Hitter: The Life and Turmoils of Ted Williams

by Ed Linn

Overview

At first he was The Kid, then The Splendid Splinter and Thumping Theodore - to say nothing of Teddy Ballgame. But the tag that really fits is Hitter. “A riveting retrospective” (Baseball americanca). Index; career statistics; photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780156000918
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/30/1994
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

Veteran baseball writer Linn ( Veeck--As in Wreck ) here looks at the life of ``Splendid Splinter'' Ted Williams, perhaps the greatest natural batter of the modern era. Son of a fanatically religious mother and an alcoholic father, the often neglected young Williams, who was born in 1918 and raised in San Diego, Calif., spent countless hours by himself compulsively learning the intricacies of hitting a baseball. Linn follows Williams from his start as a Boston Red Sox rookie in 1939; the .406 batting average of 1941; the 1946 championship team; his 39 combat flights during the Korean War; and the dramatic home run in his final at-bat in 1960. Much of the book deals with Williams's love-hate relationship with the Boston press and fans--virulent, surly and sometimes downright obscene. But we are also shown Williams the champion of the underdog and strong supporter of the Jimmy Fund children's cancer charity. The book gives us an in-depth look at the rich and colorful personality of Williams; its only fault is that it leaves us looking for more. Photos. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

How does Ted Williams compare with today's stars of the game? One can only wonder what Williams's salary would be in today's market. The recent election of Reggie Jackson to baseball's Hall of Fame reminds this reviewer of one statistic: In his 20-year career, Williams had only one season in which he hit less than Jackson's career batting average. Linn's book is not a typical game-by-game baseball biography but a series of snapshots of Williams's career. The coauthor of Veeck--as in Wreck (1962) touches on the many high points but does not neglect Williams's warts, including his constant battle with Boston baseball writers. The product of an unhappy childhood, Williams formed close friendships with the ``underdog'' and gave unsparingly of himself to a charity for combating cancer in children. Recommended for all public libraries.-- William O. Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, Pa.

Library Journal