the terrible working conditions in Qatar.

It's not as though corruption just appeared on the scene. The Bible has a long history of condemning corrupt leaders. The prophet Jeremiah warns,

this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done.” (Jer. 23:2)

God consistently refers to national leaders and church leaders as "shepherds". An important element of this term involves the concept of stewardship.

Shepherds do not own their sheep. Shepherds are employees. They care for and protect the sheep on behalf of their owner.

When a shepherd forgets or ignores his role, trouble follows.

• He forgets that he's receiving money to protect the sheep and stops worrying when one wanders away or is attacked.
• He starts to think that he has a right to the sheep. After all, he knows their names and personalities.
• He begins to think that he's owed more than he receives and since the sheep are practically his it's okay if he sells a couple to make money on the side or even takes one for his own food while he's out on the road.

Whether in politics, the church, or sports management, this attitude of ownership and entitlement rather than stewardship is disastrous.

In many cases it reveals itself in financial or sex scandals. A quick internet search will find numerous examples of such instances in a variety of public offices. Sooner or later these things are exposed to public view.

FIFA officials forgot they were shepherds of the sport of soccer on behalf of national federations and millions of players and fans around the world.

Church leaders can lose sight of the truth that they're accountable to God for the souls of the people we lead. We can get caught up in disputes over remuneration, authority, and respect. When this happens we're at risk of falling off the cliff of ownership and entitlement which always ends in scandal. Just ask Sepp Blatter.

In Acts 20:28 Paul provides a prescription for healthy leadership to the elders of the church in the city of Ephesus.

Here are my instructions: diligently guard yourselves, and diligently guard the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has given you oversight. Shepherd the church of God, this precious church which He made His own through the blood of His own Son.

1. Diligently guard yourself. Keep your motives pure. Maintain a strong connection with your Master.
2. Diligently guard your flock. You have a responsibility to care for the souls in your church.
3. The church belongs to God. God acquired possession of the church through the blood of Jesus. Add arrogance to the list of shortcomings of any leader who believes the church is his.