I have a dear friend who loves – loves – the Red Sox. Generally he can tell you whether a particular player had enough fiber on the previous day. He recently thought of naming his son Matsusaka after the Red Sox new hotshot pitcher Daisuke Matsusaka. That would sound odd given his Germanic surname. He can name 12 Red Sox blog and websites far more quickly than he can name the 12 disciples. Remember the Jimmy Fallon character from the Red Sox-themed movie Fever Pitch? He is a pale imitation of my friend. On the day before Ash Wednesday he was gorging himself on Twizzlers and gin and tonics and reading about Manny Ramirez’s hair style for hours on end. Did I mention that he is getting a Ph.D in religion and literature?
Well, I talked to him today for the first time in a spell and I have learned he has given it all up cold. No web surfing to find out info on Manny or Daisuke or Schilling or Calvin Shiraldi (oh yeah, he retired). Why? Because in all honesty he loves Jesus more and he is fasting from the Red Sox and web surfing until Easter.
Now this is easy to mock…just the Red Sox after all…I mean not the Mets or anything. Just the web, just some blogs, just frivolous little stuff. Hardly, this is the slaying of idols, the dying to self, the recognition that following Jesus means taking the narrow and hard road.
I am proud of him and I want to be like him – I am going to give up following the Red Sox too…but for the whole year. 
posted February 27, 2007 at 12:34 am
OK, so I’ll give up the Kansas City Royals. quit laughing – all of you. Seriously, the Lent thing – I’m trying to give up electronic noise for 24 hours a week. No phone, TV, internet, IPOD, – all of it. 40 days I cannot do – work is much to intertwined with this noise, but 24 hours a week – it’s kind of an intentional Sabbath.
posted February 27, 2007 at 1:29 am
I love that – just don’t leave here, you are much needed.
posted February 27, 2007 at 6:30 pm
I am a Jesus-following, public interest lawyering, two-girl mothering intelligent woman, and I have an OBSESSION with People magazine and TMZ.com! I have given up all web gossip, celeb stuff for Lent because of your posts about Britney Spears. I have never given up anything for Lent before. I am trying to remember to pray for people in the public eye–especially those deeply hurting souls like Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears types–when I am tempted to turn to http://www.People.com. Of course, now I need to deal with the deeper issue of WHY I am even interested in all this junk! Thanks for your convicting posts. I read your blog daily and greatly appreciate your thoughts on faith, politics, and parenting. Keep up the great work!
posted February 27, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Wouldn’t it be better if he DID watch the Red Sox, then offered up the pain he suffered for a soul in Purgatory?
posted February 28, 2007 at 12:32 am
Maggie – Thanks so much…I so appreciate it and am really humbled by your words… David Astorian – I am going to forward those comments to him – hopefully he will respond!