Guest bob_barron Report post Posted July 5, 2002 - Ted Williams, one of the greatest American baseball hitters of all time, has died, a spokeswoman for a Williams business said on Friday. Williams was 83. Williams was an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, and was famous as a player for sharp vision and fast wrists, which enabled him to be the last player to bat .400. Eleanor Diamond, a spokeswoman for Ted Williams Enterprises based in Hernando, Florida, said Williams died on Friday morning but had no further information. (from Reuters) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CanadianChris Report post Posted July 5, 2002 Expected, but still sad. There's never been another hitter like him, before or since. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest redbaron51 Report post Posted July 5, 2002 one of the best hitters in the game...and will probably be the last person in MLB to hit 400 in a season. May he RIP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest jimmy no nose Report post Posted July 5, 2002 He was an excellent hitter. Not only could he hit for average, but he could jack a homerun at any time. If he hadn't missed those nearly 5 full seasons in World War II and the Korean War he would most likely be near the top of the carear homerun charts as well, most likely in the mid-upper 600s. Did anyone else hear that the Red Sox are giving his son who is now in his 30s a chance to try out, even though he hadn't played since high school? That's crazy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RicFlairGlory Report post Posted July 5, 2002 Greatest Hitter that ever Lived... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest y2jailbait Report post Posted July 5, 2002 Agreed, no doubt about the fact that the man could hit for average and for power. Greatest throwback player who when i saw play on some old time footage on espn classic, became my all time favorite player. May he Rest In Peace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kingpk Report post Posted July 5, 2002 This is one of those things that you know is coming, but it still suprises you when it happens. RIP Teddy Ballgame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted July 5, 2002 While it's certaintly not a shocker, The death of Baseball's greatest hitter is sad. Perhaps someday someone will hit .400 again but nontheless, Ted Williams will remain the one of the 10 greatest players to ever play the game. Yes, he will be missed but let's be grateful of what he gave to the world of Baseball. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted July 5, 2002 Ted Williams- never saw him play but his stats are eye popping. RIP Ted Williams Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dreamer420 Report post Posted July 5, 2002 i never got a chance to see him as well but i do know he is one of the best hitter ever to play the game so he deserves to be shown the respect. RIP ted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sandman9000 Report post Posted July 5, 2002 They BETTER do something to honor him at the All-Star game. And this is coming from a die hard Yankee fan, who is just as saddened as any Red Sox fan. RIP Teddy Ballgame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cartman Report post Posted July 5, 2002 No matter what your favorite teams are and what teams you "hate" everyone comes together to mourn the loss of Pro Sports' greatest athletes. Ted Williams i'm sure is proud of his life and is relishing every thought from every sports fan right now. RIP Teddy "The Kid" Ballgame PS. Yes John Henry Williams is, or was, trying to start a baseball career at 33 years old. Some say it's because he wanted to make his father happy to see him playing HIS game...others say it's another publiity stunt to make himself more money off his dad's name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kingpk Report post Posted July 6, 2002 I would like to see the batting title renamed in his honor, since he is the greatest pure hitter of all time, after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest jimmy no nose Report post Posted July 6, 2002 I would like to see the batting title renamed in his honor, since he is the greatest pure hitter of all time, after all. That's a good idea, I would have liked to see it happen while he was alive, but it would also be a good way to remember him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Some Guy Report post Posted July 6, 2002 This hits close to home for me as a die hard Sox fan. I never saw him play other than in highlight reals, because I'm only 21 but from reading his stats and seeing his swing the guy was simply amazing. He would have broken Ruth's homer record, Walk record, Aaron's RBI record, and had well over 3,000 hits had he not goen to fight for his country twice in the prime of his carreer. But he didn't complain and stated mant times that he is most proud of his service as a Marine pilot. Willaims also was a starter of the Jimmy Fund, a charity for cancer ridden children. Williams has a lot of friends and a lot of enemies due to his sometimes overbearing personality but nobody could deny his talent and will to be the best. Watching the beginning of the game today was emotional for me, seeing Johnny Pesky and Nomar crying was heart wrenching. As much as I hate to say it, I can't call him the "Greatest hitter who ever lived" I believe that disticntion belongs to Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, then Williams. .344 over 22 seasons, 511 HR, well over 1,000 RBI is amazing but doesn't hold up to Ruth or Cobb's numbers. As I wrote before he would have passed them but due to his patriotism he couldn't. RIP #9, you'll be missed here forever and your legend will never die. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest undisputedjericho Report post Posted July 6, 2002 This hits close to home for me as a die hard Sox fan. Kinda like DiMaggio and Mantle for me, being a life long Yankee fan. (Obligatory 1918 remark here) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alkeiper Report post Posted July 6, 2002 He would have broken Ruth's homer record, Walk record, Aaron's RBI record, and had well over 3,000 hits had he not goen to fight for his country twice in the prime of his carreer. I was ready to blow a hole through the Ruth's record remark. Then I looked. Williams miss almost 5 full seasons due to military service. He averaged 37 home runs a year. That's 185 homeruns you could reasonably expect him to hit. Add that to his 521, and you have 706. That's pretty damned close, and a few breaks would've gotten him there. The most amazing Williams stat? He's the all-time leader in on base percentage. In other words, he was the toughest out in baseball history. (As a side note to that, the first 5 are left handed hitters. The right hander with the higest career OBP? Frank Thomas.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shaved Bear Report post Posted July 6, 2002 Greatest Hitter of all-time, he will be missed glad to see someone can go through two wars and still live such a long life Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Some Guy Report post Posted July 6, 2002 Al he also missed those seasons in the beging and the end of his prime and with his pride he would have destroyed Ruth's record. Williams would not have settled for just 715, he had to be far and away the best at everything for him to be happy. Which is a tremendous asset for an athelete. UndisputedJericho, wsa the 1918 thing necessary when I complimented Babe Ruth in my post. BTW on a coinecidental note Williams was born in 1918 and died this year, could it have been the "Curse of the Kid" and end this year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted July 6, 2002 The 1999 All-Star game with all the legends and current superstars gathered around Ted Williams is why I will always love Baseball. Who gets the title as the greatest living ballplayer.I'll nominate Stan Musial. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted July 6, 2002 As a Braves fan I'd have to say Henry Aaron but Musial is pretty damn good as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Some Guy Report post Posted July 6, 2002 Willie Mays isn't dead yet guys, he is the greatest living player and the 2nd or 3rd best ever. Verne, the 99 All Star game showed how revered Williams is by the current players. They had to be dragged off the field so Fox could start the game. Virtually every MLB player knows he is the last guy to hit .400. Many of the current players have never heard of a lot of legends, but they know who "The Kid" is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BobbyWhioux Report post Posted July 6, 2002 "All I ever wanted was to walk down the street and have people say 'there goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.' " Mission accomplished, Ted. Were it not for the 5 years in uniform, Williams would probably also be the all time leader in career RBIs as well. Probably the best hitter for average ever. And he hit over 500 homeruns and over 1800 RBIs. He could hit for great average, great power, and great at driving others in. Is it any surprise he won the triple crown twice? Actually, I guess the surprise is he ONLY did it twice. When you think about what Ted Williams did after retirement, it's no surprise that he was such a hit with the modern players. He was a tangible legend. Even as recently as a few years ago he was still coming out to the ballpark and giving people tips on how to hit and basically being the Living Legend and Guru of hitting a baseball. There's a lot of stories and quotes coming out now, about guys who have played for The Red Sox and other teams [notably Tony Gwynn of the Padres] in recent years and how Ted helped them be a better player or just plain talked baseball with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spaceman Spiff Report post Posted July 6, 2002 Who gets the title as the greatest living ballplayer.I'll nominate Stan Musial. Steve Jeltz. j/k RIP Ted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Y2BigJ Report post Posted July 6, 2002 As a person who lives in Boston, I'm hitr very hard by Ted's death.He is in my mind the greatest hitter of all time and a great person. By the way his son John Henry William recently injured himself and hopefully this will end the abomination of the Williams name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted July 7, 2002 I would like to see the batting title renamed in his honor, since he is the greatest pure hitter of all time, after all. I respectfully disagree. While a strong case can be made for Williams, who's to say Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or Rogers Hornsby isn't the greatest hitter of all time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest HartFan86 Report post Posted July 7, 2002 I've been a huge Red Soxs fan since the day I was born (I live in Maine), so this is really too bad to hear. He went thru a lot of stuff before he died, so I'm glad he passed away so he wouldn't have to go thru anything else. He lived a long and health life. RIP to the Best Damn Hitter who Ever Lived. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Some Guy Report post Posted July 7, 2002 Verne, Cobb was such an asshole that they wouldn't name it after him. If they are going to name more awards after players, the MVP should be named after Ruth, Batting title after Williams because of Cobb's attitude, and the Steals title after Rickey Henderson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alkeiper Report post Posted July 7, 2002 Personally, I think its best not to name the awards after people. Just gets too many people angry, and no ones happy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted July 8, 2002 Is it true the son wants to like sell his body or something? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
