Even in 1941, players were concerned about statistics and I applaud Williams for opting to play in the doubleheader. The reminds me of the duel between Ryan Braun and Jose Reyes for the batting title in 2011. Jose Reyes recorded a bunt single in his first at bat and sat out the rest of the meaningless game knowing that he'd probably hold on to the title unless Braun had an amazing day at the plate. To say that Jose Reyes behaved unethical compared to Ryan Braun seems laughable, but stat padding goes against the spirit of the game. If you're not injured or need a rest, play. When Favre allowed, and I'm only speculating that he allowed Michael Strahan to break the sack record, I was disgusted. Not only the sack look bad for the offensive lineman of Green Bay, the previous record holder deserved to have his record stand because the record was difficult to accomplish in the first place. Give the offensive line a chance to prevent the record, give the pitchers the opportunity to shut Reyes and Williams down. That's why the fans watch sports; not to watch records made and broken, but to watch people give their all.
Looking up the history, a player sitting to preserve the batting title happened more times that I expected.
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