I’ve done many good turns in my life, expecting nothing in return for the majority of them, except a thank you. Sometimes, however, I went out of my way to help someone, hoping I’d get a little something out of it (eg I helped a client’s wife get her kid’s book published, expecting to make a few bucks if book sold well; it didn’t.)
But whatever our motivations in doing a good turn, one thing we don’t want, or expect, is to pay a steep price, literally or figuratively.
He may not be laughing for long
Looks like the baseball do-gooder, Christian Lopez, may not be getting what he bargained for when he gave Derek Jeter back his 3,000th hit ball. Yeah, Lopez got lots of pats on the back, publicity, a photo op with Jeter and fancy box seats for the rest of the season, that are worth mucho dinero, thanks to numerous rich sports fanatics. The generous Yankees also threw in (excuse the pun) a few signed Jeter balls worth a couple of hundred dollars.
It appears, however, that our generous friend may be getting something else: a bill from the IRS, since his winnings could be taxed. I thought the young man made a big error giving up a ball that is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (real dollars, not dollars in the form of overpriced seats to a ball game.) I would have said, “I want to give you this ball, Derek, but I’ve got hefty student loans, and my salary is pretty measly, so maybe you could buy the ball from me since you’re a trillionaire and you won’t miss the money.”
At first I thought Derek would still give the guy some money, but that wasn’t happening. Now I don’t see any indication it will happen, despite the tax implications. (Note: If the Yankees say that the box seats were a gift to Christian, then he probably won’t have to pay taxes. But the Yankees won’t be able to take the value of the seats as a tax deduction, either.)
Everyone keeps saying what a good guy Derek Jeter is. I think it’s his turn to really be a good guy and show Christian the money.
