Read a story once about Ted’s amazing vision. It was said he could see the bat hit the ball. To prove this, he once covered a bat with pine tar and took a couple of pitches. When he hit the first pitch he said, “A little high.” When the ball was retrieved it showed an oval pine tar mark a little above a seam. Second hit he called a little low and the oval mark on the ball was just under a seam. Third hit he said, “Got ‘em both” and the ball showed a round pine tar mark right on the sweet spot over both seams.
Again, just something I remember reading decades ago.
LOL
This seems to put the lie to my previous story
http://www.tedwilliams.com/index.php?page=phtips&level=1
Thinking back, I may have read that story in a Bill Stern book. After Bill’s death it was said that not a lot of his stories were factual. “Might be actual, may be mythical, but definitely interesting.”
Amazing vision is right!! Thanks, Roccus, for sharing this story.
Here’s a story told about Williams. Probably apocrophyl (is that the right word?)
A roookie pitcher was on the mound and williams came to bat. The first pitch was right on the outside corner or maybe a cat’s whisker off the plate. Williams took the pitch and the umpire said ball 1. The pitcher glared at the umpire.
The next pitch was on the inside again right on or just off the black edge of the plate. The umpire said ball 2. The pitcher came down off the mound and asked the umpire, what was wrong with that pitch.
The umpire took off his mask and said, son, Mr. Williams will let you know when it’s a strike.