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ALSO SEE Baseball legend Williams dies at 83 Ted Williams (1918-2002) Gammons: He could smell the wood burn McAdam: A special relationship Caple: Teddy Ballgame did things his way Kurkjian: The game's best hitter Teammates remember young, crazy Williams John Glenn recalls Williams as war hero, too Teddy Ballgame made Fenway memories McCollister: My memories of Ted Williams Stark: Who's now the Greatest Living Player? Ted Williams dies at 83 |
Friday, July 5 Updated: July 8, 11:28 AM ET What they're saying about Ted Williams ESPN.com news services "There was no one more dedicated to this country and more proud
to serve his country than Ted Williams.''
"With the passing of Ted Williams, America has lost a baseball
legend.''
"Ted Williams was a great friend. He spent time talking to me about hitting, even though he played on another team. I'm very, very sorry to hear of his passing. I think that his son, John Henry, will have to be strong. Ted would want it that way. This is a great loss."
"I think he was the best hitter that baseball has had.''
"Ted was like John Wayne. He was a man's man. As a Hall of
Famer, every time you went to the Hall of Fame, you wanted Ted to
be there, as it put the stamp of approval on your being there.''
"My wife Joan and I went to visit them at the camp and Ted
asked us to go and have lunch with him. Joan asked Ted about
hitting and he got up in the middle of the restaurant, took his
menu, wrapped it up and started showing Joan about hitting!''
"I am truly heartbroken. We have lost another ballplayer,
another great person. Ted Williams was one of the most exciting
players I ever saw. Unbelievable. And, when I was just a
rookie in 1941, he took me under his wing. After he hit a double
one day, he called timeout and told me, 'Kid, you've got a
chance to play for the Yankees for a long time, so bear down.'"
"This is very disappointing news. I will miss him. I remember the first couple of years in the majors being intimidated by him and I've always been in awe of him. A good memory that I remember of him, is one time he told me if he faced me, he would look for my slider. He said, 'Because I sure know I can hit
your fastball.'"
"I have his book on hitting and every offseason, I read that
book. What stands out is his tone, the way he talked: 'Hey, I know
how to hit and this is how to hit.' When you read that book, you
feel Ted Williams is talking to you.''
"Ted was the greatest hitter of our era.''
"I told him, 'Like you're trying to beat out a base hit.' He
said, 'Faster than that.'''
"He told me, 'You don't even have a clue what makes a ball
break, do you?' I said, 'The spin?' 'No, you idiot.' He'd bring out
the equations from his aviation terminology. He'd be screaming at
you.''
"Nobody was more loyal, generous, courageous, more respected
than Ted. He sacrificed his life and career for his country. But he
became what he always wanted to be -- the greatest hitter ever.''
"I remember the first time I met him. In 1976, only a few
months after I was drafted, I was standing in line at a movie
theater and he was right behind me. I was almost speechless, but I
introduced myself and told him that I was just drafted by the Red
Sox. He looked at me and said, 'Can you hit?' I told him I hit .485
in my senior year of high school and he said, 'You'll do great.''' |