A thought on the occasion of Rick's post

Was the players' prayer (or were their prayers) petitionary?  Or not?  If peititionary, is the players' prayer the sign of a mature theology?  Or not?  Thomas Merton thought petitionary prayer the sign of an immature theology.  My thought?  This side of the Holocaust--among other world-historic horrors, some of which precede the Holocaust--petitionary prayer is simply mind-boggling.  Not, mind you, that I think that Rick should have worked all of this out with Tommy.  Not at all!  But I found the post a curious one.