Ted Williams Dead at 83

kfwb news ^ | 7-5002 | dfu

[doug from upland]

Baseball great Ted Williams has died at 83. More to follow.

[BluH2o]

He was a hunter and fisherman too. My husband had a Ted williams fishing pole when he was a kid and says it was the best he ever had. Sears carried Ted Williams fishing equipment for many years.

Ted Williams use to fish salmon in New Brunswick, Canada. A lot of people who met him, sometimes only briefly, became great Boston Red Sox fans. My uncle, a decorated WWI Canadian army vet, being one of them ... remember him smoking his pipe and listening to Red Sox baseball on the radio.

[MeekOneGOP]

I was there Monday visiting my Mother-in-Law. I'm getting chills.

Oooohh! I bet.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I remember when George Brett made a run at the record trying to hit better than .400 for a season. He came close but couldn't best what Ted Williams had done!

[nothingnew]

Ahhhh craaap!!!...All my heroes are dropping like...my heroes!

GO BO-SOX!

What awakenings these happenings are...to my own mortality.

RIP Ted, in the field of your dreams...

FMCDH

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Remember the episode where...

That show was one of my favorites. It was on Sundays at 3pm Eastern. I think it preceded The Wide World of Sports on the schedule.

I do remember the Burt Reynolds episode. My favorite was the one with Bing Crosby and Phil Harris, goose hunting with Curt Gowdy in Canada....

Bing sings: "Oh Mr. Harris?
Phil replies: "Yes sir?
Bing: "Oh Mr. Harris?"
Phil: "Uh huh?
Bing: "We have come here way up north to get a goose..."
Phil: "That's right."
Bing: "And I do believe we'll get one...
Phil: "Yes?"
Bing: "If you'll fire when you see one..."
Phil: "I will."
Bing: "If you don't then we will simply cut you loose!"

Classic stuff.

[Battle Hymn of the Republic]

I just wrote the Ted Williams fan website an email 3 weeks ago.

Here is the email I sent...

Dear Mr. Williams,

In 1976, you wrote a forward for my uncle's book, "Pioneer of the Florida Keys, The Life and Times of Del Layton".

After going through some of our old books, I found this one on the bookshelf. I then proceeded to read your forward one more time...

Having had such great memories of fishing in the Keys with my Uncle Del and family, I thought I would just drop you a line.

Although I do not know you, it sure seems that you too have had many great days of fishing in the Keys!

My wife and I live in California now, but a few of my family members still live in the City of Layton.

God Bless and Best Regards,

I wonder if Ted ever got to read teh email...

[quark]

As I recall reading in my youth, Ted had 20-15 vision -- that is perfect for watching a baseball come toward you.

The inheritor of William's legacy, Tony Gwynn, also had 20-15 vision and said that he too could see the seams on a pitched ball.

The Splendid Splinter was a San Diego native. Often I drive home from work via State Route 56 -- Ted Williams Parkway.

R.I.P.

[Dante3]

How sad!

On this day when this and other news broke, MSNBC has seen fit to spend the past hour raving about the tacky Julia Roberts.

[MeekOneGOP]

In his last at bat in 1960 he homered. What a way to go out........

At Fenway Park, to this day, the seat in the right field seats where that ball landed is painted red, where all the others are blue.

Wow. How fitting. Thanks.

[cynicom]

John

I think the myth is always bigger than the man, good bad or indifferent. Above his baseball playing I respected his military service, not once but twice, few other ballplayers can match that, not DiMaggio or Mantle or countless others. The finger bit? Yes I recall that episode. Still a gentleman in my book.

Baseball, I saw him whack one off the facade in right field of Yankee stadium in late 50s.

[gumboyaya]

I saw the thumper only once, early 50's spring training game in Beaumont Tx. St Louis, Stan the man and Ted, Ted homered Stan hit a double, just about perfect. My favorite alltime pitcher of that era was Robin Roberts and the Whiz kids, Simmons and Roberts/Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Inevitably, the sports greats from the '30s, '40s, and '50s are fading from the scene. Two who were at the very pinnacle of their respective sports have left us recently: Sam Snead in late May, and Ted Williams today. Both were particularly notable for the extraordinary longevity of their careers, Sam winning PGA tour events into his 50s, Ted remaining a dangerous hitter into his 40s. Both were notable for their lack of posterior-kissing with respect to sportswriters and fans. Both had frustrating holes in their resumés: Sam never won a U.S. Open, and Ted never won a World Series.

At one point, they exchanged good-natured jabs at each other. Ted said that hitting a golf ball was much easier than hitting a baseball, inasmuch as it wasn't moving. Sam responded that Ted wasn't obliged to go up into the stands and find his foul balls and hit them again.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

He was in combat in Korea in 53. He had to learn to fly jets in 52 after being recalled to active duty and spent most of his time in training commands and as an instructor during WWII. I remember reading that he was a classmate of George H. Bush in either Pensacola or Jacksonville.

[hchutch]

Pat Tillman, the backup FS of the Arizona Cardinals, is probably the guy we're talkin about.

In this case, the age restriction ought to be lifted. Anyone who can play FS in the National Football League is in fine shape.

[fnord]

by my vote, the greatest ever ... the last of the golden era

[L`enn]

And also in 1949. That was even a bigger jobbing. And I am a Yankees fan.

[Charles Henrickson]

A couple of years ago, when the All-Century team was named, I had Ted Williams ranked in my top six outfielders of all time, probably around fifth: Ruth, Mays, Cobb, Aaron, Williams, and Musial. (If he had not missed those war years, my starting outfield would undoubtedly be Ruth, Mays, and Williams.)

[Night Hides Not]

By his averages, he would have surpassed Mays's 660.

I agree with you 100%, strider. However, don't forget that Mays played very little, if at all, during 1952-1953, because of military service.

IMHO, Mays would've ended up with at least 714, but we're splittin' hairs.

RIP Teddy Baseball.

[Exit148]

Ted Williams ---- What a crush I had on him. When I was in my teens, In Winthrop (Boston burb) I would go to the beach with my friends, and instead of flirting with all the guys as my friends did, I would lie there on the blanket glued to my portable radio -- listening to the Red Sox. The big draw was Ted Williams and the unique person he was. I liked all the players, but it was Ted Williams who stole my heart, and as soon as I heard the boos, I knew that my beloved #9 was at bat.

One time I wrote to Jim Britt - a popular newscaster, and asked him why the fans treated such a great player the way they did. I knew why, of course, but it still was a rotten way to treat a true sport hero. The fans were so fickle! Britt answered that Williams would be pleased to know what a good fan he had. I cherished his words and still have that letter somewhere. Silly now, but I was a devoted love-struck fan, then.

The closest I ever got to hear him speak, was in New Brunswick, Canada. My husband and I (both flyfishers) were fishing for salmon on the Miramichi with Jim Bashline, a great salmon fisherman. Ted Williams name came up and I spoke of my crush for him. Bashline said that Ted lived only a few houses up the river, picked up the phone to call him so I could profess my undying love. Alas - he was not at home!

Rest well, Ted.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]