Baseball Great Ted Williams Dead (1 Viewer)

[Michael*K]

The last hitter to bat .400 has passed. Long live the Splendid Splinter.

 

[Cam S]

An we lose yet another legend in sports :frowning:

 

[John Spencer]

Damn.

 

[Robert Crawford]

As many you will find out, Ted Williams was John Glenn's wingman during the Korean War. What a great hitter!



Crawdaddy

 

[Mark Romero]

You will be missed, Ted. RIP.

 

[RobertR]

One thing I find fascinating about baseball is that it's agreed that the sport's greats would have been great in any era, Ted Williams being one of them.

 

[Bill Slack]

He lived a long and storied life. Sure wished I could have seem him play.

Not only a great ball-player but he is in the fishing hall of fame, and was a a heroic and great fighter pilot in WWII and the Korean War (for which he volunteered to serve in.)

The flags are at half-staff at Fenway this afternoon.

 

[KyleS]

Very sad to see another great Baseball player leave us. :frowning:
KyleS

 

[Erik_C]

Wait a minute -- there's a fishing hall of fame?
-Erik

 

[Bill Slack]

http://www.igfa.org/
http://www.weeklyfisherman.com/archi...edwilliams.htm

 

[Jack Briggs]

So sad to lose this legend. I loved his contention that the act of hitting a baseball is the hardest accomplishment in sport. I figure this man knew what he was talking about.

I'd like to think of Ted Williams as the last of the .400 hitters--but given how juiced up today's baseballs are, the ridiculously thin-spread pitching talent across thirty teams, and the new hitter-friendly ballparks, I can easily see Ted Williams's extraordinary accomplishments being cheapened by today's break-all-hitting-records game.

These new guys establishing new all-time single-season HR records cannot hold a candle to the artist and genteman athlete that was Ted Williams.

 

[Bill Slack]

Also, when he served in the Marines, it was during the prime of his career. He would have easily eclipsed 600, and likely 700, HRs had he spent the entire time playing.

I just watch the ceremonies before the game, it was very nice. The last words before observed a minute of silence and playing taps were 'Ladies and gentleman, there goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.' That's all he wanted to be known as. He just might have been.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Also, when he served in the Marines, it was during the prime of his career. He would have easily eclipsed 600, and likely 700, HRs had he spent the entire time playing.

Easy!

And if he were starting his career out in today's environment, he would hit 1,000 home runs and still have high average and slugging figures that would be unimaginable. If A Rod is worth $25MM per year, what would Ted earn? Even the Yankees couldn't aford to pay him his true worth.

 

[Dalton]

So sad to see the passing of a true American hero. My father tells me stories of going to Fenway and seeing Ted play. I wish i was around to see him swing the bat back in those days. Thank you Ted for serving your country and showing us what being a true sportsman and patriot was all about. You will be missed by so many. Rest in peace. My deepest sympathies to all of Ted's family and friends.


Dalton

 

[KeithH]

:frowning: How sad. One of the true greats, and possibly the greatest of them all, is gone. :frowning:

 

[Michael*K]

but given how juiced up today's baseballs are, the ridiculously thin-spread pitching talent across thirty teams, and the new hitter-friendly ballparks, I can easily see Ted Williams's extraordinary accomplishments being cheapened by today's break-all-hitting-records game.

And even with all these advantages hitters have today, as well as with watered down pitching talent, Williams' .406 season still stands as the last one 61 years later. That tells you just how hard that accomplishment was. Very impressive. I think eventually we'll see Aaron and DiMaggio's records broken, but I doubt I'll ever get to see another batter hit .400 again.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Very impressive. I think eventually we'll see Aaron and DiMaggio's records broken, but I doubt I'll ever get to see another batter hit .400 again.

Dimaggio, no. As a singular accomplishment 56 games is pretty daunting. Aaron, yes. Bonds is on a pace to do it. Even Sosa is a possibility.

I think we can see .400. Over the past few years there are been a few runs at this figure but it takes a lot of luck. Some of the hitters today that are candidates are contact hitters who get a lot of at bats and have to get a lot of hits. Williams was more like a Bonds in that he not only hit for average, but for power. He did not lead off and had fewer at bats. Of course he walked a lot, like Bonds, so his at bats look low. In 1941 he got his .406 average on 185 hits in only 456 at bats. Batters like Gwynn, Ichiro, and Walker will often get 200 hits but have averages 30-50 or points lower. Still, these are the type of batters that will one day get a streak going at the end of the year and can ignore the intenst media pressure.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

It's kind of ironic: We were on a little roadtrip today and hence spent almost the entire day in the car. My mom said, "Something big could in the world today and we would have no idea," or something to that effect. Five minutes after we get home, my dad gets off the computer and says that Ted Williams has passed.
Rest in Peace to a great ballplayer and one of the truly great Americans, who was willing to voluntarily sacrifice fame and fortune and maybe his life for his country. You'll be missed.

 

[Bill Harris]

CNNSi.com has some good interviews with Ted that are worth checking out. The best being how was able to hit the new pitch that nobody else was able to hit..the mighty slider. Rest in Peace Ted , you will be missed

 

[Michael*K]

I'd be willing to bet my house that DiMaggio's record will fall before Williams'. The law of averages would dictate that it's easier to get one hit in maybe five at bats each game for 56 games than it is to average two hits in the same five at bats over a full season. I'd say .400 is the more daunting challenge.