Daily Herald, editorial

In the weird world of major league baseball, it is not unusual for a player to take home paychecks that total millions of dollars, yet never do the job he is being paid to do. It was refreshing to learn, this week, that one player has turned his back on that kind of easy money because he valued his integrity more than the paycheck.

Guaranteed contracts have famously – or infamously – delivered gigantic fortunes to baseball players who are injured, aging or indifferent. Gil Meche, a 32-year-old Kansas City Royals pitcher whose age and injury history made it unlikely that he would again be able to play at a high level, did what almost no player does: Walked away, not only from the game but from the money. Meche was slated to earn $12 million this season, and would have had to do little more than show up for spring training in order to cash in. Instead, last week he retired. “When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it,” Meche told the New York Times. “Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my money, I felt bad. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”

Humans have an almost infinite ability to rationalize, and most people could easily construct a reason that they deserve $12 million – or, in many cases, anything for a buck. Meche, who has already made millions playing baseball, is apparently among those who can’t or won’t rationalize. Although Meche’s career was good, it was not great, and his name is not a household word. He will probably never be counted among the heroes of the game. He ought to be. Meche did the right thing, and deserves to be recognized for it.