Information on the great Teddy Ballgame

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I have a research paper for my English class, and I decided to do it on Ted Williams. He told us to pick a very broad topic and to narrow it down as much as possible. Of course I chose baseball, and ended up with Ted. I'm not really familiar with the Red Sox history but I do know that he was one hell of a player. I found Ted interesting because not only was he a great baseball player, but he also served in the military. I know a lot of members on the site know their history(I'm looking at you Spitball and a700), so I was hoping you guys can give me legit online sources for my research. I should also add one of my resources needs to be a book, so if you can recommend me a book that is both 1)interesting to read 2)will help me with my research paper, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance everyone.

[a700hitter]

I have a research paper for my English class, and I decided to do it on Ted Williams. He told us to pick a very broad topic and to narrow it down as much as possible. Of course I chose baseball, and ended up with Ted. I'm not really familiar with the Red Sox history but I do know that he was one hell of a player. I found Ted interesting because not only was he a great baseball player, but he also served in the military. I know a lot of members on the site know their history(I'm looking at you Spitball and a700), so I was hoping you guys can give me legit online sources for my research. I should also add one of my resources needs to be a book, so if you can recommend me a book that is both 1)interesting to read 2)will help me with my research paper, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance everyone.

I read Teddy Ballgame's autobiography when I was a kid. I believe that it was entitled, "My Turn At Bat." It was an excellent book.

 

His was a rich life, so there is plenty of material. I'd be happy to share stories that I have heard.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Thanks, I'm going to see if I find the book on Friday.

[a700hitter]

Thanks, I'm going to see if I find the book on Friday.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Turn-Bat-Fireside-Classics/dp/0671634232#reader_0671634232

 

This should be available at the Library

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Yeah, I was going to try Barnes & Nobles and other libraries before buying it online. The shipping is ridiculous for Amazon.

[YAZMAN]

Sorts Illustrated

July 8, 1968

The Science of Hitting

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081357/index.htm

 

It's amazing how close he was to being correct based just on experience and observation without the benefit of high speed camera analysis in an era before baseball-related human performance science was very empirical.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Thank you Yaz, i really appreciate it. Keep them coming guys, the more sources the better.

[YAZMAN]

Thank you Yaz, i really appreciate it. Keep them coming guys, the more sources the better.

 

An interesting angle to take with Ted is the Inverted "U" theory of human performance. It postulates that performance increases with intensity to a certain point, at which increases in intensity actually diminish performance...basically an athlete or performer starts to go on "tilt". But the curve slides along the x-axis, performance, depending on the individual and their mindset.

 

Ted was intense, but he was also a cocky MF'er with no shortage in the confidence department. There's an argument that guys like him, Manny, Barry Bonds, Ricky Henderson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Neon Deion, and Ali were the greatest because their mental opinions of themselves never limited their physical abilities.

[IRON HORSE]

It sounds like an interesting topic to write about. As a History major myself, I actually would not mind reading it and I could give you pointers and help on grammar and what not. For research check out David Halberstam's, "Teammates" and "Summer of '49". I know there was a Williams biography just recently released. It is a shame that we do not have players like Teddy Ballgame anymore in the age of Free Agency. I hope this helps, if you have any questions please post!

[Spitball]

I have been off arguing politics on another board and am just seeing your thread, RedSoxfanforlife305.

 

The Science of Hitting by Ted Williams is interesting, but Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero by Leigh Montville is my favorite on Ted Williams.

 

Besides his baseball and military life, Ted Williams was an accomplished outdoorsman and was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame. He was employed by Sears to test their fishing and hunting equipment. As a kid, I proudly had a Ted Williams fishing pole from Sears.

[IRON HORSE]

Thank you Spitball, the new biography that I was referring to is the Leigh Montville one!

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I have been off arguing politics on another board and am just seeing your thread, RedSoxfanforlife305.

 

The Science of Hitting by Ted Williams is interesting, but Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero by Leigh Montville is my favorite on Ted Williams.

 

Besides his baseball and military life, Ted Williams was an accomplished outdoorsman and was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame. He was employed by Sears to test their fishing and hunting equipment. As a kid, I proudly had a Ted Williams fishing pole from Sears.

 

Ohhh politics, not a fun topic to discuss haha.

 

Thanks a lot for the information, the more books the better. Hopefully Barnes and Nobles has at least 1 of them available, since they don't have the book a700 referred to me. I did read that he was a skilled fisherman somewhere before, never knew he was employed by Sears though. As of right now, I'm pretty excited to write this research paper.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

And looks like they have "Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero" available at one of the Barnes and Nobles stores. :thumbsup:

[SoxSport]

Williams had a strict mother who never gave him approval. She worked for the Salvation Army. His father was a non-factor--gone at an early age. Ted became a perfectionist at hitting a baseball, and some think it had something to do with seeking his mother's approval. Not uncommon with perfectionists.

 

I should add that he was also a crack Marine pilot--flying trainers in Pensacola during WWII

and jets in Korea, where he was almost shot down--barely making it back to an airbase.

His wingman in Korea was John Glenn--a close friend for the rest of his life. I once met a guy who served with him in Pensacola, and he told me Ted was well-liked there--nice guy.

 

He's a legitimate American hero. The real deal.

[Whiteandnerdy42]

I personally like the book HITTER, which I read a few years ago.

[a700hitter]

I was looking at a list of Red Sox uniform numbers and the players who wore them, and I found something odd with regard to Ted Williams' #9. Williams broke into the majors with a bang in 1939 and he wore #9 right from the beginning. By 1943 when Williams was in the Marines, he was already an iconic baseball figure. Oddly, in 1944, while Williams was still in the Service, two catchers wore number 9-- Johnny Peacock and Hal Wagner. Both had fairly long but undistinguished major league careers. Peacock had 1 HR in 9 seasons and Wagner had 15 HRs in a 12 year career. I was shocked to see that the Red Sox issued Williams' #9 while he was away at war. I wonder if they just ran out of uniforms or if those players wanted to pay homage to Williams in some way. Regardless of the actual story, I just can't believe the clubhouse guy would have issued #9 to anyone. Those clubhouse guys loved Williams. By all accounts, he treated them great and was a very generous tipper.

[Spitball]

In the mid-1950s, pitcher Frank Sullivan wore number nine for at least one inning. He was pitching on a blisteringly hot day and his wool jersey kept getting drenched with sweat. He started changing his jersey whenever it would get too weighted down. At one point, he wore one of Williams' extra #9 jerseys.

[a700hitter]

In the mid-1950s, pitcher Frank Sullivan wore number nine for at least one inning. He was pitching on a blisteringly hot day and his wool jersey kept getting drenched with sweat. He started changing his jersey whenever it would get too weighted down. At one point, he wore one of Williams' extra #9 jerseys.

That's interesting. I did not see him listed as a #9. That may be something that happened but was never officially recorded. It's a great story that only people who were there watching the game would know about. Do you know if that was in any newspaper reports about the game?

[Spitball]

That's interesting. I did not see him listed as a #9. That may be something that happened but was never officially recorded. It's a great story that only people who were there watching the game would know about. Do you know if that was in any newspaper reports about the game?

 

I was just a baby, but I remember my dad telling me the story more than once.

[a700hitter]

I was just a baby, but I remember my dad telling me the story more than once.

Did he tell you if Williams was also in the game-- two #9's on the field?

[Spitball]

Did he tell you if Williams was also in the game-- two #9's on the field?

 

My dad didn't say, but I found this link which indicates they were both in the game at the same time.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=LHoehfzd570C&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=why+Johnny+Peacock+wore+%239+red+sox&source=bl&ots=mZc05Au_Js&sig=_J_7bs0tE0zc7H1g0e8I9A0CdnE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NywdUbqtHc_-2QXe_oGwDg&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=why%20Johnny%20Peacock%20wore%20%239%20red%20sox&f=false

 

Btw, this looks like an interesting book for longtime Red Sox fans.

[seabeachfred]

Yeah, I was going to try Barnes & Nobles and other libraries before buying it online. The shipping is ridiculous for Amazon.

 

Hey, what about me RS305? I recommend "The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship" byDavid Halberstam. It came out in 2003 and is a masterpiece about four close friends on the Red Sox whopretty much came up together and played over a decade as were as close as friends and teammates could be........Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr. You can get a real good slant on Ted from that book and how he was loved and respected by these teammates and many others on the Red Sox. It shows a caring and nurturing Splinter. Just get the book. You will love it and you'll learn a lot.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I already found the book. I was leaning towards the book a700 referred to me, but they didn't have it on the iphone app I have. I had to settle for Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero by Leigh Montville, but that's ok because it's a good read(so far).

 

This professor is very strict. You get a letter grade for every mistake you make. Not just for this assignment, but every single one. We always have to write in cursive, 3rd person, no contractions, no sentence fragments, no comma splices, and the list goes on and on. I usually don't have a problem with writing but I find myself doing stupid mistakes on essays. Luckily, I haven't gotten anything lower than a B yet. Plan to keep it that way.

[mvp 78]

In cursive? I haven't had to write like that since middle school. Completely useless talent.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

He says it will "benefit us in the future".

[mvp 78]

It absolutely wont.

[Dojji]

There is literally no real world application of cursive these days and hasn't been in any practical sense since the invention of the typewriter. The internet was the death blow, but manuscript writing was dead a long time before that.

 

I'd say your prof is stuck in the last century, but the typewriter is older than that. More like the century before last.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

This book is great for a research paper. I just wish there was more info of his early life. There's barely any info about his early life online.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

There is literally no real world application of cursive these days and hasn't been in any practical sense since the invention of the typewriter. The internet was the death blow, but manuscript writing was dead a long time before that.

 

I'd say your prof is stuck in the last century, but the typewriter is older than that. More like the century before last.

 

He's definitely over 60, so I'd agree with you on this haha.

[Spitball]

There is literally no real world application of cursive these days and hasn't been in any practical sense since the invention of the typewriter. The internet was the death blow, but manuscript writing was dead a long time before that.

 

I'd say your prof is stuck in the last century, but the typewriter is older than that. More like the century before last.

 

I don't believe that this is true. I am with those who believe the art of cursive handwriting needs to be kept alive. There are still many jobs out there that require on-site hand-written communication and note taking. Also, many older folk do not particpate in the digital age communication.

 

Also, cursive handwriting is good for strengthening your brain. According to Virginia Berninger, a researcher and professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, "Pictures of brain activity have illustrated that sequential finger movements used in handwriting activated massive regions of the brain involved in thinking, language, and working memory. Handwriting differs from typing because it requires executing sequential finger strokes to form a letter, whereas keyboarding only involves touching a key."