The Opinion That Really Counts

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite days of the year. Opening Day in Major League Baseball. It is just something about hearing the sound made by the ball off a bat, and the beautiful music played on ESPN when “Baseball Tonight” comes on. This is the time of season when predictions are made. Everybody on this day has realistic hopes of their team winning a pennant. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a deep passion for this game. Baseball is not the only sport I love, but of all the sports, there is none quite like opening day of the baseball season. Many consider it a National Holiday. So in light of it being the first day of baseball season, I wanted to share an interesting story.

“Babe” Pinelli died in 1984. He did have a short major league career with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox, but was most known as a National League umpire. He called games for 21 years, getting the call for 6 world series, two of which he was crew chief. He also umpired for four all-star games. Quite a resume for a 21-year umpire. To cap his career off, he called Don Larson’s perfect game in game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

“Babe” had the reputation of being “hard–nosed” but fair. In fact, rarely did he argue back with managers and of all the umpires, he was considered by most managers the least likely to throw someone out of a game. But he also always stood his ground and rarely changed his mind about anything. Managers said that he carried himself in such a way that you knew you were wasting your time by arguing with him because he was always right. Well, one event that helped him earn this status was his rookie season as an umpire in 1935. He had been told by the more experienced umpires, to never call a strike on Babe Ruth, who was on the downside of his playing career by this time, but was by far still one of the most popular players among the fans. Well Pinelli didn’t see it that way and had already decided that it didn’t matter who anyone was. If it was a strike, he was going to call it, and that is just the way it was going to be. Well, one day as he was calling a Boston Braves game, where Babe Ruth was playing as his career winded down, Pinelli and Ruth had a confrontation. When Ruth came to the plate, a close pitch hit the inside corner that he didn’t swing at. “Strike one,” yelled Pinelli. To which Ruth said, “There is forty thousand people in this park that know that was a ball, tomato-head.” Pinelli never lost his cool. He remained calm and simply stated, “Perhaps you’re right Babe—but mine is the only opinion that counts.” As the story goes, Ruth had no reply, which was a rare occasion indeed.

I think this is a great story on a lot of levels. One lesson that obviously jumps out at me is that when it comes to how we live in this world as citizens in God’s kingdom, God’s opinion is really the only one that counts. Peter says we ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Paul was clearly prayerful that his desire and commitment would always be upon pleasing God and not man (Galatians 1:10). God’s opinion is the one that counts. Personally, I have always enjoyed the favor of people. It is part of my nature. I like to be accepted. And I think to a certain degree, our reputations ought to be important to us (Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1 Acts 2:47). But may my priority always be set on pleasing God first and foremost. As opposed to man, God will never let us down. He makes good on His promises. And He is faithful beyond what we could ever deserve. His opinions are what we should trust.

Happy “Opening Day!” I hope you have a great one!