Jay Has Left the Stadium

He’s gone! Jay Cutler has left Denver. He put his $2 million house up for sale and moved to Chicago. He is now da Bears’ quarterback.

The Broncos had planned on Jay’s throwing arm to carry them to another Super Bowl, but along came a new coach, Josh McDaniels, who talked about possibly trading Jay. The word “trade” dug into Jay’s feelings like a sharp knife. He knew how to cope with the disappointment of having his passes intercepted, but he couldn’t deal with the angst caused by the word “trade.” How could any coach trade him? After all, by his own admission, his stronger throwing arm is stronger than John Elway’s.

So Jay sulked and refused to show up for team meetings. He even refused to return owner Pat Bowlen’s telephone calls.

I think most Denver fans think Jay acted like a baby. They had hoped for a quarterback with a psyche like his strong throwing arm. Although some fans blame the new coach for Jay’s departure and call him a New England carpetbagger, most Denverites blame Jay. They see him as a little baby with a big arm.

Now Jay is in Chicago, where he can enjoy a Gino’s deep-dish pizza or a Portillo’s hot dog. While he is swallowing some of Chicago’s outstanding food, maybe he will also swallow his pride.

Sensitive feelings are not limited to idolized sports figures; they come packaged in immature church members too. It is not uncommon for a church member to develop hurt feelings if he or she hears talk of a “trade.” The Minister of Music wants to move a sensitive person from choir director to the soprano section. Suddenly, the choir director fails to show up at choir practice, and begins to shop around for a new church home.

A soloist in one church I pastored kept a written record of how often he sang and how often each of the other soloists sang. He complained when he spent more time “on the bench” than the others. Eventually, he left the church and took his hurt feelings to another church.

Jay Cutler has given a new meaning to Jaywalking, and Jaywalking is not a pretty sight in sports or in church.