Ted Williams, Leigh Montville

Many considered the greatest hitter in baseball of all time. But that’s not the reason why I wanted to read his biography. In his absolute prime – he went away to train in the Army to fight in wars (World War II and Korean War). He was a unique man of character. He refused to wear a necktie, always a source of jokes. Ted did what he wanted, take him or leave him.  His deep attraction to women was a constant (he married and divorced 3 times), and he was one of corporate America’s 1st modern spokesmen. He was a self-confident perfectionist – the foundation of his greatness. The man, who in 1941 hit .406 for the season. In 1960, near the end of his career, Williams proposed to take a pay cut (more than 25%) from the Red Sox because he felt he’d underperformed the season before. We can be sure that will never happen again in the money-grubbing professional athletes of today. As stated, Ted did what he wanted and didn’t care what other people thought. On his last ever at bat he hit a home run. The crowd cheered and begged him to come out of the dugout for a curtain call.. a tip of the hat… anything. His teammates urged him to do it. He stayed put in the dugout. He did not move. He led his life by adhering to codes – his own codes, drawn from different experiences, and influences – comforted the sick, helped the needy, humility, and shared his good fortune with others. After his death, controversy and public outcry followed Williams due to the actions of a few of his children, but it still did not take away from a colorful personality, a baseball legend.