As you know, George Washington could “never tell a lie.” And we also have the President “Honest Abe” Lincoln as an example of integrity. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were also well known for their traits of honesty. Jefferson said:

“Honesty is the first chapter in the Book of Wisdom.”

Watching the World Series on television, made me think of this story about integrity and baseball players. I’ll think you’ll enjoy it today.

“When Ted Williams was forty years old and closing out his career with the Boston Red Sox, he was suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck. ‘The thing was so bad,’ he explained, ‘that I could hardly turn my head to look at the pitcher.’ That year, 1959, for the first time in his career he batted under .300, hitting just .254 with 10 home runs.

“He was the highest salaried player in sports that year, making $125,000. The next year, the Red Sox sent him the same contract. ‘When I got it, I sent it back with a note. I told them I wouldn’t sign it until they gave me the full pay cut allowed which was 25%. I never had any problem with them about money when I was playing good ball. Now they were offering me a contract I didn’t deserve. And I only wanted what I deserved.’

“The upshot was that Williams cut his own salary by over $31,000!” (“Plain Talk” by Thomas W. Ladanye, 1980, page 52).

Wouldn’t you be amazed if you learned of a similar situation in sports today?