Legendary Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams, the last baseball player to hit above .400, has died. Share your thoughts about The Kid.

Page 2

My mother is now 79, and has been a Red Sox fan since she was a girl. She used to tell my dad, when they were dating, that she would leave him in an instant if Ted Williams ever came calling!

Patti M., Stow, MA

best hitter ever - period. noone will ever hit 400 again

Geoffrey, Roslindale

We should all hope to have such a full and produtive life as Ted Williams , not only was he a legend in baseball, that cannot be disputeded, but he was a bigger winner in knowing that this one life we get should not be wasted .

John Curtin, boston

I am sitting in work ... in tears. A great man has left us today. God bless you Ted.

Mark J. McLaughlin, West Chester, PA

What a man, what a life he lived... even to those of us who never got to see the great Williams play, Teddy Ballgame will always stand as the epitome of athletics as art - the greatest practitioner of our greatest game, Ted's ferocious concentration and highest respect for the craft of hitting a baseball will continue to inspire all these years after he stepped to the plate. Let's see him swinging the bat again now, he and Joltin' Joe going at it again, laughing like kids - rookies all over again.

Jason McCool, New York City (via Brockton, MA)

From my column today at www.worldeditor.com .... THE OL' MAN: A part of me died today. One of the great heroes of my youth, Ted Williams, passed away at age 83. He probably "saved" my life when I was a youngster. Growing up in a small village, Bass River, in Nova Scotia, I lived and died with my beloved Boston Red Sox (on the radio at WBZ, Boston & WBZA, Springfield). However, I developed rheumatic fever when I was 12 years old and one of the most memorable happenings for this youngster was when the Splendid Splinter sent me his autograph and his photo and a letter, addressed to me. It brought light to my eyes and the faith that I could overcome anything in life. That coveted letter from him, personally, I believe, was the inspiration that pushed me into a short professional sports career and later to become sports editor of a major Canadian newspaper. I never told Mr. Williams that I had become a sportswriter ... such people were not his favorites, but Mr. Williams was a man of principles and courage and I will always remember his inspiration. Goodbye, Mr. Williams, I will always remember you ...

Mr. Kaye Corbett, Falkland,BC, Canada VOE1WO

The most impressive thing, I believe, about Ted Williams was that twice in the prime of his career, he left baseball to defend our country. His already impressive baseball numbers couldve been THAT much higher...but that was all secondary to him when his country needed him. He was a true hero.

Jon Varney, Watertown

The 1st time I saw Fenway Park was in Ted Williams' final year, 1960. We were late to the game and arrived in the home half of the 1st inning. We walked up the ramp, hand in hand, my father and I, first base side. The thing I noticed was the lights which magically turned the field to daytime, and,the man at the plate, number 9. "That's Ted Williams", my father whispered, "the greatest hitter who ever lived." We watched a moment, both transfixed, then went to our seats. It is the earliest memory I have in life, and I will treasure it always.

withheld

No one will understand what baseball meant to Ted. To him baseball was the wine of life.May God rest his soul ELI

Eli , Norwood

Today, the baseball world lost the Greatest Hitter to Ever Live. Today, the United States lost one of the greatest Americans to ever live. Today, I lost a hero.

Tom McCoy Jr., Binghamton, NY