Randy Wray’s Blog

Spring arrived last night (hopefully to stay). We woke up to 65 degrees with a high expected today of 75 degrees. In honor of this event I put a pair of shorts on and took the boy to school. You know those passages in the Bible that talk about something being “white as . . .”? For example:

Genesis 49:12 (NCV) His eyes are dark like the color of wine, and his teeth are as white as the color of milk.

Numbers 12:10 (NCV) When the cloud lifted from the Tent and Aaron turned toward Miriam, she was as white as snow; she had a skin disease.

2 Kings 5:27 (NCV) So Naaman’s skin disease will come on you and your children forever.” When Gehazi left Elisha, he had the disease and was as white as snow.

Isaiah 1:18 (NCV) The LORD says, “Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool.

Matthew 17:2 (NCV) While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed; his face became bright like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Matthew 28:3 (NCV) He was shining as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

Revelation 1:14 (NCV) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire.

Well today this biblical phenomenon was fulfilled in my legs. This is the biblical reference that would apply to me.

Wray 4:22 (RDW) School children ran away from him for his legs were white as crisco.

It has been awhile since the lower limbs have seen the light of day. I have since put on a pair of athletic pants until I can find some shoe polish.

And now for a small rant . . .

I like baseball (as both a fan and player) and I consider myself a patriot. However, the add I saw promoting the world baseball classic just made my crisco white skin boil. Roger Clemens was doing the promo spot saying things like “I love my country,” “I love America,” “I’m representing my country to show the world how baseball is played,” “This is our game and I’m proud to be on America’s team.”

I thought this commercial was idiotic because of the implication that his playing baseball for America was somehow on the same level as our men and women in uniform on the front lines of Iraq, Afghanistan and the world over. It’s easy to be patriotic playing a game — that you get paid millions to play.

Not to mention that virtually every other player he will face (with the exception of the entire Cuban national team, some members of the Canadian team, and perhaps others) are all playing right now in the major leagues. Every one of those guys on their national team has listed which major league club they played for in 2005.

He’s babbling on about this being some ultimate war of the nations and will leave this classic and be in the dugout with most of the opposition. Whatever.

Baseball players are celebrities, stars, athletic achievers — they are not heroes.

And that’s all I have to say about that. Beth, do you still love me? Steve, can we still be friends?