Today at Midwestern there was a special chapel service. It was a "Royals Chapel" with guest speakers Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman. It was a really interesting chapel and I took notes so that I could reflect on it here.
Dayton Moore is the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager of the Royals. He previously worked for the Atlanta Braves as an Assistant General Manager/Baseball Operations. He's originally from Kansas and was a graduate from George Mason University.
Trey Hillman is the Manager. Prior to this position, he spent five years managing the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. He led the team to the 2006 Japan League Series Championship. He's originally from Texas and was a graduate from the University of Texas-Arlington.
The format of the chapel was an dialogue between Dayton, Trey and the president of the seminary Dr. Philip Roberts. Dr. Roberts would ask a question and then each would answer the question. Prior to the quesitons, we sung some worship music and also did a rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame and God Bless America
The first topic discussed was their backgrounds. Trey answered first. He talked about how he played college ball at UT Arlington. After college, he went undrafted. He prayed to God about this because he felt that baseball was his calling (he mentioned that coming out of high school he could have been selected in the 1st or 2nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates but he got a scholarship). He ended up signing with the Cleveland Indians organization and spent three seasons reaching as high as Double AA. After seeking some council from some of the managers he played under, he took a position as a scout. He later spent 12 years working in the New York Yankees minor league system as a manager. He then spent a year as a player coordinator for the Texas Rangers before going to Japan as a manager. He also talked about how he came to know Christ. He grew up in a family that were believers. He would accept Christ as he savior at 13. He also mentioned how he learned to play the guitar (not very well) and that he helped lead worship in high school and college at Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meetings.
Dayton talked about how he loved baseball. He went to junior college and after there he went to George Mason and played there as well. After college, he coached at his alma mater along with coaching summer ball. He then took a job as a scout for the Atlanta Braves (although initally he turned the job down). He worked his way up to the front office before coming to K.C.
They were asked next how they handle pressure of their jobs. Trey responded first by mentioning he takes things "one day at a time". He emphasized the importance of balance. Balance is something he talks about regularly with his players not just physically but also spiritually. He talked about how his experience in Japan helped him develop more patience. He then remarked about how his relationship was Dayton was important and how he's an encouragment to him. He used the analogy of when Jesus sent people out he did it in twos, he didn't send them out alone. He then shared about how at the first homestand of the year (while the team was doing great), they had their first baseball chapel and there was only two players that attended. He then said even though they got swept in Oakland, he was really excited on that trip because at the chapel held they had nine players. He also mentioned how he reads James 3 a lot and that he talked about how on that trip there was a team meeting and that he used a few "choice words" and was convicted by that. He said that Satan challenges him by trying to convince him that to make his message to his players stronger he should use those kind of words. The next day he apologized in front of the whole team.
Dayton first talked about stressing the importance of being the Word to help deal with the pressures. He mentioned how after the huge 15-1 loss, the first thing he did when he got home was saw his kids to bed then went downselves and prayed over them. He talked about how for him he needed to remimber his most important responsiblity is being a husband and father and to glorify God.
They then were asked to mention a passage in the Bible very important to them. Trey reinterated James 3. He also mentioned another favorite was I Corinthians 13 and in particular verse 13: "So faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love" (ESV). He mentions how he uses that verse in talking to non-believers. He asks them this question: "Where would we be without faith and hope (if those two words didn't exist)?" He then commented how he wasn't afraid to get close to his players even though he's been hurt sometimes because of it.
Dayton spoke on how for him it's Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (ESV)". He also mentioned about in Matthew it talks about how the greatest among you must be last. He stressed the importance about being humble and made the statement "When kings start acting like kings, there comes along new kings."
They were asked their most memorable moment while in baseball. Trey joked how one of his his "redneck friends" asked him if he "Googled" himself (which he said no). He said for him the most memorable moment (which supposedly is on YouTube) is when he was in Japan and was arguing through an interpreter to a Japanese umpire. He mentioned how he would have to pause in the middle of arguing and how it took steam out of the argument and that he would get madder because of it. He mentioned how he told his interpreter to try and use the same tone and reflection that he did. The funny thing was later Trey had to pull the interpreter off because he got too excited. The interpreter then told Trey "If you were Japanese manager, he wouldn't disrespect you like that!"
Dayton talked about his most memorable moment came in 2001 when he was working with the Braves. He helped to oversee overseas scouting. He took a trip to Latin America as part of this. He said that it left an indellible mark on him to see the area and interact with the people there.
Dr. Roberts then threw out the question "Has a seminary professor made the pros?" The two laughed and Trey answered "No". He then shared the story about during spring training a friend of both his and Dayton's visited camp. His name is Tim Cash and he's a strong believer. Tim asked Trey about how he could pray for him. Trey then said about how he relates to umpires. Tim said that Trey should pray about that too. The second thing Trey said was he wanted to laugh more. Tim said he could help with that. The next day, a friend of Tim's came to visit the camp. It was Jeff Foxworthy who spent 20 minutes speaking with the team and had everyone laughing.
The next question asked was about family. Trey talked about how his wife is so important to him. She is the "super glue" of the family. He then talked about how his father is his mentor and how he still asks for his advice on things. He mentioned how it is always challenging to be the spiritual leader when he's separated from his family. He said how for him the times spent together as family as quality time. For the time being, his wife and kids are back in Texas and if and when the time comes, then he'll move them to Kansas City. (Dayton joked how he was going to use this summer when the kids visit to help them find a bunch of friend here along with getting a girlfriend for Trey's son).
Dayton as well mentioned how family is important to him. He talked about how his wife keeps him humble. He then talked about with his job now he gets to spend more time at home than when he was in Atlanta. He travels with the team 1/3rd of the time. He then talked about how he prays for Trey and his staff and their families because Dayton knows how hard it is for them to be away from their families.
Dayton then talked about how those who succeed the most in baseball are "those who manage failure the best." He mentioned the atmosphere in the clubhouse and how he's glad to have a manager like Trey who is open about his faith. He then talked about Brian Bannister, pitcher, and how he's becoming one of the leaders of the clubhouse and how his walk is a testimony to some of the other players.
They were then asked about their thoughts on the future of baseball. Trey mentioned how baseball is a resilient game and that though there will be a black mark on the sport, it will rebound. He said that he believed that there are direct parallels between the game of baseball and the game of life and also that "nobody is bigger than the game". He then talked about how he loves visiting stadiums, many of which are new to him. He said it was funny how reporters would ask him "So what do think about coming back to _______?" and he would be like "I've been in Japan for five years." He also mentioned how he would enjoy just sitting at the K for hours just looking at the field.
Dayton talked about how there is a unified effort with the players and management to deal with the issue. He then talked about how most of the world views America through Hollywood, which is of course not how most of America truly is. He applies this to how players are viewed. We expect more of them then what we expect of ourselves and that they're just as human as we are.
Dr. Roberts finished the questioning by asking how we could pray for them. The two each shared some requests and then we prayed for them. Afterwards, there were some giveaways. I ended up with a Royals T-Shirt and a refrigerator magnet.
It was a really refreshing to hear their testimonies. It was also really encouraging to me. I'm glad to know that they are in the postitions they are in and the influence that they have. I hope that they continue to reflect God in their words and actions and that their ultimate success is their walk with Jesus.
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