Insane Money!

The Philadelphia Phillies just signed their All Star lefty, Cole Hammels to a six year, $144 million contract. As I reflected on that mind numbing figure, I starting wondering how much Hammels would be making PER PITCH. So ... I did some research and here is what I came up with. If he starts the average number of starts In a season(approximately 30) and throws the average number of pitches (approximately 95 per game) .... then he will be making (are you ready for this?) ..... $8421 every time he winds up and throws the ball to the plate! With just a few pitches ... he can easily afford to buy any new car I might be interested in! I don't know about you ... but I find that kind of salary insane! Especially for playing a game!

With athletes (and other entertainers) at the top rung of the earning ladder - what does this tell you about our culture? I believe it says SHOUTS --- "Entertainment is KING!" People want to be entertained. It does not matter if it is on the baseball diamond or the silver screen .... people will pay big bucks for a couple of hours of amusement. Life is stressful ... and it feels good to leave that all behind for a time as we cheer on our favorite sports team or clap to our favorite recording artist's latest hit.

Now do not get me wrong. I go to see an occasional movie or baseball game . . . but I believe the value we place on entertainment is WAY out of line. Therefore, those of us who follow Jesus must be careful not to get sucked into the "Entertain me!" mindset of the world around us -- our life on earth is too short ... and our mission from heaven too urgent! So I encourage you to take a moment and evaluate how you are spending your time and money on entertainment.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

PS -- My wife and I recently did this and as a result decided to ditch our cable and go with an old fashioned tv antennae. Not only will we be saving on a monthly cable bill ... we won't be tempted to turn on ESPN or the History Channel - because we don't have them any more!