Champions of Faith

Last updated
Champions of Faith
Directed byTom Allen
Produced byJohn Morales
Lino Rulli
Starring Mike Piazza
Jeff Suppan
Mike Sweeney
Jack McKeon
Music byStephen Kaminski
Distributed by Invincible Pictures US
Release date
15 July 2008
Running time
99 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Champions of Faith (or Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition) is a direct-to-video 2008 documentary, based on Major League Baseball players and how their faith has strengthened their careers. [1]

Contents

Plot

Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition is a documentary film that showcases the intersection of sports and faith in Major League Baseball by profiling many of the most accomplished and devout figures in the game. Major League baseball's Mike Piazza, David Eckstein, Jeff Suppan, Mike Sweeney, Jack McKeon and Rich Donnelly lead the cast in this sports special that tells the story of how their faith plays a role not only on the field but at home.

Cast

RoleActor
Himself Mike Piazza
Himself David Eckstein
Himself Jeff Suppan
Himself Mike Sweeney
Himself Jack McKeon
Himself Rich Donnelly
Himself Craig Biggio
Himself Juan Pierre
Himself Jim Leyland
Himself Tom Glavine
Himself Mike Scioscia
Himself Iván Rodríguez
Himself Darrell Miller
HimselfChris Speier
Himself Mark Teahen

Related Research Articles

Mike Sweeney American baseball player

Michael John Sweeney is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, first as a catcher, then at first base and designated hitter. Sweeney also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia Phillies. On March 25, 2011, Sweeney retired from baseball. He now works as a special assistant for the Kansas City Royals. Sweeney was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame on August 15, 2015.

Mike Piazza American baseball player

Michael Joseph Piazza is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He played most notably for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, while also having brief stints with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics. A 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner at catcher, Piazza produced strong offensive numbers at his position; in his career, he recorded 427 home runs—a record 396 of which were hit as catcher—along with a .308 batting average and 1,335 runs batted in (RBI). Piazza is currently the manager of the Italy national baseball team.

Bowie Kuhn American baseball administrator

Bowie Kent Kuhn was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969 to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for Major League Baseball owners for almost 20 years prior to his election as commissioner.

ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network that is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Communications.

The Rochester Red Wings are a professional Minor League Baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the top minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Red Wings play their home games at Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester. Founded in 1899, it is the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in North America below the major league level.

Tommy Lasorda American baseball player and manager

Thomas Charles Lasorda is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, and manager, who is best known for his two decades managing the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, he marked his 71st season with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully by three seasons. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997. Since the death of Red Schoendienst in June 2018, he has been the oldest living Hall of Famer. The University of Pennsylvania upgraded baseball field was named after Lasorda in 2020.

De La Salle High School (Concord, California) Private, college-prep, day school in Concord, California, United States

De La Salle High School is a private Roman Catholic school for boys in Concord, California, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, the school was founded in 1965 as a Lasallian institution. De La Salle currently enrolls 1,039 students, and roughly 99% of each graduating class goes on to attend a university or college. It is home to the Spartans, and its colors are green and silver. The school motto is "Les Hommes De Foi", French for "Men Of Faith", which is based on the order's Latin motto "Signum Fidei". The deans are Joe Aliotti and Bob Guelld. Joe Grantham is head of admissions, and Leo Lopoz is the director of athletics.

<i>Baseball</i> (TV series) documentary series from 1994 about the game of baseball

Baseball is a 1994 American television documentary miniseries created by Ken Burns about the game of baseball. First broadcast on PBS, this was Burns' ninth documentary and won the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series. It was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Morgan Bayard Wootten was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) titles. In 2000, he was the third high school coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the first high school only coach to be inducted.

Bishop Kelley High School Private, coeducational, lasallian school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Bishop Kelley High School is an American Lasallian Catholic high school with 905 students, grades 9 to 12, located at 41st and Hudson Avenue, in the center of the Tulsa metropolitan area, on a campus spanning just over 47 acres. The school is a function of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa and operates in the Lasallian tradition of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Junípero Serra High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school in San Mateo, California, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, this school provides education for young men. The school has an academic focus with a college preparatory curriculum.

Brother Rice High School (Michigan) Private, all-boys school in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States

Brother Rice High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys non-residential college prep school with approximately 590 students located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States in Metro Detroit. The school shares a campus with the all-girls Marian High School, Saint Regis Parish and the K-8 Saint Regis School.

Purcell Marian High School is a parochial high school in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, based in the Marianist Tradition. It is located in the DeSales Corner business district, along Madison Road.

Rich Donnelly American professional baseball coach

Richard Francis Donnelly is an American professional baseball coach. On March 7, 2014, he was named third-base coach of the Seattle Mariners, replacing John Stearns. He served in the post for two seasons, through 2015, before his release on October 9, 2015. Donnelly was a Major League Baseball (MLB) coach for over 25 years, and was a catcher during his active career in minor league baseball.

St. Anthony High School (New Jersey) Private school in Jersey City, , NJ

St. Anthony High School was a four-year co-educational Catholic high school known for its high-powered basketball program. The school is located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. and is affiliated with St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, which owns the building. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1997.

The Seattle Mariners 1986 season was their tenth since the franchise creation. They were seventh in the American League West with a record of 67–95 (.414), the worst record in the league and second-worst in the majors.

The 1988 San Diego Padres season was the 20th season in franchise history. Tony Gwynn set a National League record by having the lowest batting average (.313) to win a batting title.

Mike Shildt American baseball coach and manager

Mike Shildt is an American baseball manager for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. Shildt became the manager of the Johnson City Cardinals, the Cardinals Short Season A affiliate, in 2009, along with his scouting duties. He was promoted as manager of the Cardinals AA affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals, in 2011. He joined the major league coaching staff in 2017 and became manager in 2018 after the dismissal of Mike Matheny. On July 15, 2018, he collected his first managerial win in a 6–4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. On October 9, 2019, he led his team to a 13-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves to win the NLDS.

References

  1. Bostic, Rebecca. "New DVD highlights Catholic faith of top baseball stars". The Catholic Voice. Retrieved 15 September 2020.