Joanna and I watched Moneyball, Brad Pitt's new movie about Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's, who developed a new way to evaluate talent and lead a baseball franchise.
(The movie is based on the book by the same name, written by Michael Lewis.)
Unconventional wisdom
Frustrated by losing pennants to deep-pocket teams like the New York Yankees, Beane and his assistant general manager, Paul DePodesta, realized they couldn't follow the conventional wisdom that dominated baseball for generations.
Big-spending teams like the Yankees could (and still do) afford to pilfer the rosters of small-market, low-payroll teams like the A's. They could hire away fielders with the highest batting averages, pitchers with the lowest earned-run averages, runners with the most stolen bases.
So, Beane and DePodesta figured out how to evaluate talent differently. They looked for qualities that would help them win games but that other teams traditionally overlook or even devalue.
For example, they studied players' on-base percentages, which measure how often they reach first base, including taking walks. They could afford a player like Scott Hatteburg, traditionally devalued because of a relatively low batting average and weak arm, but who consistently recorded walks. They also looked at players' results, even if their style seemed unorthodox. That meant they could afford a pitcher like Chad Bradford, undervalued by other teams because he threw almost underhanded.
Looking deep
They valued quiet qualities like character and patience and the ability to learn. And they passed on flashy qualities that made players fan favorites, media darlings and managers' dreams.
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And they won. In their first season under their new scheme, they set a record for winning 20 consecutive games. They competed with, and beat, the big-money teams.
What about the church?
As I watched that movie, I thought about how we in the church evaluate people the way everybody traditionally sees them. Often, we're just as attracted to obvious traits—good looks, talent, money, the "right" lifestyle—as anyone else.
But what if we look at people as Jesus sees them? What if we reach out to people whose outward appearance or apparent features the rest of the world overlooks or devalues?
Of all people, we should see the image of God in every person. If a baseball team can succeed by pooling the abilities of a band of castoffs, then the church of Christ can change the world by banding together with all God's creatures.
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