Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:30 AM EDT
- ampoule
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In Response to
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
In Response to Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived? : That's pretty harsh ampoule. I served in the military, and when I was in HS one of my best buds was a Vietnam Vet. Just so you know, not every Vietnam Vet supported that war. I think Ali said "Why should I travel 10000 miles away to kill other poor people?". And his name was Muhammad Ali, not Cassius Clay. Even Howard Cossell acknowledged that. Oh, and he was probably the greatest boxer who ever lived.
Posted by carnie
True, but they WENT....
PLEASE don't respond. I already regret responding to your comment.
For other people who comment, I will NOT respond to anymore political stuff.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:32 AM EDT
- BaseballGM
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1. Lowrie
2. Ruth
3. Williams
He stood up for what he believed in. Recall, he was first declined. Then the draft board changed their mind. That's what initially pissed him off.
Very, very poor character. One of the current heroes of the utopian generation. Those that went but didn't want to, could have deferred, pretended to be a moral objector, or gone to Canada, those are men. A cultural hero choice is a direct relection of the values of the culture. Athletic ability, a loud mouth and a captive audience are not the basis for strong character.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:33 AM EDT
- carnie
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Fair enough. We're here to talk baseball, not politics.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:43 AM EDT
- Flapjack07
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How exactly does Ichiro come into this conversation?
Ichiro: career .330 avg, .375 OPB
Williams: .344 avg, .482 OBP
And Ichiro is a singles hitter, vs. someone who hit 30 or 40 home runs every year. Ichiro is great for what he is, but if we're talking greatest hitters ever, there's zero contest.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:52 AM EDT
- harness
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I agree: a loud mouth is no basis for a strong character.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 2:04 AM EDT
- BaseballGM
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There is no loud mouth on a message board, Harness.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 2:28 AM EDT
- harness
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Why, what gave you the idea I was referring to the message board?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 2:40 AM EDT
- BaseballGM
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Because you are on a message board..................
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 2:48 AM EDT
- harness
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I am? Ya got me there:)
How would Teddy Ballgame/Ruth have fared in the current game?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 9:46 AM EDT
- jaytf25
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In Response to
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
jayt, How many years did you spend crawling on your stomach in the jungles of VietNam because your country asked you to? Or, how many of your personal friends never came back? Williams wasn't yellow like Cassius Clay...but, from your response I know that you already are.
Posted by ampoule
Yellow is a cheap shot. My dad served in WWII, my grandfather served in WWI had a cousin's husband in the Vietnam War and one great uncle in the Battle of the Bulge and another in the Bataan Death March. I was lucky to be 15 when we stopped fighting in Vietnam. I don't know what I would have done but thank God I didn't have to choose. We should never forget those who seved and those who served and didn't come back. Wether we agree with the war or not. My dad was in a plane crash after WWII and was the only survivor so I guess he kind of made me somewhat anti-war. Anyway Ted was a great American for what he did for his country.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:22 AM EDT
- georom4
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when Ali was asked why he didnt go to war, he responded:
"No Vietnamese ever called me ni**er"
I think he had a point there...
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:25 AM EDT
- lucbom
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In Response to
Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff The Red Sox had this great little nugget in their pre-game media notes: today is the anniversary of Ted Williams hitting his first home run in the majors. It was April 23, 1939 against the Philadelphia Athletics at Fenway Park. Williams connected off Bud Thomas in the first inning. The Sox lost the game 12-8 and the attendance was listed at 12,000.
www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/peteabepics/Ted_Williams.jpg " />
www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/assets_c/2011/04/Ted_Williams-thumb-90x135-39591.jpg " alt="Ted_Williams.jpg" width="90" height="135"> Williams was a 20-year-old rookie that season. He hit .327/.436/.609 with 44 doubles, 11 triples, 31 homers, 107 walks and 145 RBIs. Can you image if a 20-year-old kid did that today? Surely you have done this before. But look at
www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml " target="_blank"> Ted's page on Baseball-Reference.com and marvel at what a player he was. The man had a .482 career OBP and a 1.116 OPS. His career OPS+ was 190. It's amazing to think somebody played for 19 seasons, came to the plate 9,791 times and got on base 48.2 percent of the time. Plus hit 521 home runs. Here's to the memory of the greatest hitter who ever lived and the first home run he hit in the majors. That must have been something to see.
Posted by -EdithBunker-
ABSOLUTELY! Ted's stance at the plate and swing were classic, and so smooth, so natural. Ted and his team mates used to travel to Medfield to eat at the Francis Inn, and we kids on Frairy Street always got a smile, or a ball from Ted. You can talk about any of today's baseball stars, but none will ever come close to being a "Ted Williams". As most everyone knows, Ted Williams was a combat pilot, a man among boys, a patriot, and thank heavens a Red Sox. If ever a name change happens at Fenway Park, I hope it will become Ted Williams Park.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:29 AM EDT
- jaytf25
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In Response to
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
In Response to Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived? : True, but they WENT.... PLEASE don't respond. I already regret responding to your comment. For other people who comment, I will NOT respond to anymore political stuff.
Posted by ampoule
Sorry ampoule, I didn't mean to stir up anything. I agree this is a Red Sox and baseball web site only. We all agree that Ted was the greatest hitter ever and a great American.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 1:19 PM EDT
- ampoule
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Jay, Thank you for the response, but it really wasn't you who stirred things up. It was me....for very personal reasons.
Your sensitivity and acknowledgement is noted and appreciated.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 3:40 PM EDT
- BaseballGM
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when Ali was asked why he didnt go to war, he responded:
"No Vietnamese ever called me ni**er"
I think he had a point there...
One can just see the bravery and maturity in that comment. If he lived in Vietnamese culture, he would have been called that and a few more epithets. Others could have made excuses, but they went with their brothers and non-brothers. Very sad, American culture's idolizing this bad character.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 3:47 PM EDT
- moonslav59
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Not everyone who refused service did so out of cowardice.
If Obama said go and attack Canada right now, would you?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 3:49 PM EDT
- dgalehouse
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In Response to
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
when Ali was asked why he didnt go to war, he responded: "No Vietnamese ever called me ni**er" I think he had a point there...
Posted by georom4
Oh yeah, that's a great excuse. Did he ever even meet a Vietnamese?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 3:50 PM EDT
- georom4
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Baseball - For the record, I never liked Ali. I was too young for the Vietnam Era dissent but considering this was the time when there was serious hatred towards Blacks who simply wanted equal rights, I can understand his resentment. One of my students asked me if I would have gone to war in Vietnam. I told them truthfully - in 1964-66, yes. After that, I'm not so sure. How Ali became a statesman of global dimensions is beyond me. Some of the things he said to Joe Frazier was worse than what a Klansman would say.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 9:21 PM EDT
- harness
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Here's a question:
Who was greater in their respective sport: Williams or Ali?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 9:39 PM EDT
- dgalehouse
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Teddy Ballgame was the greatest hitter of all time. If he had played for the Yankees in Ruth's era, with that short porch , there is no telling what he might have accomplished. As for Ali, he is ,arguably , the greatest fighter of all time. That does not excuse his sometimes vile and hateful racial and religious remarks. He has now matured and does not speak like that any more.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 9:51 PM EDT
- BosoxJoe5
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In Response to
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?:
when Ali was asked why he didnt go to war, he responded: "No Vietnamese ever called me ni**er" I think he had a point there...
Posted by georom4
I actually think he refered to them as a Charlie.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:06 PM EDT
- summerof67
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I would also suggest Rogers Hornsby have a seat at this table, along with Ruth and Williams.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:41 PM EDT
- moonslav59
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I agree.
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 10:47 PM EDT
- harness
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Cobb gets no love?
Re: Was Ted Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived?
posted at 4/24/2011 11:11 PM EDT
Cobb was the greatest hitter of all time maybe not power hitter but the greatest hitter none the less
