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Facing Ted Williams
Far from a conventional biography, Facing Ted Williams aims to offer a different perspective—to tell a different story. See Ted Williams through the eyes of pitchers struggling to put a fastball past his bat, from infielders and outfielders, as they adjust their positions in the hopes that they can fill the hole where a frozen rope might otherwise land, squat behind the plate with catchers as they strategize a Williams at-bat, pitch-by-pitch, as well as testimonials from teammates and opponents alike on how Williams was regarded among his peers.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 27, 2024
As baseball season approaches I thought this would be a fun read.
So many people have complained over the years that baseball games are too long. Well, this book was too long . My score of a "3" is probably generous as there were more strikeouts than hits. I appreciate that the author spoke with dozens of old baseball players who faced Williams, and there were some really great stories shared. But so much of what was included in the book was not helpful or entertaining. There are pages of interview questions and responses where the former big league players give answers like, "no", "I don't recall", "I'm not sure", etc. Why include that? The fact that some of these players did not remember much or had their "facts" wrong is understandable - given that they are all quite old. Some of them even spoke to their faulty memory. It just felt like some good editing would have helped by keeping the detailed, interesting answers, and not publishing the many responses where it was clear the person had little of value to offer. The book title says "Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall..." If they don't recall, don't include it. A third of the book probably could have been eliminated, and the overall experience would have been better.
I did really enjoy the Foreward by Wade Boggs and the Afterword by Bob Wolff.
So many people have complained over the years that baseball games are too long. Well, this book was too long . My score of a "3" is probably generous as there were more strikeouts than hits. I appreciate that the author spoke with dozens of old baseball players who faced Williams, and there were some really great stories shared. But so much of what was included in the book was not helpful or entertaining. There are pages of interview questions and responses where the former big league players give answers like, "no", "I don't recall", "I'm not sure", etc. Why include that? The fact that some of these players did not remember much or had their "facts" wrong is understandable - given that they are all quite old. Some of them even spoke to their faulty memory. It just felt like some good editing would have helped by keeping the detailed, interesting answers, and not publishing the many responses where it was clear the person had little of value to offer. The book title says "Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall..." If they don't recall, don't include it. A third of the book probably could have been eliminated, and the overall experience would have been better.
I did really enjoy the Foreward by Wade Boggs and the Afterword by Bob Wolff.
April 20, 2013
Full disclosure. The author and my last names are not a coincidence, he is my brother. But I stand by my rating as do all of my friends that I have recommended this book to. One of them emailed me: "Great stories! Some of the most interesting details I've read in a sports book in years". Here is my quick take:
Bob Feller won 266 games in the major leagues and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Hal Raether's record in the majors was 0-0. He pitched a total of four innings. But both of these players have stories to tell about Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball. In Mr. Raether's first ever game, he pitched to Williams. His story is three and a half pages, just a little shorter then his four innings of pitching. And that is the beauty of "Facing Ted Williams". The greats and the unknowns all have stories to tell. These guys are all getting up there in years (some have passed away recently) yet they recall with (what I think is) amazing detail of their encounters with Ted Williams. In fact, I think the stories from the guys that just had a cup of coffee in the bigs are the best. Guys that seem to be happy recalling those old memories and of how great a hitter Williams really was. Not only that but to hear about how Williams would talk to and encourage many of these players is interesting as many people think of him as being sort of a curmudgeon, especially with the press.
I know Dave worked hard getting all these interviews together and the book is a testament to his hard work and research. Any baseball fan will love it.
Bob Feller won 266 games in the major leagues and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Hal Raether's record in the majors was 0-0. He pitched a total of four innings. But both of these players have stories to tell about Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball. In Mr. Raether's first ever game, he pitched to Williams. His story is three and a half pages, just a little shorter then his four innings of pitching. And that is the beauty of "Facing Ted Williams". The greats and the unknowns all have stories to tell. These guys are all getting up there in years (some have passed away recently) yet they recall with (what I think is) amazing detail of their encounters with Ted Williams. In fact, I think the stories from the guys that just had a cup of coffee in the bigs are the best. Guys that seem to be happy recalling those old memories and of how great a hitter Williams really was. Not only that but to hear about how Williams would talk to and encourage many of these players is interesting as many people think of him as being sort of a curmudgeon, especially with the press.
I know Dave worked hard getting all these interviews together and the book is a testament to his hard work and research. Any baseball fan will love it.
February 14, 2020
I enjoyed this, but as another review pointed out, it did get repetitive. The most enjoyable part of it for me was reading the pitchers' recollection of specific game situations and then reading the footnotes that explained what actually happened in the game. Not surprisingly, given the decades that have passed since the games, they were often very different. I also thought is was interesting that most of the pitchers interviewed thought that the umpires deferred to Williams by not calling strikes on borderline pitches that he didn't swing at, but none (or very few) of the catchers interviewed felt that was the case.
March 22, 2025
A good idea, but really terribly edited. Especially in audio format, needed trimming.
August 29, 2013
To be honest it was somewhat disappointing because after a while each pitcher seemed to say the same thing, maybe understandable, but not all that interesting to read. Liked the sections by the catchers and infielders somewhat more.
October 26, 2013
An enjoyable read. The best part is seeing how much the various players remember about Ted Williams and how their memories do (or do not) correspond to the actual historical record.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews