“Now we have something new: A series of reminiscences from the players who battled the great No. 9. . . . In Facing Ted Williams, Dave Heller did yeoman’s work tracking down a range of players, from perennial all-stars to guys whose cup of coffee in the Show was more like a shot of Joe. . . . [A] worthy accessory to the Williams portion of the baseball shelf.”
—Boston Globe
“The value of [Facing Ted Williams] is in the unabashed discussion of Williams’ passion for the game....The result is a fast-paced yet not superficial discussion of the National Pastime’s best hitter. [Facing Ted Williams is] essential for baseball fanatics, [and] should also be perused by fans of all ages.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review)
“There's a neat book out called 'Facing Ted Williams' that's worth checking out if you're a Red Sox fan, Williams fan or just a fan of players talking about baseball from the old days…a fun project by Heller, something different than the standard biography.”
—David Schoenfield, ESPN.com
“What was it like to pitch to the greatest hitter who ever lived? Now we know.”
—Dan Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of Francona: The Red Sox Years
“…the soul of Facing Ted Williams is the stories, and those, like the sweet swing of a Ted Williams’ home run, are delightfully satisfying.” —New York Journal of Books
“A very enjoyable and revealing view—both literally and figuratively—of perhaps the greatest hitter of all time. Even ‘The Splended Splinter’ probably would have been impressed by Dave Heller’s prodigious amount of research.”
—Jack Cavanaugh, author of Tunny, Giants Among Men, and Season of '42
“In this ambitious and engaging project, Heller set out to get the truth straight from the players’ mouths. . . . What also emerges through Heller’s dogged efforts is a scrapbook-style look at the way the game was played in the 1940s and '50s…”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“As the author of several books on Ted Williams, with a couple of more in the wings, Facing Ted Williams is an idea I wish I’d had.”
—Bill Nowlin, author of So You Think You're a Boston Red Sox Fan? and co-author of Red Sox vs. Yankees
“A penetrating inside look at the 'Splendid Splinter' from those who played against him. Facing Ted Williams is a must-have for fans of baseball’s Golden Age.”
—Glen Waggoner, former editor for ESPN: The Magazine and author of Baseball by the Rules
Facing Ted Williams
Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived
