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Award idea is a home run Decision to honor Williams is fitting By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist, 7/9/2002
Now, in this stupid summer in which Commissioner Bud Selig and players union head Donald Fehr continue to stumble, give the Commish some points for doing the right thing in the name of the greatest hitter who ever lived. Look for Williams to be honored twice tonight: before the game and again during the seventh inning. Selig said he has reserved seats for two of Ted's children, Claudia and the controversial John Henry. If they show, they will be seated directly behind the commissioner. There were a pair of ducats left for them for last night's Home Run Derby, but they were not seen in those seats. Selig didn't want to comment on John Henry Williams's odd plan, which has resulted in Ted Williams's remains being stored in a cryonic warehouse in Scottsdale, Ariz. Like everyone else, Selig has been told that Williams wanted to be cremated, but the Commish said, ''I don't want to enter into a family matter. What should be done is what Ted wanted. That's what I want for him, whatever he wanted.'' Selig was the one who saw to it that Williams had private jets to go to San Diego and back to Florida for rehab after his nine-hour surgery in New York in January of 2001. Like just about everyone in Boston, the Commish is a Ted fan. Big time. ''Ted Williams is a national treasure,'' Selig said as he watched thee Home Run Derby in his new ballpark. ''He was our John Wayne. ''Even when he was struggling, back in December and January when he was really hard to talk to, he'd call me and say, `God, Comissioner, I wish I could help you. And that night in Boston three years ago, I've never seen such emotion. You'll never replicate that in American sports.'' Pedro Martinez was the All-Star Game MVP the night Williams was honored in Boston. Tonight, the game's best player will receive the Ted Williams Award. Maybe one of the six Red Sox participants can win it. ''We've been thinking about doing this,'' said Selig. ''He's just a critical part of our history and we need to perpetuate it.'' Williams's old pal, Dominic DiMaggio, is in Brewtown for the All-Star festivities and yesterday talked about Ted's greatest All-Star moment, his 1941 winning homer off Claude Passeau at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The American League trailed, 5-4, in the bottom of the ninth when Teddy Ballgame came up to the plate with two on and two out. Williams launched a homer to right on a 2-1 pitch, then danced around the bases. It is the most re-played video of a Williams homer, sort of like the Carlton Fisk shot without the benefit of color. ''I was in the on-deck circle when he hit that home run off Passeau,'' DiMaggio said yesterday before signing autographs at the Fanfest for a couple of hours. ''That was one of the thrills of his life. I can still see him prancing and clapping his hands rounding first base. I'd never seen him do that before. And I thought they would have walked him and pitched to me. For whatever reason, they didn't.'' There were other great All-Star moments, of course. In the first Fenway All-Star Game in 1946, Williams hit two homers, knocked in five runs, and went 4 for 4 with a walk in a 12-0 AL win. He also threw out the first ball at the 1953 and '61 All-Star Games. Annually, this was one of his best days of every season, and it's appropriate that he be honored before and during tonight's game. The passing of Williams and the goofy stunt to freeze his remains is a dominant topic in Milwaukee this week. ''I'm sad,'' said DiMaggio. ''I'm gonna miss Teddy, but I'm relieved also and I hope those people will do the right thing and get this business settled and put Teddy to rest where he belongs. He wanted to be cremated. That was his wish.'' ''My brother Joe and Ted, they both went through the same terrible ordeal, and it was not easy to watch. I told Joe that he'd been through hell and then been though hell again and I know Ted went through the same ordeal.'' Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com.
This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 7/9/2002.
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ILWAUKEE - It's fitting that Major League Baseball has decided to name its All-Star Game MVP Award in honor of Ted Williams. The Midsummer Classic was Ted's time to shine - including three years ago when he said goodbye to baseball on the Fenway lawn while surrounded by the greatest tonnage of hardball talent ever assembled.