I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I usually tune in for the World Series. I really don’t care who wins this year, but I’ve got more friends pulling for the Cards than for the Tigers. This forces me to root for the Tigers. Besides, if the Tigers are good enough for Thomas Magnum they’re good enough for me.
The other day I was flipping through the channels and Major League was on. In high school, we watched this movie so many times we had the dialogue down cold. One of my favorite scenes is when Pedro Cerrano starts doing voodoo in the locker room. When his teammates check it out, the following evangelistic conversation ensues:
Pedro Cerrano: Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.
Eddie Harris: You know you might think about taking Jesus Christ as your savior instead of fooling around with all this stuff.
Pedro Cerrano: Jesus, I like him very much, but he no help with curveball.
Eddie Harris: You trying to say Jesus Christ can’t hit a curveball?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Ah yes! “Major League” evangelism!
I like the scene right after the evangelistic conversation, where Harris says something like, “Still, it’s not a very good idea to leave all that rum sitting around this bunch.”
Cerrano respnds: “It is bad to take Joe Boom’s rum. VERY bad.” and thene the “voodoo” music starts playing. Later, Harris actually takes a swig of Joe Boom’s rum, and immediately gets hit with a flying bat! Too funy!
Sorta gives a new perspective on how Jesus handled all those flying questions from the Pharisees and Saducees.
Classic.
I thought of Cerrano every time Carlos Delgado came to the plate for the Mets this postseason.
“Hats for bats!”
I remember it more like:
“R yu tryin’ to say Jesus Christ cain’t hit a curvebawl?”
That was a classic!
My favorite lines were always from the announcer played by Bob Uecker. Harry Doyle I think his name was.
Willie Mays Hayes: We should’ve got the live chicken.
my favorite line….
When I preach every Sunday, I watch out for flying baseball bats!