Carrie Prejean's Koufax Moment

American Thinker ^ | April 24, 2009 | Bruce Walker

[neverdem]

Carrie Prejean, Miss California and the runner up in the Miss USA Pageant, was asked a question about her view of marriage.  She recited what her faith believed -- marriage is between a man and a woman -- and as a consequence she may have lost the title of Miss USA.  What Ms. Prejean had was a Koufax Moment or, perhaps, a Myerson Moment.

Sandy Koufax was one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time.  His persona was nice, serious, and mild.  Baseball was his game, and he did not go around preaching to other people.  Koufax was also Jewish.  In 1965, Sandy Koufax led the Dodgers to the World Series.  The first game of the series was on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.  Any major league baseball pitcher would have loved to be the first pitcher for his team in the World Series, and that certainly included Sandy Koufax.  But if that meant violating the greater spiritual fidelity which Koufax felt as a Jew, then he would not play.  He did what he, not public opinion, thought was right.

When Bess Myerson competed in the Miss America Pageant, the easy thing to do would have been to conceal her Jewishness.  Why not change "Myerson" to something less ... provocative?  She, of course, did not.  Like Prejean, Myerson faced hatred because of her faith,  but today all but the narrowest of minds and tiniest of hearts see that not running from her Jewishness was courageous and good.  Then, perhaps a less bigoted era, Bess Myerson earned and won the title of Miss America. 

When Carrie Prejean answered honestly the question put to her, she had her Koufax Moment.  When she refused to renounce her faith to please the mob, she had her Myerson Moment. Carrie no more wanted to be asked about her concept of marriage than Sandy wanted the first game of the World Series to fall on Yom Kippur.  She was simply forced to choose between what she thought was right and what the Hollywood crowd wanted her to say. 

Some people may have thought Koufax wrong for placing faith about his team or above the game of baseball.  Some people may have thought Myerson foolish for not adapting a less obviously Jewish name.  Some people may have though Prejean wrong for placing faith about the Miss USA Pageant or the sensibilities of gay couples.   If Koufax and Myerson offended us for living lives as Jews, and if Prejean offends us for living life as a Christian, then we are in thrall to a sickening evil.

Sandy Koufax, Bess Myerson, and Carrie Prejean did not choose to fight religious wars.  All they asked was to be able to compete in the mainstream of American life without having nasty haters mutilate their opportunities.   They asked simply to be faithful to their faith.   Should major league baseball have punished Sandy Koufax for spoiling the World Series?  Should Bess Myerson have been denied the Miss America Crown because she was Jewish?  Surely forcing Koufax or Myerson to sell their Jewishness at the price of competing fairly in America would have been wrong.  Just as surely, asking Prejean to sell her Christianity (or instructing Prejean that her version of Christianity was improper) as the price of competing fairly in America is just as wrong.

Eric Liddell, one of the two remarkable runners portrayed in the magnificent film, Chariots of Fire, would not run in an Olympic event that was held on Sunday, this devout Christian's Sabbath.  Liddell, like Koufax, was prepared to sacrifice something that he had worked his whole life to reach for something he held greater than any prize that man could give.  Liddell, like Prejean, would not twist his Christianity into something that pleased the crowd.

If we are wise, then we will see that Eric Liddell was right to follow his conscience.  If we are good, then we will grasp that Bess Myerson was honorable in honoring her people.  If we seek tolerance, then we will bless Sandy Koufax for placing his faith above his fame.  And if we care about a future of peace, justice, and love, then we will applaud Carrie Prejean for saying what she thought was right, whatever the cost.

Beyond that, we must say that the haters of old are the haters of now.  The bigots who disparaged Myerson are the bigots who mock Prejean.  The narrow minds and narrower hearts who cannot endure different beliefs to speak an honest opinion are the true enemies of real tolerance.  

Bruce Walker is the author of two books:  Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie, and his recently published book, The Swastika against the Cross: The Nazi War on Christianity.

[Texas Eagle]

She recited what her faith believed -- marriage is between a man and a woman -- and as a consequence she may have lost the title of Miss USA.

What do you mean "may have"?

The godless left-wing heterophobe who asked the question said himself it cost her the crown.

[massmike]

May Hilton be as villified as Imus was!

[max americana]

I recently heard of an account more than a week ago that one of my friends business partner who told a story of an accounts clerk working in the Fashion District who left a company on a Good Friday. The story goes was that the Filipino guy (almost ALL of them are practicing Christians) pleaded to take a half day off to attend the Good Friday mass but the boss didn’t allow it. He just left before noon, cleaned his desk and never came back. He made one phone call to the payroll person afterwards to make sure his final check gets mailed.

[Hildy]

My Father wrote Sandy Koufax’s biography. My father respected him, but he wouldn’t promote the book..he was a very private man.

[Hildy]

They way the press is reporting this, you’d think her viewpoint is a small minority viewpoint. MOST AMERICANS agree with her, but you’d never now that by how it’s being reported.

[Penny]

They way the press is reporting this, you’d think her viewpoint is a small minority viewpoint. MOST AMERICANS agree with her, but you’d never now that by how it’s being reported.

AMEN!!! I've been waiting for a national news figure, politician, or church leader to state the obvious.

Should I hold my breath?

Regards . . . Penny

[Sherman Logan]

The godless left-wing heterophobe who asked the question said himself it cost her the crown.

The pervert in question was just one of a number of judges. I don't believe there is any way to definitively determine whether she would have won had she been asked a different question.

[krb]

MOST AMERICANS agree with her

Actually, most Earthlings agree with her.

[Tenniel2]

Well done, overall, Mr. Walker. But there's more worth knowing about Eric Liddell.

The son of Presbyterian missionaries, he was born in China, raised in Scotland, took a degree in science, and, after the Olympics, returned to China as a teacher.

AsiaNews.it tells the rest of his story: "In 1941, when war was already underway between China and Japan, he sent his wife and daughters to Canada because of the danger, but remained in China himself to teach in Shaochang. In 1943, Shaochang was conquered by the Japanese, and Liddell was interned in a camp in Weifang, where he tried to help the elderly and sick, and taught children.

"Eric Liddell died on February 21, 1945. A few months earlier, prime minister Winston Churchill obtained the liberation of some of the prisoners, and the famous athlete should have been one of them, but he gave up his place to a pregnant prisoner."

His body rests in in Shijiazhuang, in the Mausoleum of the Martyrs.

[doug from upland]

I saw Koufax pitch his first no-hitter against the Mets. He was a remarkable pitcher whose career ended much too soon.

[Fido969]

The pervert in question was just one of a number of judges. I don't believe there is any way to definitively determine whether she would have won had she been asked a different question.

He said he scored her a "zero," and she came in in second place. It's a safe bet.

[oldteen]

[What do you mean “may have”?]

According to Donald Trump it didn’t. But then, how do we know that? His word only.

[Sherman Logan]

He was one of 12 judges, and the score was for one of several events, with the others having already been scored. The winner was determined by the total score.

[RaceBannon]

Wow, you were real little then! :)

[2ndClassCitizen]

Thank you for recognizing the disease of heterophobia which has sWept this nation for over 40 years.

[Christian4Bush]

May Hilton be as villified as Imus was!

Would have happened only if Carrie were a black liberal.

(in the words of Mark Levin: "That's right, I said it! Thank me!")

[yorkie01]

For all intents and purposes, Carrie Prejean has become the new Miss USA. How many of us can put a name to the Fwank-cloned imposter’s imposition?

[Wil H]

Rules are rules!

Where are the damn pictures??

[napscoordinator]

For all intents and purposes, Carrie Prejean has become the new Miss USA. How many of us can put a name to the Fwank-cloned imposter’s imposition?

Be careful. The actual winner of the Miss America contest had the questions about bailouts and she stated that she was against them and gave a great reason as to why. She deserves to win and not just because the runner up gave a great answer to her question.