Shirtless in Chicago

CBN.com - In anticipation of remembering September 11^th just three weeks ago, I remarked that America needed sports. Due to these stress filled, touch and go times we live in, I believed that we needed sporting events to provide a sense of normalcy in our lives. Now I am not so sure.

Take a good look at the picture on your right. This is William Ligue Jr., a tattooed, scraggly haired, shirtless father. With his two sons and several of their young cousins, Ligue spent an evening at a recent Chicago White Sox Fan Appreciation Night relentlessly harassing Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa. When the temptation became more than he could bear, Ligue led his 15 year old son onto the field not to run the bases as many over zealous fans do, but to attack Gamboa and beat him until the blood flowed. Why?

To listen to Ligues logic in subsequent days was laughable. Initially he said that he and his son attacked Gamboa because the Royals first base coach allegedly gave him a pristine finger gesture. That story soon changed to he was upset the White Sox were losing. Huh? This makes absolutely no sense. Put yourself into Mr. Ligues position. Your team is losing, so you grab your son, run onto the field and pummel the other teams coach.

As ludicrous as these motives were, they were soon dismissed when new evidence revealed Ligue had called a female relative on his cell phone in the seventh inning and advised her to watch the television newscasts later that night. This was clearly a pre-meditated act.

But why? What could possibly inspire a father to rally his son to attack an innocent person? This was not a high priced, high profile, superstar player, it was not a manager, it was not even an umpire having an off-night calling balls and strikes. If it were, you could at least try to conjure up some twisted, convoluted theory to justify Ligue and companys grotesque actions. But it was the first base coach for the opposing team. I am still scratching my head in wide-eyed wonder.

In the days immediately following the attack, Major League Baseball focused their response on beefing up security at all ballparks so that this type of act would not happen again. To their credit, this was a justifiable response in light of the attacks timing. It is simply amazing that two people could waltz onto a Major League field untouched with a pocket knife in their possession while the nation is in a Code Orange security alert in the looming shadows of September 11^th.

While tighter security is certainly a wonderful short-term solution to preventing such attacks in the future, it is only a small part of the overall problem. Beyond adding burly security guards, building higher fences separating fans and players, or placing metal detectors at turnstiles, there is a much deeper problem afoot and that is irresponsible parenting.

I realize it is easy to condemn William Ligue before we really know that much about him, his background, or his mental health. By outward appearances (his onfield antics), all indications are that this is a troubled man battling many interpersonal issues in his life. But there is no denying he symbolizes a problem in America that is not going away anytime soon. In fact, it is only proliferating due to the "anything goes" mindset being projected on television, in print, and yes, right here on the Internet.

This unfortunate incident represents a true sign that we as Christians need to be deeply in prayer about positive parenting in this country and make every effort to not let struggling parents, or people in general for that matter, fall between the cracks.

This sounds like a pretty tall order, and it is, but it is something that needs to be on every Christians radar screen. After all, we are commanded through scripture to help those who are in need. It is quite clear to me that we have a nation of struggling parents who need guidance in raising their children in a world that is tempting yet unforgiving.

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 58, verses 10-11 says, "If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

As Christians, we have been given so much. It is our duty to help those in need and that includes parents who are struggling to raise their children in the ways that are right. For many, carrying the responsibility of raising children they are not prepared for is a burden that is too heavy to carry alone. The end result is generation upon generation of parents raising up there children, not in the ways of the Lord, but in the ways of a dark, unforgiving world. Why? Because it is easy.

In giving of ourselves, we receive blessings much greater than those who are in need. It is a matter of giving our time, our money, or any other form of ourselves. The bottom line is that if we give of ourselves for the restoration of others, only good can rise from a society that appears to be increasingly hopeless.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. (

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