| Williams had one of his greatest seasons at age 39 in 1957, hitting .388 to become the oldest player ever to lead the major leagues in hitting. To prove it was no fluke, Williams lead the league in hitting in 1958 at age 40, hitting .328, but a whole 16 percentage points below his lifetime average.
When Ted Williams was 40 and closing out his brilliant career with Boston, he was suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck, which affected his performance. "It was so bad that I could not hardly turn my head to look at the pitcher..." noted Williams. At the time he was the highest paid player in all sports, making $125,000 a year. The following season 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 cut allowed. I never had any problems with them (Boston management) about money. Now they were offering me a contract I didn't deserve. And I only wanted what I deserved," said Williams.
Williams cut his own salary by $31,250! Can you imagine an athlete doing that today?
It is normal procedure in the sports world today to hold out for a higher contract; demand a trade when the athlete can't get along with the coach or the management, or just doesn't like the town he is playing in; or force the management to renegotiate a higher contract because they feel like they deserve more money.
Some of the problems in sports today is that "me-first pride" which is constantly charging to the front of the line with it's hand out. Where is the accountability? Where is the integrity? Where is there a athlete who keeps their word and lives up to it?
Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams is one of those men today. The 1999 NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP who deserves to be paid a salary fitting his accomplishments agreed to sign a one-year $358,000 contract so he could be in training camp on time.
Why did Warner sign such a contract? He didn't want to fight with management over money. He wanted to be in training camp. He did not want to miss one day of practice with his team.
Kurt Warner is a leader, he has character and integrity. He showed his team that he wants to win another Super Bowl. That is the type of role model and leadership we need today in athletics.
After attending the start of training camp, Warner's agent negotiated a six-year, $47 million deal that he later signed.
Warner did not engage in negotiations through the media, said nothing bad about the team or the management of the Rams, and he never threatened to hold out. He just instructed his agent to keep working in good faith, and it did.
This world needs more Kurt Warner's and Ted Williams'. What about you?
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