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I still expect life to be fair

Right now I am thinking about the utter smackdown the Red Wings put on my beloved Pens last night, and how just a few days ago I was actually trying to reason with God about the Pens winning the Stanley Cup. I know you are not supposed to pray for a sports victory. Sure, you can pray for whatever you want, but, really, should any of us bother God with a request for a sports victory? Considering that in Catholic grade school my teacher scolded me for praying that I would do well on a test for which I did not study, sports should probably be pretty far down the list.

Yet I have managed to do pretty close to that several times now. Here is how it went with the Steelers: I asked God to let the team play the best game they have ever played. I was not asking for them to become super heroes or play at a level they never have, just that they give it their all that day. I figured if that happened, the Steelers would win the Super Bowl.

After the Pens won convincingly on Thursday, I tried a similar tactic. This time, in addition to asking God to let the Pens play their best game on Saturday, I also reasoned that since the Red Wings have won the Cup many, many times (including last year) and the Pens had won it only twice, about a hundred years ago, it would seem such a shame for the Pens not to win it this year. I told God that some of the young guys needed this victory; they were here during the "rebuilding years" and have really put the Pens back on the map in the Burgh. And a victory surely would help the economy by people going out and buying more Pens stuff.

But, since I expect life to be fair, I reasoned that Detroit has it much worse than Pittsburgh does, so maybe it would not be so bad if Detroit won it. Again. Besides, the Pens made it this far, and people have already gone out and spent money on Pens stuff and bar and restaurant outings.

Do I really want Detroit to win? No, not at all. But if they do, and if Saturday's game is any indication, they have a really good chance of lifting Lord Stanley, then I will try be happy for the people of Detroit and Michigan in general. Or at least take some solace in that they probably need it more than we do.

But don't think I won't be having a conversation with God about the Pens tomorrow night or Tuesday morning...
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Robta said…
Interesting perspective Faith. I like your reasoning about people in Detroit needing this more than Pittsburgh, that may well be true. I want the Pens to win also, but when I think of it that way it makes it a little easier to deal with in case the wind up losing the cup.
June 7, 2009 at 9:48 PM
Robta said…
Opps, last sentence should end with ...in case they wind up losing the cup.
(Hate when I make a typo--should always preview.)
June 7, 2009 at 9:50 PM
chris h. said…
I, too, have been telling myself "Detroit needs it more," but of course hoping the Pens pull it off. (Would that make us "City of Champions" again? Too bad the Pirates don't have a snowball's chance of doing anything...) Oh, and my favorite ad of all time was from the Steelers 3rd and 4th SB wins way back when -- a little boy kneeling down saying his bedtime prayers in his bedroom full of Steelers stuff... "And please God, let them win this one..."
June 8, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Facie said…
Aren't Pittsburghers great, always thinking about others?!

Chris, my sis-in-law gave us a poster of that boy praying. The same poster is also at Jordan's pediatrician's. I had never seen it before this Christmas.

If the Pens do take the cup, the Burgh will be the City of Champions because the Pirates will be the champions of losing (I think they will have had more consecutive years of losing than any other baseball team, maybe any pro team, but not sure). This assumes the Pirates have another losing season, and I think we can safely assume that!
June 8, 2009 at 7:30 PM
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