Today is the 144th anniversary of the first professional game of baseball ever played; a game in which the Fort Wayne Kekionga's defeated the Cleveland Forest Cities by a score of 2-0. What does this have to do with God's glory and pursuing a refining life of purpose? I'll get to that momentarily and then share the details of a contest I am hosting this week in honor of this event. If you would like to read more about the game, including the play-by-play historical account, visit the First National Association Game on Retrosheet. In a nutshell, and how it applies to our mission of pursuing a refining life on purpose, consider this summary... The National Association of Professional Base-Ball Players was formed in New York in 1871 comprised of eight teams. The first game was to be played on May 3rd between Boston and Washington D.C. but rain postponed the contest, paving the way for the first game to be played in Fort Wayne the next day. The game was said to be "the finest game on record in this country" by a correspondent in the Chicago Tribune, yet, it was a shocking defeat for Cleveland fans who suggested they would "slaughter" Fort Wayne. In the Cleveland Herald, they suggested “The Forest Citys left yesterday for a brief Western tour. The first club that they are expected to slaughter is the Kekiongas, of Fort Wayne, which little job is to be performed this afternoon. If the Kekiongas play half as bad as their name sounds, they will be awful tired tonight. Kekionga! Ugh! Big Injun!” Following the loss, the reported: "There were ten very badly surprised young men at Fort Wayne last evening, not to speak of some others who remained in Cleveland. The ten went out to Indiana to begin the slaughtering for 1871, but what little slaughtering there was happened to be on the other side." As great a victory as it was, after taking three of the next four games, Fort Wayne went 1–11 and in late August disbanded. The grandstands for the ballpark that hosted that historic contest later burned and has long since disappeared from the city scape, prompting much speculation to where the actual location was in the many years that have passed.

Applying the First Professional Baseball to a Refining Life on Purpose

Through the simple narrative that appears above, there are many things we can take away from the first professional baseball game that apply to pursuit of a refining life of purpose. 1.) You never know when you will have a chance to make history. Be ready when you get the call. Ever hear the line, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."? This is quite true here. As you read, the first game was not supposed to be played in Fort Wayne. The city of Fort Wayne got a place in history by "luck" and it has enjoyed having that honor in the 144 years that have since passed. The men that had that opportunity for honor took to the field, probably not even realizing they were going to obtain a significant place in history. We too go about our days with many opportunities to make significant impact. Seize upon those opportunities when you recognize the chance. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ~ Matthew 24:36 2.) Be weary of being too boastful of yourself - you just may be surprised. The Cleveland ten and their hometown faithful were so sure that they were going to pick up the win in the game, they suggested it would be a "slaughtering" and were utterly shocked when it didn't produce that result. We see this in sports all the time. Whether it's Buster Douglas knowing out Mike Tyson, the New York (football) Giants upsetting the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Superbowl or the Kekiongas beating the Cleveland Forest Citys, it can and does happen. When we let down our guard against sin, it can sometimes sneak up and knock us to the ground. Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches ~ Jeremiah 9:23 3.) Even the ordinary can be extraordinary. As much as it pains me personally to suggest it, the Fort Wayne Kekionga's just weren't that good of a team. They were assembled with a lot of out-of-town and down-on-their-luck players in addition to locals. Cleveland fully expected to destroy the Kekionga's. Fortunately, one of the non-local players that took the field that day was a 19-year-old, starting pitcher Bobby Matthews, who not only went on to have a stellar career, but is also regarded as one of the best players of the yearly era and credited with inventing the spitball. Matthews he'd Cleveland scoreless while Fort Wayne pushed two runs across home plate to secure the victory. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ~ Acts 19:11-12 4.) Things of this world are temporary. The park where the game took place was commonly referred to as "the grand duchess" because it was mighty in stature and highly regarded as one of the finest ever constructed. However, it lasted just a short while longer than the Kekionga's that called it their home field and it's precise location remains debated to this day. It's a topic that spurs hot debate amongst historians and baseball enthusiasts. It is a sad fact that the actually location cannot be commemorated so the city can properly honor it. Yet, when all things are said and done, it's doubtful that debate will continue. We must remember to be honoring of the past, but we cannot allow it to anchor us. We must move forward exactly as God intended. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18

Now, I promised a contest. In honor of this occasion, I am going to give you the chance to win one of three author-signed copies of Baseball in Fort Wayne. It's real simple to enter:

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