Watching the Detroit Lions has been an absolute pleasure this season, and one of the many reasons they have been so fun to watch is because of their creativity with plays that utilize deception.

As a longtime baseball coach, I can completely identify with what the Lions have done to other teams in terms of that.

You see, each and every year, my baseball teams would implement variations of a hidden ball trick — a trick play, if you will.

There are momentum shifts that occur within a game, and, sometimes, you have to do something to change the momentum, to get an out when the opponent seems to have everything going their way.

The answer to changing the momentum in a game is some variation of a hidden ball trick.

For those who aren’t baseball fanatics, what exactly does that mean?

The hidden ball trick can be run in different ways, but let me just give one variation.

Let’s say the opposing team has a runner at third base, and that run is the tying run of the game in the last inning. Let’s say there are two outs already, and the batter at the plate is a great hitter, so we simply don’t want to give him a chance to beat us.

A sign would be given to run our “play of deception.” As the pitcher would go into his delivery, he would fake a pick-off to third base, keeping the ball tucked under his arm. The third baseman would dive for the supposedly thrown ball, and the left fielder would come running in for it, too.

Meanwhile, everyone else would yell “ball, ball, ball” — some even pointing in the direction of where the ball should have gone, which is what we would normally do in an overthrow situation to alert everyone what had happened.

Keep in mind that the pitcher never actually threw the ball!

All we wanted in that play was for the runner at third base to take one step toward home plate. If we could get that runner to take one step forward, either the pitcher would be there to tag the runner out or a throw could be made to do the same, and the game would end in dramatic fashion.

That deception is simply part of the game. Good teams can successfully execute plays like that, and good teams don’t fall for it if they are the ones on base.

Running a play like that can win a game for you, and it’s satisfying for players and coaches to know that your team is better prepared than the opposition.

However, deception in real life isn’t fun or funny. And what’s at stake isn’t simply bragging rights about a game that won’t matter in 10 years.

We seem to be living in an era of deception today, one in which we can’t even agree on what is valid and reliable information — what’s the truth and what’s not.

In the midst of the chaoticness and noise of our present world, it’s worth going back to maybe one of the most critical statements ever made in our world’s history.

Who said it?

Jesus.

What did he say?

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” — John 14:6

Notice that, in that quote, Jesus claims to be the truth.

So, in this chaotic noisy world that we live in, it seems like understanding the teachings of Jesus would be a way to discern fact from fiction.

But knowing his teachings takes time, effort, and dedication.

If I could suggest one thing for this new year of 2025, make studying the life of Jesus a priority. Let his life and words from the Bible soak in, and notice the changes of those people around him who implemented his teachings in scripture.

With the hidden ball trick, if a team wants to not be lured in by it, they simply have to be taught one thing and execute it: Make sure you see the ball before you take a step forward. If it’s not there, don’t move.

And with figuring out truth in the world today, it simply requires one thing, too: Does the concept I’m hearing coincide with the teachings of God’s word or not? If it doesn’t, don’t move in that direction.

It’s simply deception.

It’s the ol’ hidden ball trick.

“… Watch out that no one deceives you.” — Matthew 24:4