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When he transcribed the speech into his memoir (and it is a wonderful reading memoir) My Turn At Bat, Williams followed with this sentence: And baseball is the greatest game, great enough to survive the raps it takes and the raps it deserves.

He went on to a pertinent statement on what the governors of the game had done wrong and what they could do to make it right. Among other things, he advocated a 140-game schedule, even in the expansion era, to get the game out of the bad weather. It may yet be worth pondering, even with the broadcasting revenues, on this ground: You can generate or re-generate interest - which baseball deserves - by a little scarcity. Perhaps aside from restoring proper championship rounds (away with the wild card! Back to two-division leagues! Three-of-five League Championship Series! Real pennant races! Protect the Serious, as Ring Lardner called it) this, too, might yet bring the patient back from his illness.

Meanwhile, those (such as I) who have appreciated that the Hall of Fame did it right in due course and did do proper honour to the great black players of the pre-Robinson era, as you see above - they had (and have) Ted Williams to thank for it.

At Fenway Park, they have just done a memorial for Mr. Williams. The announcer finished, appropriately, with the words Ted Williams himself hoped people would say when remembering him: There goes...the greatest hitter who ever lived! The crowd at the game gave him a standing ovation; his uniform number 9 is cut into the grass in left field, and now...the silence. The Red Sox wear black armbands on their right uniform sleeves with a black number 9 above the band. An honour guard stands for him and "Taps" is being blown.

God rest Ted Williams.

"The batter has three strike zones: his own, the opposing pitcher's, and the umpire's. The umpire's zone is defined by the rule book, but it's also more importantly defined by the way the umpire works. A good umpire is consistent so you can learn his strike zone. The batter has a strike zone in which he considers the pitch the right one to hit. The pitchers have zones where they are most effective. Once you know the pitcher and his zone you can get set for a particular pitch."
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams
Boston Red Sox

In 1941, when he was 22-23, Ted Williams hit .406 with 37 home runs, a .551 on-base percentage, and a .735 slugging percentage. He led the majjor leagues in all those categories. And he struck out 27 times in 456 at-bats.

In 1957, when he was 38-39, Williams hit .388 with 38 home runs, a .526 on-base percentage, and a .731 slugging percentage. He led the major leagues in all those categories, except home runs. And he struck out 43 times in 420 at-bats.

He did not play at all in 1943, 1944, and 1945, when he was 24-27. He played only a little bit in 1952 and 1953, when he was 33-35. So he missed almost five full seasons in the prime of his career, when his numbers would have been at their highest.

What a hitter.