2007 National League MVP Award
Silver Slugger Award winner twice
National League All-Star Team 3 consecutive years
www.Colorado.Rockies.mlb.com
interview
Matt Holliday: Humble Heavy Hitter
By Will Dawson
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– Last season the Colorado Rockies were the talk of baseball, winning their first seven playoff games, en route to the World Series. This year the Rockies find themselves in last place, but slugger Matt Holliday has a way of keeping it all in perspective.
CBN sports reporter Will Dawson interviews Matt Holliday:
Baseball is a game of numbers. And for the Colorado Rockies number 5 is number one. Three consecutive All-Star games. Two Silver Slugger awards. And just last season Matt Holliday took home the National League Championship Most Valuable Player award as he led the Rockies to their first ever World Series.
Matt has always been an exceptional athlete. In high school he excelled in baseball, basketball, and was a highly recruited all-American quarterback. He credits his parents for helping him keep his ego in check.
“I think my parents did a great job of reminding me that I wasn’t as big a deal as maybe I thought I was at times. I was a pretty normal high school kid. I just loved to play sports and had opportunities and the Lord blessed me with talent and I just tried to take advantage of it,” Matt said.
After high school Matt had to choose baseball or football. The Rockies drafted Matt in the seventh round and he was off to the minor leagues to begin his baseball career.
Matt Holliday quickly established himself as one of the best players on his minor league team. Matt didn’t question his decision to play baseball. He had bigger questions.
“I always had questions about, ‘Why are we here? What is our purpose in life?’ It can’t be about the fickle day-to-day things that come and go. And you know those nights when you lay in bed and you look up at the ceiling wondering what this life is all about,” Matt said.
He began attending chapel with some of his Christian teammates. Matt says that’s when his outlook on life changed.
“We’d talk about things and you know, Bible studies and chapel and talking with friends and I really gave my life to Christ and started trying to live for him and stop living for me,” Matt said.
“How did your life change over that period? I mean can you look back and see a difference in your life?” Will asked.
“Oh absolutely. I think the main thing is the selfishness. Being a Christian, I think I started considering other peoples feelings more than I had in the past. I think I just learned that God has a plan for all of us and I work hard and do all the things I can, but at the same time His will is perfect; and me trying to control it, it’s not going to work,” Matt said.
“All of these fans look at you every night during the course of the season. What do you hope they see in you?” Will asked.
“I just want somebody to see that I don’t take myself too seriously, that I don’t think that just because I play baseball I’m any better than anybody else. I understand I’m a sinner. I’m not perfect and I need a Savior, and that I’m not going to make it to heaven on merits and doing good things. That’s not how it works. There’s not enough good things you can do. If a kid’s watching and will get one thing, or can pick up one thing from me, that’s the reason I play and that’s what I would want people maybe to see,” Matt said.
Matt certainly has the talent to be a force in baseball for many years. But at the end of the day Matt says he’s thankful for one thing.
“We deserve hell. Just the description of hell and some of the things He saved us from, I think for me, I just get down on my knees and thank Him for dying for us. And instead, we’re going to get streets paved with gold and all the things in heaven that we just can’t imagine. Jesus didn’t come to judge. He came to set us free,” Matt said.
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