Baseball as it should be

Despite all the bad news, some Christian Cardinals—particularly David Eckstein—take flight | Marvin Olasky

ST. LOUIS—Baseball paused this week for its All-Star game, but its ethical challenges did not go away. Steroids gossip involved leading lights such as home-run king Barry Bonds, and an old killer claimed another victim this spring: Pitcher Josh Hancock of the St. Louis Cardinals had a blood-alcohol level of 0.157 percent, nearly twice the legal limit, when he slammed his car into the back of a tow truck on April 29 and died instantly.

This should have been the best of times for St. Louis, which finally won the World Series last year, but the Cardinals have a losing record on and off the field. The team, though, is not without resources. Ups and downs of a long season drive some players to drink or drugs but others to Christ, and St. Louis has at least six players who regularly testify to their Christian faith: starting pitchers Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright, solid players Yadier Molina and So Taguchi, and stars Albert Pujols and David Eckstein.