Ted Williams

Just a heads up, PBS will be broadcasting a one hour "American Masters" documentary about Ted Williams early next week, if interested be sure to check your local listings because it may not be the same everywhere. They are showing it Monday night July 23rd where I live in South Florida. Here's an excerpt from the promo:

The film is slated to premiere summer 2018 on PBS in honor of Williams’ centennial (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002). This is the first time American Masters has profiled a baseball player.

“A major American cultural figure whose story has never been properly told, Ted Williams is a fitting first,” said Michael Kantor, American Masters series executive producer. “This film will reveal the man behind the legendary .406 batting average: complex, misunderstood and profoundly human.”

To fans, the Boston Red Sox player was baseball’s Peter Pan: the eternal ‘Kid’ who combined preternatural gifts with a fierce work ethic to become one of the greatest hitters who ever lived. Serving as a flight instructor in World War II and a decorated combat pilot in the Korean War, Williams was also a fly-fishing expert.

Lesser known was how he was driven by shame over his Mexican-American background, humiliation over his father’s weakness, and a deep rage over his mother’s virtual abandonment of him and his younger brother. American Masters: Ted Williams will reveal the star player’s complicated relationships with his family, teammates, press, fans and himself. Through in-depth interviews with those who knew him best, the documentary will demonstrate the power of the heroic myth-making culture in which Williams flourished.

American Masters: Ted Williams will also look at the impact the iconic hitter has had on the current generation of stars in Major League Baseball. Superstars like Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy and Josh Donaldson have credited Williams’ methods to hitting as guides in their own approach today.

“To me, Ted is an Homeric hero. Like Achilles, he was perfect, but vulnerable, extraordinary, yet flawed,” said executive producer Albert M. Tappe. “I discovered him when I was four-years-old and met him when I was 44. No one has ever had as much impact on my life. Whatever success I have had in my life, I owe it to him.”

“Only one man ever hit more home runs for the Red Sox than I did — and that’s Ted Williams. What an honor to help tell his story for American Masters and PBS,” said David Ortiz, the recently retired Boston Red Sox 10-time All-Star and executive producer for Big Papi Productions. “Boston fans are the absolute best, and I’ve loved learning about how challenging a time Ted had with them; this guy used to spit at the fans and flip them off! Man, I hate to think what would’ve happened if he’d been around for Twitter!”

“Ted Williams’ legacy and accomplishments continue to impact our great game to this day,” said Chris Tully, Executive Vice President of Media, Major League Baseball. “Having a series like American Masters examine the story of one of baseball’s most historic and iconic figures, and his impact on our young stars in the game today almost 60 years after he stopped playing, is an exciting journey that Major League Baseball is proud to be a part of.”

“Ted Williams is the perfect subject for a filmmaker. Guileless and kid-like, profoundly talented and obsessively driven, he was also profane, quick-witted, patriotic, brilliant, and sensitive – a man of immense complication and contrasts,” said director and producer Nick Davis. “I look forward to telling his story on the country’s premier outlet for biographical filmmaking.”

Thanks for the heads up -- this'll be interesting to watch, looking forward to it very much. But I disagree with the producer's self-aggrandizing hyperbole that this is a story "that's never been properly told." Countless books have been written about Ted Williams and his career and personal life. Leigh Montville wrote a masterly, highly comprehensive biography several years ago, for example.