Umm, he showed his middle finger to the fans at Fenway...not once, but three times, to each section of the field. Could you imagine the flamefest if a player did that today? We'd be subjected to infinite FR posts about how baseball players used to be respectful, blah blah blah, players aren't the same anymore, I'm never going to a game again, etc. etc. etc.
Look. I'm actually not bashing Ted Williams. He was a great man (and the military service was actually more important than baseball). And quite rightly, people shouldn't wallow in the negative aspects of a good person who dies. But I find it pretty apalling when people basically turn someone into a completely different person, and compare Williams unfavorably to today's players, when he was guilty of much of the same stuff that guys like Barry Bonds get trashed for. The press hated Williams and so did a lot of fans, (stupidly, in both cases, IMHO) during his career.
Williams apologized, of course, the next day. And like many people who were basically jerks when young, he mellowed and became far more likeable in retirement. I actually think it's disrespectful to basically fabricate a mythical Williams that didn't exist while he was playing, in regards to his personality.
And it's actually unclear whether Williams really wrote the apology next day; may have been forced to by the Red Sox or they may have written and released it without his knowledge.
That's a pretty fair comparison -- Bill Madden had a column last year comparing Bonds with Williams, and they were pretty similar both personally and professionally.
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.