Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

[camarokids]

Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (August 30, 1918–July 5, 2002) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. He played 21 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot. Nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, and The Thumper, he is generally considered one of the greatest hitters ever. [1][2]
Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. He had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. He is the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His career year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .551 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television show about fishing and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.


want to read it all???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

never heard of him....

[ironmanfan]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

A "man's man" for sure!

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

My top three all-time favorite baseball players...

1) Babe Ruth
2) Ted Williams
3) Jimmie Foxx

.......and Ted is a close second

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

A little Ted Williams tid-bit...

On September 17, 1939, in his rookie season, Ted Williams hit a home run off of a pitcher by the name of Thornton Lee.

Ted's career spanned 5 decades, and in his last year in 1960, Ted williams faced yet another pitcher September 2 whom he hit a home run against that night too. The significance? The pitchers name was Don Lee.

He was the son of Thornton Lee.

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

......and the bat Ted used that day was the rarest home run bat ever yielded by him in his career. It was a U1 model, the favorite model Louisville Slugger used by Roberto Clemente. Ted only ordered that model ONE time in his career, during 1960...an order for either 6 or 12, I can't remember at this second.

During a subsequent at bat, Ted cracked the handle. He then set the bat aside with the intention of presenting it to a major contributor of his "Jimmy Fund". This particular gentlemen owned a local car dealership in Boston. He had the small crack professionally repaired, and displayed the bat on the wall of his office in this dealership for many years......"Ted Williams' 517th career home run bat." Ted only hit 4 more, the last belonging to the Hall of Fame....the other three?.....probably lost to the ages.

..... I won this bat in a major sports auction years ago.


It is the highest privately held documented home run bat of Ted Williams, with unimprovable provenance which includes a picture and article of Ted himself presenting the bat...... one of my precious pieces that I won't be giving to a charity when I kick. It'll be staying in my family tree, as it's pretty much priceless.

[frikativ54]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

..... I won this bat in a major sports auction years ago.


It is the highest privately held documented home run bat of Ted Williams, with unimprovable provenance which includes a picture and article of Ted himself presenting the bat...... one of my precious pieces that I won't be giving to a charity when I kick. It'll be staying in my family tree, as it's pretty much priceless.

With a story like that, it almost requires that you show pics.

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

With a story like that, it almost requires that you show pics.

I have to take it out of my safe to take some pictures....I'll try to get to it before the end of the week as I have a full plate this week. I'll do my best to do it soon.....it's a beauty!

[rj_lucas]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

A little Ted Williams tid-bit...

On September 17, 1939, in his rookie season, Ted Williams hit a home run off of a pitcher by the name of Thornton Lee.

Ted's career spanned 5 decades, and in his last year in 1960, Ted williams faced yet another pitcher September 2 whom he hit a home run against that night too. The significance? The pitchers name was Don Lee.

He was the son of Thornton Lee.

Have you read '1960: The Last Pure Season' by Kerry Keene? He specifically mentions that home run, Williams' 25th of the season, hit on September 2. It's in the chapter about the final days of Ted's career, called 'The Kid's Swan Song'. Some additional provenance for your bat, as if it needed any more.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

Have you read '1960: The Last Pure Season' by Kerry Keene? He specifically mentions that home run, Williams' 25th of the season, hit on September 2. It's in the chapter about the final days of Ted's career, called 'The Kid's Swan Song'. Some additional provenance for your bat, as if it needed any more.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

Hey Rick,

Thanks for the heads up. I actually have that book for a whole different reason, but to be honest I did not know of the specific mentioning of that particular home run in the book. I'll have to check it out! (Obviously I haven't read the whole book).

On the back cover, there is a famous picture of Ted Williams having a laugh while looking over a bat with Roger Maris, taken in April of 1960 before a regular season game. It was a special event they used to have yearly (the event escapes my mind at the moment....) so there was heavy media there.....lots of pictures taken.

In any case, the reason I know of this book is because years ago I won a 1960 Home Red Sox Ted Williams jersey. It's the one he is wearing in the picture with Roger Maris. It has been photo matched with that picture, with very specific determining factors, and actually another photo taken that day in another book about Williams. Maybe one day here soon when I catch up, I'll post a few pictures.

To add to my joy, he hit a home run that day. So I actually not only have a Ted Williams game used jersey from his final season, but one that can be pinpointed to him hitting a specific home run while wearing it.

Life is good.

[rj_lucas]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

To add to my joy, he hit a home run that day. So I actually not only have a Ted Williams game used jersey from his final season, but one that can be pinpointed to him hitting a specific home run while wearing it.

Life is good.

I'm doubly envious, as I was born in 1960 and have an affinity for collecting things from that year (sports related and otherwise).

Sounds like we have the same edition of the book. The reference to the HR is at the top of page 53. Enjoy those treasures.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Happy Birthday Ted Williams.....Born August 30, 1918....

I'm doubly envious, as I was born in 1960 and have an affinity for collecting things from that year (sports related and otherwise).

Sounds like we have the same edition of the book. The reference to the HR is at the top of page 53. Enjoy those treasures.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

Rick,

Me too! That's why I was thrilled to have won the jersey, because it was from the year I was born.......and, of course, because it was Ted's.

I won it not knowing of the picture matches, which I discovered later. Man, what a thrill. I still buzz about it today when I think of it.

To finish off my Williams collection, I also won (in a past major sports auction) his only grand slam baseball from 1941.....yes, the year he hit .406!!! It is signed, dated, and inscribed by him, all in his own hand!!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to the "What do you want to happen to your collection when you die" thread to add that I'll be buried wearing Ted's 494th home run jersey, holding onto his 517th home run bat, and have his only grand slam ball from his 1941 season stuffed in my mouth like I'm being served for a Thanksgiving feast.....

Thanks again for the info Rick!!

Regards,

Steve