Hiding in Plain Sight: Madison Bumgarner

Unlike an allegory or most fables (thank you Aesop) the purpose of a tall tale is not to reveal a moral, personal or political truth. A tall tale is used for entertainment and for fun. Indeed, a campfire is better with one, two or ten of them. But, I don't see why a good tall tale cannot entertain and teach. And in the tall tale of "Mason Saunders," we have an interesting one, that also speaks to the spiritual life: the notion of hiding in plain sight. 

As written in one of the most popular of all tall tales, Paul Bunyan, An American Folk Tale,

A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. The descriptions in the story are exaggerated – much greater than in real life and this is what makes the story funny. Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas in America first told tall tales. After a hard day’s work, people gathered to tell each other funny stories. 

Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. Paul Bunyan was a hero of North America’s lumberjacks, the workers who cut down trees. He was known for his strength, speed and skill. Tradition says he cleared forests from the northeastern United States to the Pacific Ocean.

Some people say Paul Bunyan was the creation of storytellers from the middle western Great Lakes area of the United States. Other people say the stories about him came from French Canada. San Francisco Giants fans know otherwise.

He was born in Hickory but raised in Lenoir, North Carolina. At the age of 18 he was chosen as the tenth pick in the overall draft. He earned earned three rings and was named the Most Valuable among them on the third try. He has ridden a horse inside the yard and wanted to down Market Street, but was encouraged not to do so for safety reasons. His face has even graced the cover of a national sports magazine when he was named the best in all of sport in 2014. To those in the Bay Area he is known as MadBum....but to those in rodeo he is Mason Saunders.

I could spin the yarn around Madison Bumgarner for weeks on end. And in all honesty, why not? The subject is a fascinating one. As a Giants fan, I recognize my bias but when in the last time you heard about a great athlete nearly compromising his or her career for another athletic passion incognito. Bo Jackson told us "football is just a hobby for Bo Jackson." But we knew Bo. According to the article that revealed Sauder's real identity, “No matter what hobbies I have, I take ’em serious,” Bumgarner said. “That’s just my personality. I don’t do anything just for fun, per se. I wish I did.” Serious enough that he competed in team rodeo roping as Mason—a shortened version of Madison, “something for my wife to call me when we were out in public to keep people from recognizing me" with the surname of Saunders— the maiden name of his wife, Ali. And won. 

It's hard for me to understand how MadBum was hiding in plain sight for this long. Athletes have detailed restrictions in terms of what they can and cannot do in the off-season. Any activity that puts their body at risk—skiing, sky-diving, the usage ATVs, motorcycle or car racing etc can be a violation of their contract. My sense is that rodeo-roping ought to be included in this list. What is interesting however, is that according to Meet Mason Saunders, the secret rodeo identity of Madison Bumgarner, those in the rodeo-roping community long knew of Saunders' true self. The rest of the world however never did.

Bumgarner wasn't really hiding, either. His photo openly and frequently posted on social media. Other than an alias, he didn't do much to hide out. His face, his stature and his passion are not unfamiliar. As noted in The Athletic (as well as the 2014 Sportsman of the Year article) "He’s practiced roping on everything from a statue of a bull at Scottsdale’s Fashion Square Mall to Jeremy Affeldt’s patio furniture." If I were asked to spot him in a line up, I am confident that 10 out of 10 times, I would succeed. Others here in SF could too.

So often in life, things are hiding in plain sight. The truth, what I have lost, something I need....it's in front of my nose. What does it take for us to find it? I love this question. 

Just the other day, I heard from a friend I hadn't talked to in a long time. I went to reply to her e-mail and a book that she gave me 12 years ago, caught my attention. That book has been sitting there on the same book shelf in my classroom all year. Why did I only see it....or see it again, just now? 

Richard McBrien wrote that to be spiritual is to "understand there is more to life than what meets the eye." It's a different way to think about our vision and the spiritual life. To be spiritual is to recognize that in life we might see what is not in front of us. We might not even see what IS in front of us!  When either or both speak to us, when they catch our attention—pause, stop and consider the message and its meaning.

This is the photo that did him in.

It was a Facebook posting—a slightly blurry picture of Mason Saunders and his winning partner—broke this story, or rather gave birth to this new tall tale. Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball should thank Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan for doing so. This tall tale is a welcome change in the story and saga of the Houston Astros cheating scandal. How it all ends...both for Mason and for the Astros....where it will go...and what more we will learn? Let's gather around the campfire and share that too.  Bring to it stories of what you DO see and else might be hiding in plain sight. 

Photo Credits
on a horse
SOTY
Rodeo
Mason Night
FB posting

The Language of the Saints: Pitching, Torture, Hustle...?

“Hardly any practice is so distinctively Catholic as the cult of saints.” As we read Avery Dulles’ “The Catholicity of the Church” I was disappointed that my students were exponentially more interested in the notion of a “cult” within Catholicism than in the saints. Matthew Kelly states “it is true, some people have placed too much emphasis on the role the saints play in Catholic spirituality.” But this is not the spirituality of the young people I teach. And it is unfortunate, for saints have made the same journey we are called to explore for ourselves. I believe if we learn their language, we can gain a better understanding of how a person is transformed in Christ.

What is the language of the saints? And how have those in this “cult” been transformed in Christ? My students are seeking answers vis-à-vis “My Life With the Saints” by Jesuit priest, James Martin. It is more than the biography of sixteen holy men and women. To an extent, it is autobiography, yet it is ultimately an invitation to discover like the saints, how one can overcome struggles, faults and failings and still draw closer to God.

Martin’s companionship with the saints began in an unlikely place, at an unlikely time. Because of his passion for French, Martin traveled several times to France. One particular journey led him outside of Paris to Orléans, a city set free in 1429 by Joan of Arc. A Catholic Saint whose story was largely unfamiliar to him suddenly became a little more familiar. He decided to read more about her short life. He writes “Joan’s story introduced me to a new language: the special language of the saints—verbs like: believe, pray, witness and nouns like: humility, charity, ardor.”

I decided we would read each biography seeking new verbs and nouns—this language of the saints. My students met my request with a bit of a blank stare. What saint doesn’t “believe” and “pray?” What saint isn’t “humble” or a model of “charity.” They were right, even if the saints were largely unfamiliar to them. In response, I decided to apply this quest with the familiar—the San Francisco Giants to determine if could gain a better understanding of this “cult” and a new language. The 2010 Giants are a dynamic and talented team. They have been deemed “lovable” nationwide, but Martin’s language of saints doesn’t include adjectives. Descriptors are easy; but choices and actions—verbs—and what they have or possess—nouns—are different. It’s a nuanced way of thinking, but it invites a creative reflection. When I think of the Giants, verbs like: hustle and execute and nouns like: heart, pitching, torture and victory come to mind. Every game in the NLDS series was decided by one run. If the Giants didn’t hustle, the outcome could have been much different. All players, the pitchers, offense and defense, executed. If you’re a Giants fan, you understand the team’s unofficial motto: torture. (For NLDS) No game was lop-sided or decided early on. In fact, the final two games of the four games series were determined in the final two innings. At times it was torture for me to watch. But this team has a lot of heart. It lacks the strong personalities of the past. Because of outstanding pitching and teamwork, victory is ours!

This example prompted my students to seek the language of the saints familiar and unfamiliar to them, in the text and beyond it. Nouns: With the Blessed Mother we think of grace. We give hail to Mary, who was full of grace. With St. Monica, I think of persistence. She relentlessly prayed for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. Thanks be to God she did! Because of him, we have a great theology. Verbs: Let’s be honest, many of the saints are extreme. St. Francis, St. Ignatius of Loyola are but two examples of men who were able to renounce luxury and privilege. Their stories may be too severe, but they are viable examples of people who chose otherwise. Furthermore, many of their stories incorporate the supernatural. Padre Pio was able to bi-locate. He was seen at two places at once. Natural law indicates this is not possible; supernatural law allows for it. St Thomas the Apostle doubted. What person doesn’t struggle with their faith? Despite his doubt, He was also the first apostle to recognize Christ Jesus as the Risen Lord with his words “My Lord and My God!” And the list goes on… 

The unofficial theme song of the 2010 San Francisco Giants is Don’t Stop Believin’ I think the same is true for one of the great spiritual treasures of the Catholic Church—the saints. Let us learn their language, for they can lead us to victory in Christ.

Photo Credits
Tapestry of the Saints
Joan of Arc
Giants Win the Pennant
Posey & Baum