NOTE:---In a future story on this site I'll describe the event in minute detail. Suffice to say that everytime I'm asked what's the greatest sporting event I've ever been to the answer is a;ways---Ted's Farewell tribute, hands down.
So much has been written about Ted that it's hard to believe there is anymore to be added...but, oh, there is. Among other things Ted is due a great big thank you from an entire generation of kids, mostly from Boston, who grew up in the 40's and 50's. Kids who saw Ted as a great role model and
got the "right message" of what he was all about.
My father, of course, was the greatest influence in my life but his message was pretty much that of Ted's---Be the best you can be and don't be afraid to work hard to achieve your goals; be good to those less fortunate than you...especially children. He also taught us that you should always strive to be active in at least one charity in your hometown; Don't be afraid to speak your mind, respectfully, or "march to the beat of a different drum," No matter what the consequences, but do so with respect and knowledge, not just to be obstinate or self-serving. Love of family and country, and dedication to the task at hand was another important lesson that he passed on to us.
It's been said he was like a "real life" John Wayne whose onscreen characters were role models for a generation (or two). When Ted and Wayne finally met Duke said to Ted, "I'm only playing a part that somebody wrote for me. But YOU are actually living and doing all those things that have made you who you are." (Of course he was right.)
Ted's actions always spoke for him. He epitomized the axiom, "A real man walks the walk instead of just talking the talk." He never looked for credit for his many acts of kindness and generosity which fed the media's myth that Ted was a "loner."
"He was far from that," said all his friends, most notably Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Curt Gowdy and astronaut John Glenn (who flew with Ted in Korea)...And they all had stories to back them up. (I'll tell a few in my "Ted Williams Tribute" story on this site.) Ted loved people...
When I was nine years old I heard that Ted was signing autographs at Jordan Marsh (in town) so I jumped on a subway and, with a brand new autograph book, set out to meet "my hero," Ted.
He really was bigger than life and it seemed that he was in a spotlight although there really wasn't one there. He seemed pleasant but didn't say a lot to the people (and few kids there with parents) as he kept the line moving. After waiting in a very long line for about 45 minutes, I started to get nervous when I was next in line, and was afraid I'd get tongue-tied if he spoke to me. As I handed him my obviously brand new autograph book, Ted looked at it and then at me and said, "Did you come her with your mother or are you alone, son." "I came alone by subway from East Boston," I managed to get out without stumbling." "Well, thank you for coming all the way in here just for this," he said very sincerely. "What's your name?" When I told him, Jim, he opened the book to the very first page and wrote, "To my good friend, Jim....and as he wrote his autograph it looked so perfect that it gave me the feeling he did it especially for me. Then he shook my hand as he said "thank you for coming in and be careful going home." WOW!! He took time out just to have a conversation with me and then called me "his good friend" and SHOOK HANDS with me. Talk about feeling special. I was walking on "cloud 9." (how appropriate) I was so excited I decided to go down to Jordan's bakery and bought myself one of their famous, HUGE" blueberry muffins (for a DIME) to celebrate.
Three years later I got his autograph again, along with 7-8 other kids outside the Sox parking lot. I had an old Brownie camera and asked Ted if I could take a picture through the fence. He said he was in a hurry but, since I was the last kid there he agreed. Nervously I snapped the picture and thanked him. To my surprise he said, "Come back son, you had your finger over the lense, it won't come out." Take it again and be careful this time." He then showed me the correct way to do it, stepped back, smiled and said, "Now take it." You can bet I did it correctly this time, and, as he left he said, "Now remember, whenever you take a picture concentrate on doing it correctly and be careful not to put your finger over the shutter.".....and I always DID remember...all through my years as a photographer in the Air Force, of course a choice influenced by my experience with Ted on that day
In 1981 I was doing a sports talk show and got a chance to interview Ted at the Sox spring training site in Winterhaven, Florida. Of course I was pretty nervous and asked Johnny Pesky for some advice.
He said, "Come up with 5 or 6 strictly baseball questions, ask him one then shut up...he'll do all the rest of the talking. Then Johnny asked what time I was supposed to meet Ted? I told him 8:00 AM and he advised, "If you're not there by 7:45 you're late!" (I was familiar with this because my Dad was exactly the same way.) I got to the field at 7:15 and Ted was already there. As we started talking, I asked him the first question...(I remembered years before he had said Camilio Pasqual was one of the toughest guys he ever faced so THAT was my first question) He smiled and said, "You've got one heck of a memory then proceeded to answer (for about 10 minutes.) Then he looked at his watch and said, "Well I guess those other guys aren't as interested as you so let's take a walk down to one of the minor league fields (about 1/4 mile away). As we walked I asked him about Bob Feller, his "rivalry" with Joe DiMaggio, and some of the greatest hitters including "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (who Ted always believed should be in the baseball hall of fame) AND his "first" last time at bat. (People forget that when Ted was off to the Korean war many of the fans believed he would never play ball again.) It was "Ted Williams Day" at Fenway that afternoon as they faced the Detroit Tigers. In his last at bat he faced reliever "Dizzy" Trout, an old fishing buddy of his. Naturally Ted knocked it out of the park. Some of the media speculated that Trout grooved the pitch but Ted, in great detail, said it wasn't true. "He would have loved to strike me out so I pretty much knew what he was going to throw," said Ted. Then, chuckling to himself, added one of his favorite sayings, "Pitchers are one of the dumbest creatures on earth.
I had taken Pesky's advice and just shut up and listened after each question. In what is easily the most exciting 35 minutes of my sports life I experienced a "childhood fantasy" come true...a private conversation with Ted Williams.
As we walked back to the big field we passed Johnny Pesky and he asked how the interview went.
Ted said, "You know this guy? He really knows his sports, doesn't he?" Johnny just smiled at me and said, Didn't I tell you it'd be easy?" I still get a little excited just thinking about it.
Ted's sphere of influence extended to yet another generation a year or two later. A young 12 year old boy called my sports show. Back then the rule was never let young kids on the air but, I thought to myself, "what would Teddy Ballgame do?" Well, let me tell you this kid was so excited about being on the air (and I felt pretty good too) I thought this must be the way Ted felt when he did something for kids." Of course the youngster was a Sox fan and, when I asked him who his favorite player was he said, "I don't know...who?" That's when I realized he had a slight handicap called Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) When I told him Ted Williams was MY favoirite he said, "Yeh, he's my favorite too, he drove in my grandfather's cab once. He didn't know a lot about Ted so I gave him a few facts and challenged him to ask his grandfather, or go to the library, and find out more about Ted and call me back next week. The next day he was my first caller and, sure enough he came up with a few facts about Teddy. For the next 3 days he was my first caller with a little more info on Ted each time. Finally, on the 4th day, when my engineer said, "It's that kid again," I decided to try to make something special for him and, as I opened the mike and said, "our first caller is (I flipped on the "echo" mode" and said very dramatically, "THE KID." He said, "Wow, is that me?" I said, "Yes John, you know so much about Ted Williams I decided to give you his nickname." He said, "Gee, thanks...g'bye," hanging up in his excitement. It wasn't long before Ted, sports and politics (Ted's interest) became his life's avocation. He was also committed to charity work for the Jimmy Fund and Jerry Lewis' M.D. foundation. He's now 41 but still carries the torch lit by his interest in "Teddy Ballgame." He's somewhat achieved celebrity status around town and is still affectionately known as "The Kid." If you're ever listening to a sports show and hear "John from Medford)...that's him. Just another example of how Ted's influence helped shape the lives of so many of us kids.
I often recall a line from the great 50's movie, "From Here to Eternity." Montgomery Clift, who was refusing to box on the regiment's boxing team despite being promised a much softer life if he did, says to Burt Lancaster, "If a man doesn't go his own way then he's nothing." Whenever I think of Ted Williams and what he meant to us all, that line always crosses my mind. Some media people called him the first true rebel while others consider that, in reality may have been the last truly honest man. True to himself and all his principles. My father was exactly the same way. He just didn't talk the talk, he walked the walk...and taught us all how to be ourn own man.
That's why I say, "Thanks Ted...for everything."
To me this this Robert Louis Stevenson poem clearly describes Ted Williams' life:
"THAT MAN IS A SUCCESS".....
Who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task.
Who leaves the world better than he found it...
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem or a rescued soul;
Who never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who looked for the best in others ...and gave the best that he had.....
And THAT is my TED WILLIAMS...The greatest hitter who ever lived....Rest in Peace---Amen.