Enduring the 2025 Orioles

It's been a long year in Baltimore

Each year, I blog about the Baltimore Orioles. The tone last year and the one prior were positive, full of hope based on solid play, a good (young!) core, a promising farm system, and good records. This year has been another story.

The Orioles have struggled on both sides this year. 

- Their pitching, predicted to be poor, has been. They were unable to re-sign Corbin Burnes (who got injured with his new team, anyway). They have three key players injured (Grayson Rodriguez, Tyler Wells, Kyle Bradish). The replacements (Charlie Morton, Kyle Gibson, and others) have been a disaster. There is some promise with Tomoyuki Sugano, and Zack Eflin is sometimes okay, but things have been rough all around.

- Their batting, predicted to be good, has not been. Their core remains, but most players have slid from their previous performances. Jackson Holliday has been a nice highlight, Cedric Mullins remains solid, and Gunnar is doing decently well, but it's been disappointing in general.

Looking at their depth chart (current as of today), I still really like their fielders. If only they could start hitting more, and improve the pitching.

One highlight this year has been the return of all-orange uniforms (a nod back to the 1971-72 seasons). Those have been a (literal) bright spot.

Years like this make one wonder 'what went wrong?' Their offseason free agency losses (Anthony Santander and Corbin) have not produced for their respective new teams, so no regrets there. Injuries are never predictable and always lamentable. I think the real problems must be in:

- free agent pitching (or lack thereof)

- some bad trades last year (giving up some good prospects for people that haven't panned out)

- coaching? (hard to know why everyone would take a step back)

There's blame to go around, but in general . . . they're still the O's. And you stick with your team through the ups and downs. They may turn things around still—they have been 15-8 in their last 23. Go Birds!

John Calvin's Illustrated Institutes (Book 1)

John Calvin, the immensely influential Christian Reformer, first published The Institutes of the Christian Religion—a summary of Protestant beliefs—in the 1530s. He would expand it over time, publishing four more editions (the last came in 1559). Now cherished as one of the classic works of Christian faith, today's review is of a graphic novel adaptation for children, covering chapters 1-5 of Book 1 of the Institutes. 

Here, Calvin covers:

- True Wisdom (which has "two inseparable parts: knowing God and knowing ourselves.")

- Knowing God ("true knowledge of God is not merely intellectual or theoretical; it is profoundly personal and relational." "The purpose of knowing God is to teach us fear and reverence," so we "worship God with sincere hearts that fully trust in his loving care and provision.")

- The Seed of Religion ("all people are born with a natural awareness of God . . . imprinted on their hearts.")

- The Corrupted Seed ("sin has corrupted the seed [of religion] and prevented it from producing the good fruit of genuine devotion and true piety. Instead, it bears rotten fruit that leads humanity away from truly knowing God and worshiping him alone.")

- Creation and Providence (God has "revealed himself to use through creation, which serves as a dazzling theater that displays his majesty, power, wisdom, and goodness." He also "reveals himself through his providence—his rule over all creation and human history." The purpose of both is "to lead humanity to know, love, and glorify him.")

I have yet to read Institutes, but this version is excellent. I know it covers only five chapters of the work, but it presents the material with clarity and power.

Rating: A

Visions of Vocation (Steven Garber)

In Visions of Vocation, Professor Steven Garber argues that our responsibility as humans is to be 'common grace for the common good.' He explores several themes, including:

- learning to have eyes that see and ears that hear; to see things rightly.

- what it means to know and [yet] love the world (AKA our neighbors), for we are "pilgrims in the ruins"—glories and shames all at once. 

- how to engage (and not be numbed by) the world and evil in it, for "They who know the most must mourn the deepest." (Lord Byron)

- understanding our responsibility in the world. "Knowing what you know about yourself and the world, what are you going to do?" With so much wrong in the world (and in ourselves), do we see ourselves as responsible? Can we make a difference?

- "we must not only know rightly, but do rightly." Brilliant people in history have done terrible things. "Knowing and doing are at the core of every examined life, but putting the two together is the most difficult challenge we face." "To have knowledge of means to have responsibility to means to have care for."

- the Hebrew concept of relationship, revelation, and responsibility, looking at how the Lord interacts with his people. "Each time a covenant is made, a relationship is offered, a revelation is given, and a responsibility is expected." The Lord is basically saying "Remember who I am. Remember who you are. Remember how you are to live." 

- the importance of the incarnation [God made flesh]. "Words have to become flesh." Its key meaning? "God knows us and still loves us." 

- vocation as integral (not incidental) to our mission. We are to be 'hints of hope', knowing and yet loving others (not just coworkers but the world at large) in and through our daily jobs.

- learning to live proximately—understanding the failures, futilities, and learning that something is better than nothing, even as isn't everything [i.e. perfection].

Overall, this is an excellent work. Garber references many examples from artists throughout history as well as personal experience, all revolving around the above concepts. The book did get repetitive, and it wasn't a systematic or exhaustive look at these topics by any means, but it was helpful and thought-provoking.

Rating: A-

Superman and the Savior

I re-watched Man of Steel with my boys today, completing our exploration of Superman on film. Since April, we have watched all six modern movies that focus on the Big Blue Boy Scout. Below are links to each film, in release order, with my grade of each following.

Superman the Movie (B-)
Superman II (C+)
Superman III (D+)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (C-)

Superman Returns (B+)

Man of Steel (A-)

Like most superhero stories, Superman tales often explore the concept of a uniquely powerful person and the questions that arise from that, including:

- what is their responsibility? Does their ability give them a mandate? If so, what?

- under whose authority are they?

- how/why are they special? What makes them so?

- what are their weaknesses?

- what are their limitations?

- what are their joys? What are they 'allowed' to enjoy given their 'otherness'?

- are they human in any degree? How so (or not)?

- who are their enemies? Are they also uniquely powerful?

- should we regular humans see ourselves in these stories? Can we imitate those with great powers, or admire them only? How can we be 'superheroes' in our lives?

- who pays for all the property damage?*

Implicit in some of these questions are higher-level ones:

- what is wrong with the world?

- why can't we fix it?

- who can?

- why do we hope for someone outside ourselves? What does that tell us about our belief in humanity?

All worthy questions for reflection. Most stories have them in some way.

As I think briefly on these films, I believe our conceptions of Superman are a statement of what we  kind of a savior we want. In this, we see a window into our souls. So here are just a few thoughts on the theology of Superman films, looking back at the above movies for frequent themes:

- we acknowledge the world is not the way it should be. There is death, injustice, tragedy, and other terrible things. 

- we acknowledge humans need someone to fix it—someone who can do things we cannot.

- we want that person to be strong and beautiful, physically and spiritually.

- we want that person to inspire us to do what we can to right the wrongs in the world. 

- we want to be able to control that person. We look for ways to contain or weaken them.

- we don't want him to be able to control us. We want salvation only, with no expectation of response on our part other than gratitude. 

In a sense, these films show us the reality that we both require and reject a savior. We know we need one, but on our terms.

If you know the Jesus of the Bible, think on him and how he differs from (or is similar to) the above. 

- Isaiah 53 is a good place to start. Jesus had no beauty that we should desire him (v2), he was despised and rejected by men (v3), yet he bore our griefs (v4) and transgressions (v5) and took the our iniquity upon Himself even as we strayed (v6). He saved us from what really matters—our sin—but doesn't wear a cape or have amazing abs. 

- Jesus' salvation is not without cost to us. He demands that we follow him, obey him, and to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice for him (salvation frees us from the slavery of sin and makes us slaves of God). 

- Jesus is making all things new and commands that we participate by using our gifts (given by him). Yet he knows our weakness; we can do nothing without him, and so our lives are an ongoing dependence for the strength to do what is right and live transformed lives, seeking to glorify God and be a blessing to each other as we are called to do.

So much more could be said here . . . but for the sake of time, I think this introduction highlights the main differences between our conception of a Savior presented in Superman movies and the one presented in the Bible. The films have echoes of powerful messages, but miss the mark in other ways. So, as with all content, we 1) enjoy what reflects the good and true even as we 2) reject the false parts of a message.

*a joke. But honestly . . . most Superman films have a good deal of destruction. Like, a lot. 

Batman, Volume 10: Epilogue

In Batman: Epilogue, we get a variety of stand-alone stories that wrap up the larger story arc that was itself part of the "New 52" series. These tales are largely reflective, looking at the nature of Batman, Gotham, and Bruce Wayne. One looks forward to a dystopian future where cloning plays a major role.

This conclusion was decent, if not as cohesive as I'd like. Actually, that's true of all ten volumes in this series—a number of interesting story lines that don't always tie together in ways I could see. (Perhaps I was supposed to read parallel "New 52" titles to get a fuller picture? I'm not sure.) The first few volumes, focusing on Court of Owls, was the highlight for me.

Rating: B

Superman Returns

Superman has been missing for five years. 

Lois Lane has moved on, living a storied life with a beau and son, as she enjoys the Pulitzer won for her article Why the World Doesn't Need Superman. But everything is about to change . . . for Lex Luthor has weaseled his way out of prison, into an inheritance, and has his sights on yet another evil scheme to remake the world to his liking. Only one person can stop him. And thankfully, Superman has returned.

This 2006 film was ostensibly the sequel to Superman II, ignoring Superman III and Superman IV because they deviated from the original two films. And this movie does a great job of capturing that original magic—the characterizations are spot on for Clark/Superman, Lois, Perry, Jimmy, and Lex. It was solidly done, with much better effects and a decent (if predictable) story line. The one thing I enjoyed the most was the following dialogue, as Superman challenges Lois' assertion that the world doesn't need a savior:

Superman: Listen; what do you hear?
Lois Lane: Nothing.
Superman: I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.

Very true. Superman is an echo; a reminder of our inadequacy and need. The film's not all gold—there are some questionable things—but the main point is solid.

Rating: B+

Batman, Volume 9: Bloom

Shortly after Superheavy . . .

Bloom is proving too much for James Gordon's Batman. And everyone else, too. Bruce Wayne has survived but has no memory of his former life (and no desire to return to it). But when all else fails, he may have no choice . . . 

This one was a mixed bag. Bloom is an interesting supervillain. Bruce Wayne's return was okay, even if that was predictable (and the means to bring it about far-fetched). Overall it feels this story arc is rollicking from one heavy event to the next, from Riddler to Joker to Bloom. The intensity remains high and I'm wondering where this is all going. 

Rating: B+