A Pastoral Word. . . Bobby Bonilla Day
Pastor Kevin Freeman
July 27, 2023
Did you celebrate Bobby Bonilla Day? When most people think of early July holidays, Independence Day typically tops the list. Fans of the New York Mets, however, observe this additional holiday every July 1. This holiday traces its roots to about the year 2000, when Major League Baseball player Bobby Bonilla was to be traded from the Mets team. The Mets decided to buy out the remainder of Bonilla’s contract, which was $5.9 million.
Instead of buying that contract outright, however, the Mets made an agreement with Bonilla to defer payment. According to this agreement the Mets would pay Bonilla about $1.2 million for 25 years beginning July 1, 2011. Thus, the $5.9 million owed will result in a nearly $30 million payout by 2035!
Why would New York Mets want to pay out so much extra money? At the time, they wanted to keep their money in investments that they believed would result in amazing returns far beyond the extra $24 million they would later pay out. Who was advising their asset management? It was Bernie Madoff, who engineered the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Madoff swindled $64.8 billion from investors, pleading guilty to his crimes on March 12, 2009. So, the Mets’ investment hopes evaporated, which left them “celebrating” Bobby Bonilla Day every July 1.
What does this tell us? First, New York Mets fans are in serious need of better holidays. Second, when money becomes our master, it leads us to make foolish decisions. Maybe we make foolish investments like the Mets. The most foolish decision would be to neglect eternal investments.
Jesus tells us in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
How do we invest in eternity? Jesus admonishes us to consider who our master is. If we live for money or pleasure or material gain or anything else, we will struggle to follow God. If God is our Master, the other areas of life – including financial areas – become rightly ordered. We can develop hearts of contentment and of generosity.
The Mets’ willingness to laugh at themselves every year for this “holiday” teaches us a good lesson. Past mistakes do not stop us from making changes today.
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
Instead of buying that contract outright, however, the Mets made an agreement with Bonilla to defer payment. According to this agreement the Mets would pay Bonilla about $1.2 million for 25 years beginning July 1, 2011. Thus, the $5.9 million owed will result in a nearly $30 million payout by 2035!
Why would New York Mets want to pay out so much extra money? At the time, they wanted to keep their money in investments that they believed would result in amazing returns far beyond the extra $24 million they would later pay out. Who was advising their asset management? It was Bernie Madoff, who engineered the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Madoff swindled $64.8 billion from investors, pleading guilty to his crimes on March 12, 2009. So, the Mets’ investment hopes evaporated, which left them “celebrating” Bobby Bonilla Day every July 1.
What does this tell us? First, New York Mets fans are in serious need of better holidays. Second, when money becomes our master, it leads us to make foolish decisions. Maybe we make foolish investments like the Mets. The most foolish decision would be to neglect eternal investments.
Jesus tells us in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
How do we invest in eternity? Jesus admonishes us to consider who our master is. If we live for money or pleasure or material gain or anything else, we will struggle to follow God. If God is our Master, the other areas of life – including financial areas – become rightly ordered. We can develop hearts of contentment and of generosity.
The Mets’ willingness to laugh at themselves every year for this “holiday” teaches us a good lesson. Past mistakes do not stop us from making changes today.
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
Posted in A Pastoral Word
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