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What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now? : A Remembrance

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This is an update and extension of a magazine article by sportswriter Cramer in 1986, who also wrote an acclaimed biography of a very different sports figure, Joe Dimaggio. It comprises a number of interviews Cramer had with Williams at that time,a nd then updates it with his decline through illness until his recent death.

I admit to a not-uncommon trait, for those may age, of holding Ted Williams up as one of my boyhood heroes: to see him up at bat in those late 40's-early 50's was nothing short of beautiful. In this book, he is shown as a cantankerous retiree, uncompromising in his earned egoism, unfussy demand for privacy, crusty narrowmindedness, complete dedication to baseball and sport fishing and the seeking of perfection in both those. And his failure as a family man, in his marriages and his fatherings.

But in this latter trait, he mellowed and made up for alot of his past mistakes, which he understood and, if not admitted, tried to make a second effort. And, ironically, his life becomes one of the touching love stories with his last companion, a woman who fell in love with him immediately,w aited through his three failed marriages, and then had sense enough not to marry him herself but to live with him until her own death, loving him with that open-eyed strength that makes a true match.

Cramer also loves this larger-than-life figure, but in that same open-eyed way that makes a fine essay.

Some new material is sandwiched around it, but the core of this small book is one of the finest pieces of sports journalism ever, Richard Ben Cramer's justly famous profile of Ted Williams which appeared in Esquire in 1986. This extended essay was also published in a fine photo collection about Williams, Seasons of the Kid. Williams' passing has brought it back into print, and with good reason. For all the millions of words expended during and after Williams' lifetime trying to explain him, I doubt that none came closer to the heart of the man than Cramer.

Cramer is also author of a much-praised and much criticized biography of Williams' contemporary and rival, Joe DiMaggio. Although his book about the Yankee Clipper was subtitled "The Hero's Life," Cramer found very little heroic in DiMaggio beyond the baseball field. Not so in the case of Williams. Revealed here is a true American original, loud, brash, profane, stubbornly independent, courageous in two tours of service to his country, the man who set out to earn the title of Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, and who, in the eyes of many fans, made good on that lofty objective.

It's interesting to note that Williams inspired not one, but two absolute classics of sportswriting. (The other being John Updike's famous account of Ted's final game, "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu.") Other books may give you more details about Williams' exploits, both on and off the field. But none will come as close to capturing the essence of the man.--William C. Hall

Ted Williams lived the kind of irrepressible life that Hollywood tried to invent for its toughest actors; old-skool masculinity personified, he was the finest baseball player of a generation (if not all time), a fisherman worthy of Hemingway's prose, and a lifelong Marine who served his country in not one but TWO deadly wars, the second of which nearly cost him his own life.

He was the eternal paradox, the New England sports hero with the "When Guns Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Guns" bumper sticker on his pick-up truck, the all-time All-Star outfielder who practiced his swing while playing defense, the surly bane to those in the sports press charged with selling his image to the Boston public, and the eternal cynic who could never fully give himself to the public's adoration because he would always hear the 2 or 3 boos among the thousands of cheers his very presence on the field generated.

This book does a fine job of encapsulating the highlights of Williams' career, covered sparingly among a (then) current interview of the man as living legend approaching his 70's. But the real joy and success of the book is the author's capturing the essence of the magnitude of Williams to the point that you can't possibly help but feel that you are listening to the man thunder away in your own living room, rather than from a far-off house in the Florida Keys (or from the more appropriate peak of Mount Olympus). Most enjoyable to me is the author's penchant FOR PRINTING WILLIAMS' QUOTES IN ALL CAPS (wherein I can't help but read them aloud -and at suitable volume- to my fiancee', much to her dismay).

We have a suitable account of Williams' life after his time as an active player and manager, but before his health began to rapidly deteriorate. It is a full portrait, balancing the more infamous qualities of the man with those that Williams fiercely guarded during his lifetime; that he was, beneath the callous exterior, as warm and giving a soul that baseball would be far more fortunate than it deserves to have as an ambassador today.
It's a joy to read, seemingly almost an afterthought in its brevity, but when considered that it was only ever supposed to be an article for Esquire magazine, it surely ranks among the finest sports writing of all time.

"What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?" by Richard Ben Cramer is a wonderful paean to the greatest hitter who ever lived.

You can almost hear Ted's booming voice vroom off the pages. Mr. Cramer absolutely makes him come alive.

This is short, sweet, swift and pleasant read. It gets right to the point of this larger than life character.

A must for any Ted Williams or Red Sox fan, and a delightful treat for any baseball fan.

I read this book in one sitting! I couldn't put it down. It's a slim volume, but gives you the "meat" of who the real Ted Williams was. If you're a Williams fan you gotta have this one!

This is a good, quick look into what the great baseball player was really like. It gives some explanations about his tempestuous nature and shows that he had some quite different ideas in his later years. His show of temper seems to have come from his intensely competitive nature and his striving to be perfect. He had a hard time handling any kind of failure.

The book is a reprint of the author's 1986 article for Esquire magazine, with additions for the years after 1986. The article is acclaimed as one of the finest pieces of sports reporting ever written.

Anyone who likes baseball should like this book.

Richard Ben Cramer wrote a somewhat controversial but well-researched biography of Joe DiMaggio. The major difference between this excellent portrait, and the latter project, was that we see and hear the protagonist in his own words. At times, it is a loud, booming voice full of life, stories, regrets, and accomplishments of one of our sporting legends.

Mr. Cramer does a masterful job weaving this interesting portrayal. This book is rather brief compared to the DiMaggio biography; however, it has more "life." The bulk of this work concentrates upon an interview that took place in 1986. It is written in such a way that the author fades into the background. In a strange sense, the reader feels present. As if we are sitting with Mr. Williams in his living room, and spellbound to imagine what will come next. The sheer force of his personality makes this a very entertaining and informative read.

Compared to the modern day ballplayer, Mr. Williams was indeed a rare bird. He had interesting and intriguing opinions about hitting, fishing, flying jet planes, marriage, lemonade, fickle fans, and the traffic patterns of the Florida Keys. ;-) He is both arrogant and enchanting, if one can imagine such a thing. Mr. Cramer draws out Williams in a way that writers of his own era failed to do. He showed him respect and deference, but like so many of the fish that Williams loved to catch, didn't allow him off the hook on tough subjects. In a way, this interview perhaps was a cathartic exercise for Mr. Williams.

The unfortunate circumstances that surrounded his death made this book quite pertinent. What do we think of him now? The best hitter to ever live, a true American patriot, a lover of the great outdoors, and a man who defined life in his own strike zone.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this excellent work by Mr. Cramer.

This book is deceptively short, yet like Ted Williams swinging at a baseball in his prime --- it packs one hell of wallop! Amazingly, the reader gets a very well-rounded picture of Williams the man, Williams the out-sized legend, Williams the S.O.B. and of course in his most famous guise as baseball's "greatest hitter who ever lived." The last man ever to hit .400 for a season with 521 career home runs to his credit (including one on his last ever time at bat), he was also the only man ever elected to both the baseball and fly-fishing halls of fame. His life was extremely rich and full and reads like it was five lifetimes rolled into one. A fighter pilot during WWII, many argue he may have even forfeited some of his best years in baseball to serve his country.... Considering his well-established contributions to the science of hitting, that's a scary thought! Anyway, if you're looking for a short and breezy read on one of baseball's all-time-greats look no further than this book by Richard Ben Cramer.

In a paper-thin volume, Richard Ben Cramer manages to capture the many contradictions of the greatest hitter who ever lived and the last man to bat over .400, Theodore Samuel (Ted) Williams. His book is must reading for any Red Sox fan, and for that matter anyone who wonders why baseball heroes like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose, Joe DiMaggio, and Williams lead such dysfunctional lives, often estranged from their own families.

Contradiction: Williams respected authority (never argued with umpires and liked the military life), but he refused to conform to societal customs, e.g. wearing a necktie.

Contradiction: He was an obsessive perfectionist, but often half-hearted on defense or while running the bases.

Contradiction: He was a self-centered loner, but unfailingly generous toward charities.

Contradiction: He resented the Boston sports press, but wanted no publicity for his unselfish work for the Jimmy Fund.

Contradiction: He came from poverty, was poorly educated, yet became a dyed-in-the-wool Republican and establishmentarian.

One thing Ted never lost was his potty-mouth, which he used to rail against the "knights of the keyboard," Boston's habitually self-righteous sports reporters who attacked him not only for his lackadaisical defensive habits but even for his failure to call his mother on holidays (she was a Salvation Army worker who wasn't home, anyway) or stay home for his daughter's birth (she was born two months prematurely, but he was supposed to have known it would happen). The more Ted cursed at his enemies in the press, the more they'd dig up irrelevant dirt to throw at him. Things never improved. He also refused to tip his cap for the fans after a home run, resentful of earlier booing.

So why did Ted Williams enjoy such a renaissance in public aspect, especially in Boston? It wasn't because he changed as a person. On the contrary, as Cramer makes clear, his later life (with his life partner, Louise, whom he settled down with after three unsuccessful marriages), was filled with the same profanity, the same volatile temper, the same need to be right all the time that the younger Ted Williams exhibited.

What happened, apparently, was that the public was no longer exposed to the constant friction between Ted and the press, and so remembered only the good stuff: his .406 batting average in 1941, his home run that decided the All-Star game that year, and the home run in his last at bat in 1960, all of which were replayed via TV highlights regularly. John Updike's dissertation on the 1960 home run helped, too.

Cramer makes us understand Ted Williams. Like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Joe DiMaggio, he was no scholar. Also like them, he was able to cultivate a specific skill set on the baseball diamond. He became (arguably) the greatest hitter who ever lived. Still, his lack of education and lonely childhood left vacuums in his life...he compensated for the first by having to be right all the time, and for the second by finally admitting to Cramer, "I was a terrible husband and father."

In the interest of full disclosure, the present writer met Ted Williams at two Red Sox fantasy camps.

This easy- to- read- page- turner provides new insight into a truly great man. I had admired him for years, but with reservations, due mostly to rumors. After reading this one-on-one report by a man who experienced the good and the bad of Ted Williams, I came away with tremendous insight into a sensitive, caring, loving, beautiful human being. Who knew?? I'm grateful for Richard Ben Cramer's memories of his thought provoking time with Ted Williams, so the rest of us can realize that there was SO much more behind this man than his remarkable life in baseball. I have purchased this book for many of my friends, due to its' uniqueness, and they have all loved it as much as myself. This little book can be read in an evening, but packs a powerful punch!