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Gabe Gross appeared on SportsFaith in mid-August, and after the
introduction, I welcomed the Rays outfielder to the show and he
said, “Thank-you sir…”. Sir?!? It didn’t take long to realize why
Gabe Gross earned the title “The Southern Gentleman” while playing
for the Milwaukee Brewers. Now let me take a step back… Gabe Gross
is a professional athlete in major league baseball, and has a
breakneck schedule that takes him all over the country away from his
wife and children. After one particular long road stand, he just
gets home and is greeted by one of the team publicity people. She
asks a very important question. “Would you do an interview for a
Christian radio program called SportsFaith Radio?” He had every
right to say no. I mean this wasn’t ESPN or FOX, but his response
was, “Yes, I’d love to. What day and time?” “They record their show
between 11 and 1 on Tuesday’s.” replied the Rays publicist.
So, I’m on the 7th hole of a beautiful golf course with
relatives from out of town, on an outstanding Tuesday afternoon when
the phone rings. I don’t bother to answer right away until the hole
is over. Then a few seconds later the phone groans out the sound of
vibrating letting me know I have just received a voicemail. I can’t
just let it go. I am like Pavlov’s dog and need to react to the
phone’s enticing invitation. I look at the caller ID and I see that
it is a number from down south. I try to think who I knew from this
neck of the woods. When you have spent the bulk of your life in the
Midwest, the list is pretty short. So I listened to the voicemail,
and on the other end the voice says, “Hello, this is Gabe Gross. I’m
calling for the interview. I’ll try calling back in a bit.” This was
pretty cool! Gabe Gross from the Tampa Bay Rays was taking the time
to call for the interview on our show, and was using his own phone,
on his own time! Talk about being down to earth! Couple issues… I
was on the 7th hole, and we record the show on
Wednesday’s! So, I called Gabe right away, and told him the day we
really record. He was very happy to call back which he did right on
schedule, only to be greeted by technical issues we were having in
studio! The grace this Christian professional athlete displayed
really touched this reporter, and I knew we would be interviewing a
man who was not just claiming to be a Christian, but was living life
in a way that is pleasing to Jesus.
Gross was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round (15th
overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. Promoted from
Triple-A Syracuse to the Blue Jays on August 7, 2004, he played
mainly against right-hand pitching. In 38 games, he collected 73
putouts with five assists and one double play in 78 total chances,
for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
On December 7, 2005, Gross was traded by the Blue Jays to the
Milwaukee Brewers, along with pitchers Dave Bush and Zach Jackson,
in exchange for first baseman Lyle Overbay and pitching prospect Ty
Taubenheim. Gabe saw limited time on the field, because the Brewers
were very rich on outfield talent. This was God’s timing. Gross was
traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 22, 2008, for pitching
prospect Josh Butler. In his first season with the Rays, he found
himself as an everyday player on one of the biggest stages in the
World. It did take patience and faith that God was going to use Gabe
as an ambassador in the MLB.
It isn’t always an easy life. When Gabe was traded, a lot of the
burden of settling in was placed securely on the shoulder of Mrs.
Gross, “When we were traded, I had to report down to Florida right
away, so I had to get myself down there and it was kind of up to my
wife to get the rest of us down there. Most of the getting
everything set up and made to feel like home was up to my wife
because I would have to go on a road trip to play a series. She has
made everything a home.” How does Gabe keep his marriage strong with
such a tough schedule? “God has a perfect plan. My wife met me when
I was in baseball, so she knew my life right away. God blessed me
with a wife who was raised in the military, so she was used to
moving a lot with her family growing up. When I’m on the road I call
every evening and really make my family a priority.”
As a Christian athlete, one of the big questions that come up is the
impact that he can make on fellow athletes. “In this profession or
in any profession really, it’s difficult to straighten somebody out
who doesn’t want to be reached. It’s going to take God pricking
their heart and letting them be open to being changed, and I’ve seen
it happen many times. I will live my life the way I do and it
doesn’t take long for people to know where I stand on God. When they
are open to learning more and truly want the Lord in their lives,
that’s when I can make the biggest impact I feel and reach out to
them.” And outside of baseball, Gabe knows that God has given him a
chance to make an impact, “I take those opportunities as they come
as well. Whether it’s speaking at churches, or to sports clinics, I
get a chance to tell people that no matter how great baseball is, it
doesn’t provide the everlasting impact that a relationship with
Jesus Christ can provide.”
Last year in 2008, Gabe had the opportunity to play in the World
Series, and experienced firsthand the thrill of being invited to the
big dance only to fall short. Gabe knows that in this game called
life, you don’t get a seven game series to win or lose. The final
out will come like a thief in the night, and when your foot crosses
the plate for the last time the only cheer you want to hear is from
the One who says, ”Well done, good and faithful servant!”. In His
eyes, we all are hall of fame material.
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