Opinion: Let Ted Williams rest in peace

Ted Williams deserved better than this. The family feud over the disposition of the baseball legend's body is a sorry mix of ghoulishness and greed. His heirs should let the poor man rest in peace, according to his wishes.

Then they should go away and let Williams' many admirers live in peace, without worrying about what grotesque story they might run across the next time they pick up the newspaper or turn on the TV.

Williams' son, John Henry, is accused of moving Williams' body to be frozen at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona. John Henry reportedly is hoping to profit from Williams' DNA, but his own life is the best evidence that Williams' genes may not be worth all that much.

Friends of Ted Williams say he was exploited in the last years of his life by John Henry, who forced his ailing father to sign reams of baseball memorabilia for sale. Williams' daughter, Barbara Joyce Williams Ferrell, lived only a few miles from Williams' Citrus County home but reportedly hadn't seen her father in almost a year.

A lawyer for Williams' daughter says Williams' will clearly states Williams' desire to be cremated and have his ashes scattered over one of his old fishing haunts in the Florida Keys. If that's true, that should be the end of this tawdry final chapter in the great Boston Red Sox slugger's life.

Still, nothing will be settled until a judge reviews the will and issues a ruling. In fact, even a judge's ruling may not be the last word in this fight. In any case, there's no excuse for Williams' death to be turned into a final marketing opportunity. Williams dominated baseball in an era that predated free agency and today's astronomical contracts, but he always cared more about the game than the money. That's apparently one more trait that isn't necessarily passed on through DNA.

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