Replies

His nickname should have been Eagle Eye.

Red Sox legend Ted Williams dead at 83 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/711330/posts

Excerpt:

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - Ted Williams, the Boston Red Sox revered and sometimes reviled "Splendid Splinter" and baseball's last .400 hitter, has died at age 83.

Williams, who suffered a series of strokes and congestive heart failure in recent years, was taken Friday to Citrus County Memorial Hospital "where he was pronounced deceased," said sheriff's department spokesman Lt. Joe Eckstein.

He underwent open-heart surgery in January 2001 and had a pacemaker inserted in November 2000.

The Hall of Famer, who managed the Texas Rangers when the team moved to Arlington, always wanted to be known as the greatest hitter ever, and his stats backed up the claim.

A two-time MVP who twice won the Triple Crown, Williams hit .344 lifetime with 521 home runs -- despite twice interrupting his career to serve as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II and the Korean War.

He had 145 RBIs as a Red Sox rookie in 1939 and closed out his career -- fittingly -- by hitting a home run at Fenway Park in his final major league at-bat in 1960.

Williams' greatest achievement came in 1941 when he batted .406, getting six hits in a doubleheader on the final day of the season.

Williams contended his eyesight was so keen he could pick up individual stitches on a pitched ball and could see the exact moment his bat connected with it.

He also asserted he could smell the burning wood of his bat when he fouled a ball straight back, just missing solid contact.

Williams was a perfectionist who worked tirelessly at his craft and had no tolerance for those less dedicated. He was single-minded and stubborn, a player who reduced the game to its simplest elements: batter vs. pitcher, one trying to outsmart the other. In those instances, he usually won.

Tall and thin, gaunt almost, Williams hardly possessed the traditional profile of a slugger. Yet he was probably the best hitter of his time -- and one with a chip on his shoulder.

Often involved in feuds both public and private during his career, Williams mellowed later in life.

The best example came in his reaction to an emotional ovation from the crowd at the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, Williams' longtime playground.

After a roster of Hall of Famers was introduced, Williams rode a golf cart to the pitcher's mound, where he threw out the first ball. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a panorama of stars, past and present, who reacted like a bunch of youngsters crowding their idol for an autograph.

For a long time, they just hovered around him, many with tears in their eyes.

Then, San Diego's Tony Gwynn gently helped a misty-eyed Williams to his feet and steadied him as Williams threw to Carlton Fisk, another Boston star.

The crowd roared.

"Wasn't it great!" Williams said. "I can only describe it as great. It didn't surprise me all that much because I know how these fans are here in Boston. They love this game as much as any players and Boston's lucky to have the faithful Red Sox fans. They're the best."

It wasn't always that way for Williams. Revered as a slugger, he also was remembered for snubbing Fenway fans, refusing to tip his hat when he hit the ultimate walk-off home run in his final at-bat at age 42.