[metesky]

In 1957, in midsummer, the Braves came back to Fenway for the Jimmy Fund charity game. In those days the outfit my old man was working for had skyline box seats right above first base.

They had a homerun hitting contest before the game. Check this out:

For the Braves; Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews and Hank Freepin Aaron.

For the Sox; Jimmy Peirsal(sp), Jackie Jenson and Teddy Ballgame.

The memory of that night...The emerald green field under the lights (my first night game), the perfectly white balls flyingb out of the park one after the other.

The strange thing is that I can't remember who actually won the contest, but I think it was Eddie Matthews.

Williams last game was televised all over N.E. and millions of people can now say, "I saw Ted Williams hit a homerun in his last at bat."

One of a kind.

[JimVT]

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

Just saw the opening ceremonies for tonight's BOS-DET game on TV.

That is the first time EVER that I can recall the National Anthem being sung all the way to the conclusion before the applause started...a beautiful a cappela version by a lady I don't know.

Taps was blown and there was not a sound in the house.

Beautiful......I'll bet Ted doffed his cap for that one.

[Bogie]

Now there was a genuine great!

[Charles Henrickson]

Ted Williams is #2 all-time in slugging percentage at .634, second to Babe Ruth's .692. Williams is #1 all-time in on-base percentage at .481 (Ruth is second at .469).

[Reagan Man]

There will never be another like him.

THE greatest pure hitter of all time!

R.I.P. Ted Williams.

[xp38]

On the 50th anniversary of the memorable 1941 season President George H. W. Bush flew with Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams on Air Force 1 up here to Toronto for the the 1991 All Star Game. A very memorable day for Baseball here in Toronto. RIP Teddy Ballgame.....the flags at Cooperstown should be flying at half mast in your honour. That wooden statue in the HOF of Ted will be all the more memorable now.

[Charles Henrickson]

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.

[FlyVet]

Loose quotes from Jim Bouton's book, "Ball Four", Ted Williams taking batting pracitice.... "My name is Ted &*%#$ Williams, and I'm the best %#$@*^ hitter that ever lived!" {CRACK} "Here comes Jim Bunning with his little S**t slider, I'm going to kill it!" {CRACK}...funny stuff..and no one else in this day and age gives up his major league career to do what he did. He may have topped Babe Ruth in HR's had he not thought it more important to fly fighters in defense of his country. HAAAAAAARDDDD COOORRRRE. Semper Fi to the old Marine.

[SBeck]

Comparing Dimaggio to Williams, Thomas Boswell wrote:

DiMaggio was regal. But Williams was real. Joe D met the world like an icy myth of a starched man and liked it that way. Ted wore his rough edges and his opinions on his sleeve. And if you didn't like his dock shoes and his shirttail out, then tough. You never landed a jet that was on fire, jumped out, then ran back to kick the plane because you were so mad somebody shot you down.

We lost a great American yesterday. Farewell Ted.

[silver fox two]

Godspeed, Ted, and thank you for all the exciting moments at Shibe Park when the Red Sox played the A's back in the 40's.

[freebilly]

I spoke to my father yesterday about Teddy Ballgame. In 1946 dad was on an extended furlough and practically lived at Fenway Park. Servicemen got box seats for $1.65.

Williams was the best pure hitter the game has ever seen. He played in an era where they didn't wear helmets, and pitchers weren't ejected for throwing at batters. The hitters didn't wear armored arm pads, and they played with a ball that was unjuiced by today's standards.

Give Williams back the years he missed, in his prime, due to military service. Give him a lively ball, an armored elbow pad and a helmet
and he would have hit 60-70 homers per season (The Babe would've hit 80+).