The players I have spoken to played with some of the greatest legends ever to grace a baseball field. In my very first interview, where I spoke to former pitcher Paul Foytack, the name of the Splendid Splinter came up. This was only the first instance of a reference to one of my subjects rubbing shoulders with a great such as Mantle, Maris, Williams, Spahn, Feller, DiMaggio, etc. Hearing the name Ted Williams sent a shiver down my spine. I was speaking to someone who was on the same playing field as the greatest hitter in history!
Here is what Foytack said:
Ted Williams said: “If this man here could get the ball over
the plate like everybody else, he’d win 25 games a year.”
Just a quick reference, but still. I could imagine Foytack hearing those words back in the 50's and them making a permanent impression within his memory. It makes sense. How could anyone forget something the great TW said to them personally?
And that was only the start of my hearing stories of Ted Williams, that first call back in the early summer of 2012. I would have to estimate his name came up several dozen times in the course of my interviews since then. And contrary to the image that the press and perhaps the public saw of Williams, players raved about him. He was friendly and welcoming to not only teammates, but also opponents. He gave advice. He joked and ribbed fellow players. And boy was he serious about his hitting.
More about that another time...
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