Field of faith: Reames in book with testimony of MLB players

Albert Pujols and some of his St. Louis Cardinals teammates spoke on "Faith Day" after a game at Busch Stadium in 2006.

Kevin and Elizabeth Morrisey, in the crowd that day, were surprised at what happened next.

"They all talked about how blessed they were, and how baseball was just a way for them to serve the Lord," recalled Kevin. "And after they talked, they gave people an opportunity to accept Jesus. I would say about 100 fans right around us stood up and did just that. That's what blew me away."

On the way out of the stadium, Kevin and Elizabeth looked at each other and said, "Somebody should write this down."

The husband-and-wife team did just that, resulting in their new book called "God's Lineup: Testimonies of Major League Baseball Players." The book was published in January by Ambassador International of Greenville.

The Morriseys, who live in Greenville, spent more than a year interviewing the 26 current and former MLB players in the book. The players include former Citadel standout Britt Reames, who pitched for four major league teams over six seasons and is now the Bulldogs' pitching coach.

Other players in the book include former South Carolina Gamecocks catcher Landon Powell, Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz and former Braves pitcher Greg McMichael.

"It took about a year to get the interviews done," said Elizabeth Morrisey, a freelance writer and editor and veteran journalist. "Most of the guys would do an interview with us and say, 'You need to talk to so and so.' A lot of them know each other and have become friends through their faith.'

Reames' testimony includes the story of how, early in his career, he lost his fiancee in a car accident during the Cardinals' spring training camp in 1998. His faith was key in seeing him through that tragedy, he said.

"We had just got engaged over Christmas, and I went to spring training," Reames said. "She was working and got her first job, and on the way to work one day, she got in a bad car wreck and died.

"I was just in shock about the whole situation. But without the people I was surrounded with, the friends and family who had faith, it would have been a lot worse. I grew up in a Christian family and always had faith, but it's a growth process."

Reames, who is married and has a son, said there is an unofficial network of MLB players who make faith an important part of their daily lives.

"In spring training, you will have four or five teams together and you can meet the other guys, go to hear guys speak," he said. "It's just good fellowship and good friends. A lot of the guys I played with who have that strong faith, they are still my good buddies."

Kevin Morrisey, who works in civil engineering for a Greenville company, said a lot of the players work to hold each other accountable in a lifestyle that is rich with temptation.

"You hear about Josh Hamilton and his 'accountability coach,' " Morrisey said. "A lot of these Christian players, they are their own accountability group and help each other stay faithful and focused. One of the really neat things I learned from talking to them is they don't go around the locker room preaching. They try to live an example, listen to their teammates and help them when they can.

"That's where they have their biggest impact, by being a living example."

"God's Lineup" is available online at amazon.com and christianbook.com, and at Barnes and Noble and various Christian bookstores. For more information, go to http://www.kevin-morrisey.com/gods-line-up.