St. Louis Cardinals reflect on faith

ST. LOUIS (CNS) — St. Louis Cardinals players David Eckstein, John Rodriguez and Jeff Suppan recently stepped up to the plate to talk about their Catholic faith.

In interviews with the St. Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper, the Redbirds’ shortstop, outfielder and pitcher, respectively, said their faith is very important to them. While they do not often tout their religion in public, they believe their actions on and off the field define them as Catholics.

All three professional athletes were born into the faith. Each goes to Mass regularly and has made prayer a key part of his daily life.

Eckstein treats his faith like he plays shortstop — very seriously.

Being on the road so much and playing weekend games can play havoc with going to Mass, but Eckstein makes it a priority.

"I make sure I attend Mass every week," he said, recalling that the only time he has missed Mass during his five years in the majors was in Toronto. The team was there during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) scare, and players could not leave the hotel except to play ball.

He also prays every day, including before every game. He asks for the grace "to be the best I can be, and be the best team player I can be to help the team be successful on that day."

When in St. Louis for a weekend series, Eckstein likes going to Mass at Busch Stadium. Mass is offered there on weekends for club personnel and stadium employees.

Some people wear their faith on their sleeve. John Rodriguez wears his under his hat.

Under the brim of the Cardinal rookie’s baseball cap he has written "God. No. 1." Next to that, "JRod" and his number, 53.

He said children often ask him why he kisses his cap before the start of each game.

"And I show them, it’s God. God is on my hat, and I kiss him because I thank him for me being in this situation right now that I’m in," he said.

The native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent was brought up to the Cardinals in mid-July after eight years in the minor leagues.

The 27-year-old said he hopes the experience will not change who he is. Fame and money can change a person’s life-style, but "it shouldn’t change the person that you are inside," he said.

Added Rodriguez, "I go about my day as God would want me to go about my day. I try to follow in His footsteps as much as possible."

When he prays — and he prays every day, including before and after every game — he does not pray for God to give him anything. He thanks God daily for, among other things, his food, friends, life and "the privilege of wearing this uniform," he said.

Californian Jeff Suppan now calls St. Louis home.

He joined the Cardinals’ pitching rotation in 2004. He and his wife, Dana, bought a home in town and are members of St. Joseph Parish in Clayton, Mo.

He credits his close-knit family, and his mother, in particular, with giving him a strong faith.

Suppan noted that as a professional baseball player, his faith "has been challenged all the time, through other, maybe fundamentalist Christians, or other people in baseball that kind of, for whatever reason, were trying to maybe lead me in the wrong way. And that’s where my faith really grew the most into what it is and what it’s becoming," he said.

He added, "I just basically try to follow Jesus every day. I try to improve my prayer life every day, and I feel the more I pray, it really keeps me focused on Him."

"I pray to accept the outcome, whatever it may be, as long as I’m doing God’s will," Suppan said. "And sometimes it’s hard to be able to, you know. You go out there and you give everything, and you lose, and it’s sometimes hard to handle, so I pray about that a lot. I basically give all my worries to God, and I try to forget the past and focus on what lies ahead."