The Niagara Power and the Glory
The first taste we got of what kind of evening this would be was when we approached the gates of Sal Maglie Stadium and saw a banner hanging on the fence which read… “Family Life Network… Your Christian Companion”.
Uh-oh.
Yes, we went to a game last night of the Niagara Power, the newest team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, at the invitation and behest of fellow journalist Doug Smith, who serves as the team’s PA announcer. The Power play at Sal Maglie Stadium (ah Sal…a former Elmira Pioneer, had to get that one in), a pretty austere but functional ballpark which was demolished and then rebuilt in 2000 and formerly housed a NY-Penn League team in the early 90s.
So here are a couple of heads ups when attending a Power game at Sal Maglie… don’t expect to find beer ’cause there ain’t none. They say this is because the stadium sits on high school property, but we think there is more behind this. Second, they have these automatic hand washers with the sensors in the mens room. Put your hands under the tap, and water will blow out of the faucet next to you instead… Absolutely hilarious. Like watching Candid Camera!
Anyways, it’s a hot summer night, about 400 people in the joint, and we see the visiting Bolivar team before the game, arms and shoulders locked in a prayer circle. And we’re hearing Doug the PA guy blurt out commercials and announcements for various churches and faith groups… Ohh…. kay.
We settle in to watch the game, and Doug sees us from the pressbox and sends us down a couple programs. And here’s where the fun begins…
Start reading through the player bios, and each one ends with a tag titled “learning while here”. Here are some quotes…
#44 Drew Hollinghead… The Lord is involved in every aspect of my life.
#8 Trey Karlen…The Lord is always there in the Word, through the good and the bad.
#33 Brock Keith… The Lord is very involved in what we do.
#24 Brooks Lewis… The Lord is a glorious and wonderful God bringing a great group of people together to play and honor Him at the same time.
Head coach Sam Kirby also offer his words… Every move I make needs to be glorifying for the Kingdom of heaven. The greatest thing about coaching for the Niagara Power is the power of God on the field.
Then the kicker… during the game a gentleman came around and passed out a brochure to each fan from a group called “Athletes in Action”, which apparently is part of a sports ministry called “Campus Crusade for Christ.” This brochure offered the following pearls of wisdom for us to digest…
1: God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
2: Man is sinful and seprated from God. So we can not know Him personally or experience His love.
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally ane experience His love.
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
So what started out as me and Andrew simply going out to see a new venue we have never been to and checking out a new minor league team in the area turned out be a crusade for our very souls.
Tim Schmitt from the Niagara Gazette was there as well, and actually sat with us for a couple innings. We caught up on Sabres stuff and then asked him what was up with all this proselytizing. “Yeah that’s how they do things here, so get used to it or just ignore it” he advised. The three of us totally cracked up as we devised future promotions and themed nights for the Power… Condom Night (yes guess what’s free to the first 1000 fans); Islamic Festival night; NARAL night (that’s National Abortion Rights Action League). And don’t forget the homos… Sal Maglie Stadium awash in rainbow colors on Pride Night.
But seriously… it’s great that baseball is back in Niagara Falls, and we wish them the best. The owner seems to be a nice guy and was hands on in the stands, talking with fans and assisting people. His wife was also there, doing concessions and separating recyclables from the trash. It’s OK baseball, the price is right, and it’s a pretty decent venue to enjoy baseball.
Make no mistake, however, pitch your product to only one segment of society, that being faith based organizations, churches and religious people, at the expense and exclusion of everyone else, and you are doomed to failure. Quite frankly, we were really turned off at the whole spectacle. All we wanted was a night of baseball… we were given far more than we bargained for.
THANKS to Doug Smith for setting us up with the great seats!
Nick Isby Says:July 11th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I have been to two Power game this year, last night (I was sitting with the Bisons K-man last night) and a game againts Geneva earlier in the season. Last night was faith night, so it was much more over the top with the religion. There was no pregame prayer the first game, and nobody passing out Kindom Bound papers the first game I went to. Yeah Doug did some commericals, but that was it. Also last night the Bovilar A’s are also owned by reglious group, so that was why some extra papers were floating around out there. While I can’t say I have been in a church other then a wedding or funeral for years now, I totally understand the Power using all of this. I am sure Fellowship of Christian Athletes plays for a lot of stuff, and seeing this is low budget baseball, the Power and the rest of the NYCBL need all the money they can get. I still enjoyed the game and will be back this year. Heck I might even make a quick road trip to check out other places around the league if I can work it in around the Bisons schedule.
Jon Splett Says:July 11th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Note to self: Remove ‘knuckleball pitcher for the Niagara Power’ from future career list.
With all these faith groups popping up all around baseball lately, I’m waiting for a minor league team to hold a ‘faithless’ night for fans who thinks things were just fine at baseball games without Jebus.
St. Paul Saints I’m looking at you.
Become the St. Paul ‘Sinners’ for a day, I’d totally buy a jersey.
Juanita Holinghead Says:July 22nd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Choices are something we all make. Choosing to give God the glory on and off the ballfield is something my son, Niagara Power #44, chose to do for his summer break. He could have played on other teams in other states, but chose the Power. We also made a trip from Mississippi to Niagara Falls to visit him. We’re sorry we missed meeting you at the game you attended. We were there supporting a very positive program. I’m sorry you were disapointed with the atmosphere, but a Higher Power than you was very pleased that night. Young gentlemen willing to step away from the norm of the diamond and winning a greater prize than any scoreboard could record. It is all about choices, and I am so proud my son chose to spread the name of Jesus around Niagara Falls, even if it was just for one person, maybe you or maybe the young boy that met with the team after the game for autographs. Have you heard of bringing something positive for the youth in your community? Give credit where it is due. Sal Maglie Field would most likely have been empty this summer if it wasn’t for the dedication of the volunteers who brought Niagara Power baseball to Niagara Falls.
Thanks to all of them from the Power’s South Mississippi Fans.
Virginia Says:July 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I think maybe you missed the whole point of this organization (and shame on Doug Smith for not telling you beforehand.) It’s FAMILY oriented. It’s not supposed to be anything to knock your socks off or put you in a beer and hot dog sports frenzy. These are KIDS playing. The handout I got had many indications that it was a faith-based organization. Deal with it- or better yet don’t go again. No one was forcing you onto the feild for an alter call. If hearing about youth groups and seeing people pray outside of a church makes you that uncomfortable then maybe you need to sit back and examine why. I’ve sat through plenty of things I find objectionable and I never felt the need to make fun of the participants in a public forum. I’m a very liberal Christian (voting for Obama, don’t think it’s a sin to drink or dance, think gay rights are long overdue) so I’m not coming at this from a narrow viewpoint. I think you made yourselves sound like very small people for making fun of these kids because they happen to have strong beliefs and are not afraid to share them. We need more people who will let others know exactly where they stand. Shame on you for your narrowmindedness.