Major-league veteran Josh Willingham has a well-deserved reputation as a man of faith and character. That’s why it surprised some fans to read about Willingham blowing up at an umpire the other night in Kansas City. Perhaps even Willingham himself was surprised at his emotional reaction in the heat of a close ballgame.

The Oakland A’s Brad Ziegler and the Washington Nationals’ Josh Willingham, both faithful members of Churches of Christ, could be close to playing on the same team. Fox Sports reports that the A’s are in serious discussions to obtain Willingham from the Nationals.

At the end of August, minister Terry Rush — one of the world’s most dedicated St. Louis Cardinals fans — has a new book coming out. It’s called “MVP,” and Rush says: “‘MVP’ is written for the person who feels they’ve drawn the short straw in life. While it has a baseball flavor due to former Cardinals endorsing it, the book is completely Bible-based, simply targeting the sports world.”

I am at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., to see another brother in Christ play: Oakland A’s reliever Brad Ziegler. You may recall that The Christian Chronicle first featured Ziegler back in 2008 when he pitched an amazing 39 consecutive scoreless innings to start his career — a major-league record. I caught up with Brad in the visitor clubhouse this afternoon.

I’m in the press box at Nationals Park, home of Washington’s major-league baseball team. This afternoon, I interviewed left fielder Josh Willingham, a faithful Church of Christ member who attends the Cross Point congregation in Florence, Ala., in the offseason.