Justifying Brad Lidge, and Me

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard that Phillies' pitcher Brad Lidge is feeling healthy and in command of his pitches, which he was not last season. Apparently Lidge said that he did not want to make excuses last year while he was struggling terribly, so he pitched on in a good deal of pain.

As a Phillies fan, I'd prefer if Lidge had made excuses during the season when he could have been removed from the Phillies' roster, instead of making excuses after the season, when nothing can be done about it.

But what I'm more concerned about is this: how would a robust embrace of the gospel free Brad Lidge from feeling the need to make excuses about his performance either during or after the season?

And, more importantly, how would a robust embrace of the gospel empower me to stop with my incessant excuse-making when I'm not "on top of my game" (ie. I'm not getting enough sleep, the kids are driving me crazy, things are really stressful at work, etc.)?

Ah, Brad Lidge. He truly is an instrument of sanctification in my life.