Ted Williams’ Redemption Metaphor: People, Not Government, Make America Work

Grand Rants ^ | 01-10-11 | Gerry Ashley

[Stoutcat]

Is there anyone among us who, by now, hasn’t seen or heard of the miraculous turn of events for radio voice-over artists Ted Williams? Williams, who was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, NY, had worked in Radio as a disc-jockey and voice-over artist until (by his own admission) cocaine, crack, and alcohol took over and cost him his career and home leading to 10 years of homelessness and his eventual redemption recently...

As Williams himself has pointed out, there have been a number of people who have been instrumental in making his chance at redemption possible:

Doral Chenoweth III, of the Columbus Dispatch who made the video of Williams pan-handling on the street corner that went viral on Youtube

The various radio and TV shows (including “Today”) that have featured him

The Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team who has offered Williams an announcer’s job

Kraft Foods who has selected Williams as the voice of their new promotion

Think quickly: What do ALL of these groups, people and companies have in common? Give up? The two principal things that come to mind for me are:

• All of these people believe in helping a person who is struggling for redemption. True, some may have also been motivated by ratings for their shows perhaps, but the bottom line is the extended hand was there when they recognized the need.
• Not one of them is part of – or connected to – the U.S. government or any government-run program or entitlement...

[WellyP]

Ted, you owe it to your family and your self to keep it “together” this time...

DO IT!

[Walkingfeather]

You can bet there will be media people that will actively send people to come in contact with him to offer him drugs and alcohol in order to video him for their stories. Lying in wait....

[Sacajaweau]

After about two weeks of getting up, getting dressed and going to work, he'll slip away again.

I hope I'm wrong but...he dumped his kids, hadn't seen mom in 10 years...

[Fawn]

He’s been clean over 2 years right? Hope he keeps clean so his family will want to keep him in their life again.

[YourAdHere]

Hmm. Strange. Last week this guy was everywhere.