The Teammates [Hardcover]

This book is a must read for all Ted Williams and die-hard Red Sox fans. Halberstam is careful to portray the great "Ted Williams" as a true baseball legend but also a man with flaws. Moreover, the author does a magnificent job of detailing the Red Sox rivalry with the New York Yankees and Boston's frustrating pursuit of a World Series Championship during this era.

Halberstam uncovers real gems of baseball information. For instance, in 1941, the year Ted Williams hit .406, Bobby Doerr noticed that Williams had made a slight adaptation in his swing because he had chipped a bone in his right ankle during spring training. "Every day Williams would have it wrapped, and he favored the ankle thoughout the season. Because of that, Bobby believed that Williams as a left-handed hitter was favoring his right or front foot and staying back a little more when he swung and so he hit an inordinate number of sinking line drives just past the second baseman into right field," the author reports.

Williams of course is the last Major League Baseball player to hit .400 or better in a single season. To this end, the author repeats some special baseball folklore...that on the last day of the infamous 1941 season Boston faced the Philadelphia Athletics in a doubleheader and, "Ted's average rounded out to .400 and manager Joe Cronin had offered him the day off. But Ted Williams did not round things out, and he had played, gotten six hits, and taken the average up to .406," the author reports. Halberstam comments that few modern day ball players would have had the pride and work ethic to risk it all and do the same thing. Williams had a good day...but if he had gone hitless in six at bats...he would have failed to hit above the difficult .400 benchmark, Halberstam makes a point of reminding the readers.

I think what truly makes this book special is the fact that Doerr, DiMaggio and Pesky were profoundly decent human beings. Unlike Williams who had three marriages and a rocky relationship with his kids, his "teammates" had solid marriages and wholesome lives. Nevertheless, the four men formed a unique friendship that is both hearthwarming and a tribute to their generation of baseball players. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz

This book is a must read for all Ted Williams and die-hard Red Sox fans. Halberstam is careful to portray the great "Ted Williams" as a true baseball legend but also a man with flaws. Moreover, the author does a magnificent job of detailing the Red Sox rivalry with the New York Yankees and Boston's frustrating pursuit of a World Series Championship during this era.

Halberstam uncovers real gems of baseball information. For instance, in 1941, the year Ted Williams hit .406, Bobby Doerr noticed that Williams had made a slight adaptation in his swing because he had chipped a bone in his right ankle during spring training. "Every day Williams would have it wrapped, and he favored the ankle thoughout the season. Because of that, Bobby believed that Williams as a left-handed hitter was favoring his right or front foot and staying back a little more when he swung and so he hit an inordinate number of sinking line drives just past the second baseman into right field," the author reports.

Williams of course is the last Major League Baseball player to hit .400 or better in a single season. To this end, the author repeats some special baseball folklore...that on the last day of the infamous 1941 season Boston faced the Philadelphia Athletics in a doubleheader and, "Ted's average rounded out to .400 and manager Joe Cronin had offered him the day off. But Ted Williams did not round things out, and he had played, gotten six hits, and taken the average up to .406," the author reports. Halberstam comments that few modern day ball players would have had the pride and work ethic to risk it all and do the same thing. Williams had a good day...but if he had gone hitless in six at bats...he would have failed to hit above the difficult .400 benchmark, Halberstam makes a point of reminding the readers.

I think what truly makes this book special is the fact that Doerr, DiMaggio and Pesky were profoundly decent human beings. Unlike Williams who had three marriages and a rocky relationship with his kids, his "teammates" had solid marriages and wholesome lives. Nevertheless, the four men formed a unique friendship that is both hearthwarming and a tribute to their generation of baseball players. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz

The book recounts the backgrounds of all four players, details their friendships from the days when they were in the minor leagues through the end of their lives and provides lots of perspective on the Red Sox during the 1940s and 1950s when these remarkable players were on the team. The end of the book also has the lifetime stats for each player.

One of the intriguing parts of the book is how hard Ted Williams was on himself and his friends. It is a remarkable tale of friendship to see how others would tolerate his abuse by rolling with the punches. Behind the friendships, you get many glimpses of great character . . . character that actually makes their athletic accomplishments seem paler by comparison.

I strongly urge all Red Sox fans and parents who want their children to develop better characters to read this book, and share the story with their friends and family. I know of no better book about athletes that looks at the qualities of true greatness.