It's Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew [Hardcover]

John Underwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

Ever wonder what it would be like to go back in time to have a conversation with a legend? It’s Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew allows readers to experience the baseball great’s views and personality through the immediacy of recorded conversations and personal stories. Author John Underwood has collected the most powerful and poignant moments from his previously unreleased archive of discussions with Williams to set the record straight on a misunderstood icon. This book and its audio CD companion paint a sensitive and nuanced portrait of an American icon, one that reveals a side of Williams’ character and personality never before glimpsed by the American public. It’s Ted Williams at his most unguarded.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

John Underwood captures Ted’s voice as if he were sitting in the same room." —Leigh Montville

From the Inside Flap

That Ted Williams was a complicated figure is accepted without argument. The same can be said about his status as one of baseball’s greatest hitters—as well as his status as a war hero and avid outdoorsman. On just about everything else, however, opinions are greatly mixed. John Underwood knew Ted Williams for more than 30 years as a friend and as a confidant. Their friendship grew over the years, and Underwood slowly came to know Williams as few others did. Some of what he discovered about Williams did indeed square with public perceptions. Much, however, did not. It’s Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew punches through the mysteries and public misconceptions to offer a fresh and revealing perspective on this legend. John Underwood recorded hours of their conversations—candid, stark, joyous, sad, anguished, profane, and triumphant discussions—and this book reveals Williams’ unvarnished thoughts on his world, including:

• the mistakes of baseball, the duplicity of politicians, and the frustrations of golf • the sheer joy of serendipitous sex • whom he admired, who disappointed him, and who saved him from his own mistakes • religion, war, and his great, abiding love for the Marine Corps • reflections on Joe DiMaggio, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Richard Nixon, and John Kennedy • the ins and outs of hunting, fishing—and cooking • and so much more . . .

A riveting audio CD complements the text and includes some of the author’s most provocative and engaging conversations with Williams, many recorded while the friends were scouring the waters off their beloved Florida Keys, hunting sable antelope in Africa, or fishing for bonefish and tarpon in Costa Rica. From these first-hand accounts, a portrait of Williams emerges that will surprise, delight, and maybe even rankle readers. It’s Only Me is an evocative resource for fans of Ted Williams, baseball, or great American heroes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books; First Edition edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572436956
• ISBN-13: 978-1572436954
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Ted

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal Ted, June 1, 2005

By 

lytfut "lytfut" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew (Hardcover)

John Underwood's book will please any Ted fan. He surely knew him personally, sharing anecdotes that reveal Ted Williams as a human being as well as a ballplayer. Underwood is not afraid to address Ted's insecurities or his occasional pitfalls/negatives that may have undermined some personal relationships and the baseball world. His records on and off the field speak for themselves. He was the best Boston player ever and made children his priority, including Underwood's. The book also gives much more credit to Bobby Jo Ferrell, Ted's eldest daughter and the only sane offspring of the family. He is complimentary of her efforts to free Ted from his frozen fate. Knowing her personally, I share Underwood's opinion of her positive qualities and compassion - a smile that would captivate anyone.

We all know what Ted wanted after his death and it wasn't a macabre warehouse in Arizona where humans are vivisected and desecrated. Underwood has a persoanal video of Ted saying what he desired after death - cremation and dispersal with his dog's remains in the Keys. The book reads extremely well and will keep you spellbound as if you are there with Underwood in Ted's home in the Keys or in Hernando. One on one, you feel a part of the conversations. Nicely done and a must for Boston fans that cherished the Man and the game when it was a "game" not a business.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for the "well versed" Williams fan., May 6, 2005

By 

W. P. Danitz "Man about Town." (Conshohocken, PA., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew (Hardcover)

Great book by John Underwood!

Those familiar with many Ted Williams books and articles will recognize some of the stories in the book, but anything with Ted talking "off the cuff" is great. The CD recording included with the book of Ted giving his opinions, experiences and thoughts is priceless! Mr. Underwood, if you read this you should release all of your Williams recordings on CD. I guarentee they'd be very popular!!

This should not be the first Ted Williams book you read. I suggest "My Turn at Bat" also by Underwood or "Ted Williams: An American Hero." by Leigh Montville as your first Williams read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book written objectively, fairly, from the inside, April 11, 2008

By 

Mark J. Satterstrom (Harris, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew (Hardcover)

For all the books written about Ted Williams and his ability to hit a baseball better than anyone who has ever lived, this is a fantastic little book to read if you want to really understand this complicated man. Written by one of Ted's long-time friends and confidants, the book is unusually objective, showing Ted's flaws without apology. Ted had a temper and could be thoughtless, even cruel, and that comes through. So does the rest of Ted's character. When you finish this book, you will probably, like me, "miss" Ted just as the author does.

My favorite little incident has Ted cursing a stray cat that's been hanging around his door. Then, after preparing breakfast for his guests, he sets a plate of scraps by the door for that cat. "No point in it going to waste," he gruffly says. Reading this made me smile. Ted, do you suppose the da** cat hangs around your door so much, because you feed it? A clear example of a famous and profound saying: Actions speak louder than words. Ted curses the cat, but feeds it.

I've always been a big Ted Williams fan. Reading this book has made me even more enthusiastically in Ted's corner, and it has also given me a very clear picture of his dark side. A wonderful book, fair, honest, warm, and very well worth buying and reading.

By the way, the CD that comes with this book, Ted talking about his crash landing in Korea and other assorted subjects, should be listened to after reading the book. First get to know the man, then hear his voice, and it all comes together.