By W. David Armstrong
Just as baseball is a team game and requires all participants working together to win, so is our church family. This skit shows how it is foolish to think we can do it all by ourselves.
Philippians 1:3-5
Vin, the straight man.
Dave, dressed in uniform with glove.
Andy, dressed in uniform with bat in hand.
A peanut vendor with wrapped packages of peanuts that can be tossed into the congregation.
A box score projected onto an overhead screen, a CD or tape (30 sec) of the song "Take Me Out To the Ball Game".
(Scene: A baseball field in front of a dugout. A nice touch would be to decorate the riser area as a dugout with baseball equipment strewn about. "Take me out to the ball game" is played (CD 30sec). As the music fades, a peanut vender walks down the center aisle.)
Vendor: Peanuts! Get your fresh peanuts here! (He tosses peanuts into the congregation as he walks. As he reaches the back of the worship center, Vin rushes up to the platform apologetically.)
Vin: I… uhh… don’t quite know what to say. I want to apologize to you all. That’s not the way we usually begin our worship celebration.
(Dave bursts into the room and runs to the platform)
Dave: Vin, Vin! What do you think? Isn’t it great?
Vin: I’m not sure…What do you mean?
Dave: This! All this stuff – the music, the nut man, the dugout, the uniform. Isn’t it great? We’re combining the two greatest things in the world this morning!
Vin: The TWO greatest things?
Dave: Yeah! The worship of God, and baseball! A pretty Audacious thing don’t you think. Bold…Daring…I’d bet there aren’t any churches doing this this morning. I mean we are out there on the edge. Risky stuff….Think we’ll get fired? (with a laugh)
Vin: We? You mean ‘You" don’t you?
Dave: No, we. You and me. Us. This idea’s got your fingerprints all over it!
Vin: Yea, right. So what’s the point?
Dave: The point! Look at me. I’m a ball player….More than that, I’m THE pitcher. See up there? (pointing to the scoreboard overhead) I won the game! You should have seen me. I was mowing them down one after another. I had all my pitches working. The fastball, curveball, change-up. I was awesome……..
Vin: (Interrupting) What do you mean "I". Dave, baseball’s a team game. There’s no "I" in the word ‘team’.
Dave: This isn’t a spelling lesson, Vin. This is baseball. What’s your point?
Vin: Listen, you weren’t out there by yourself were you?
Dave: Well, no. I guess there were a few other guys out there.
Vin: Sure, of course there were. You had a catcher didn’t you?
Dave: Yea…. And you should have seen how my fastball was popping in his mitt. I was throwing high hard cheese…
Vin: And there were fielders who had to catch the balls that were hit and make the plays behind you, weren’t there?
Dave: Well…I guess there were a few good plays. But you should have seen my curveball. It was dropping off the table. It was SportsCenter highlight stuff. Plays of the week!
Vin: Your pitching didn’t score those runs for your team. You had to have other team members getting hits and driving in runs?
Dave: You know, Vin, you sure do know how to take the wind out of a guy's sails.
Vin: No, Dave, not at all. You played an important role, but it's not just you. No one person can do it all. It takes a team to win the game!
Dave: (shrugs shoulders as he nods in agreement). I guess your right. It does take a team. Thanks! (Dave exits right)
Andy: (As Dave exits right, Andy rushes in from the side door) Vin, Vin, you should have seen me. I was awesome! I went three for four at the plate. I was incredible! I won the game!
Vin: (Shakes his head as he buries his head in his hands. He puts his arm around Andy’s shoulder as he leads him out of the worship center). Andy, Andy, Andy. It’s a team game. It takes the team to win the game. (He continues to interject that last sentence repeatedly throughout Andy’s comments).
Andy: (Andy continues to excitedly tell Vin about his heroics ignoring Vin’s comments) Two doubles and a home run! I drove in four runs!…You should have seen the homer I hit. It was a shot to dead center field….It must have traveled 450 feet…Do you think I’ll make SportsCenter?…Hey, maybe the Phillies will call and want me to play for them…Let me tell you about the two doubles I hit. The team couldn’t have won it without me. What am I saying, I was the team…My first double I hit on a 0-2 count down the left field line…..(voice trails off as they exit. The last line spoken should be by Vin…"It takes a team to win the game!")
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© W. David Armstrong. All rights reserved.
This script may be performed free of charge, on condition that no entrance charge is made for the performance. In return for free use, the author would appreciate being notified when the script is used. He may be contacted at: wdarmstrongbfc@juno.com