The Pirates recently fired Clint Hurdle, who had been their manager for nine years, since the start of the 2011 season. Hurdle has a fascinating story, as a Sports Illustrated cover boy in 1978 when a prospect as a player, to a career as a minor league manager and major league hitting coach and manager. He managed the Colorado Rockies the year they won 21 of their last 22 games to make the playoffs, and then lost in the World Series. And that’s just his baseball story.
His story also includes being a recovering alcoholic, and a deeply committed Christian, after, as he says it, “using Jesus as an ATM machine” since he was 17, until he hit bottom with alcohol and two failed marriages. And being a very smart guy (he was accepted to go to Harvard), he does a lot of reading, and in recent years has done a lot of reading in leadership. Part of why he was successful as a manger—besides that World Series with the Rockies, he led the Pirates to the playoffs three straight years, 2013-2015—is that he is such a strong leader. For several years he has sent daily inspirational emails to a large number of people (not just his players) about following through with integrity on convictions and commitments.
When Hurdle interviewed with the Pirates in 2010, he also interviewed with the New York Mets. He had managed in their minor league system, and the foregone conclusion among nearly everyone was that he would of course choose the Mets over the Pirates, for any number of reasons. Clearly the familiarity with their system was an advantage. Clearly the Mets would be more attractive to free agent players than the Pirates. Clearly New York is a bigger deal than Pittsburgh. Seemed like a no-brainer.
Nope. Hurdle chose the Pirates. And Pittsburgh. His statement in his introductory news conference, on November 15, 2010: “I’m all in. This wasn’t about taking a job because it was a sure thing. This was about taking an opportunity that felt sure. And it fit right. I felt comfortable with the people that I was going to be getting after the job with.”
“I’m all in” was a phrase he repeated time and time again over the years. He showed that by living in Pittsburgh (Hampton, actually) year-round with his family, including two school-age kids. He showed that with his various speaking engagements at local Christian sports events. He demonstrated with his life that indeed, he was “all in”.
The Apostle Paul asks that of the believers in Rome in this letter. By extension, we are asked ourselves to be “all in” when we commit ourselves to Jesus, and to the church of Jesus.
Romans 12:1-8
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.