Being Ted Williams: Growing Up with a Baseball Idol

Description

August 30, 2018 marks the 100th birthday of the former Boston Red Sox outfielder and baseball legend. In Being Ted Williams, esteemed sportscaster Dick Enberg offers a series of personal anecdotes that loosely follow Ted's life from his childhood in San Diego, to his fun teenage years playing in the Pacific Coast League, his glorious yet frustrating Red Sox career, his heroic actions as a fighter pilot in two wars (as John Glenn's favorite wing-man), and his post-career years leading to his heart-rending appearance at age eighty at the 1999 All-Star Game. Though other books have recounted Williams's career, none have done so through the eyes of someone like Enberg, who followed Ted's career as just a young boy, trying to emulate his classic swing, then as a broadcaster, and finally as a friend, when the two men could enjoy numerous get-togethers until Ted's passing in 2002. Enberg also weaves in personal stories and commentary on what it means to be a hero from other legendary sports figures, such as Bobby Knight, Vin Scully, Bill Walton, and many more. Being Ted Williams makes the perfect gift for the baseball fan looking for a unique perspective on one of the sport's greatest legends through the lens of one of the best broadcasters in the game's history.

Dick Enberg (1935-2017), a veteran of 60 years of sports broadcasting and the author of two bestselling books, is the only person to win National Emmy Awards as a sportscaster, writer, and producer. He was inducted into the National Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, National Sportscaster and Sportswriters HOF, Pro Football HOF, National Basketball HOF, National Baseball HOF, Rose Bowl HOF, and Academic All-America HOF. Having joined NBC Sports in 1975, Enberg served as the play by play voice of a variety of sporting events, including but not limited to World Series, Super Bowls, Rose Bowls, and pro basketball, golf, and tennis championships. In 2000, he joined CBS Sports and ESPN. After seven seasons (2010-2016) Enberg concluded his role as the TV voice of the San Diego Padres on FSSD. A former college professor, he continued in his 30th year as the spokesperson for the collegiate Academic All-America Hall of Fame program. Tom Clavin is an author of nonfiction books who has previously toiled as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and reporter for the New York Times covering entertainment, sports, and the environment. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. Three of his books have been New York Times best sellers: The Heart of Everything That Is, Halsey's Typhoon, and The Last Stand of Fox Company. He is also the author of several sports books that received critical acclaim, including The DiMaggios, Gil Hodges, and Roger Maris. His latest projects are Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission and Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West, also a New York Times bestseller. Clavin resides in Sag Harbor, New York.

"Ted Williams batted .406 but Dick Enberg batted a thousand on everything he touched. This masterpiece was meticulously crafted with the same gifted storytelling, love, and passion that defined his legendary career. We lost Dick shortly after he finished this project, but luckily for those of us who treasured his friendship, we can hear him on every page of the book." -Jim Nantz "As a boy, Dick Enberg idolized Ted Williams. Later, Dick, like Ted, became a master of his craft. As the fates would have it, the two would become friends. This book is both an homage to the game Dick loved best, and a unique remembrance of one of the most compelling figures that game has ever known." -Bob Costas "An all-time broadcaster meets an all-time hitter. Two Hall of Famers have produced a grand slam home run." -Vin Scully "As his parting gift, the classy Dick Enberg reminds us once again why we love baseball." -Tim McCarver "Ted Williams batted .406 but Dick Enberg batted a thousand on everything he touched. This masterpiece was meticulously crafted with the same gifted storytelling, love, and passion that defined his legendary career. We lost Dick shortly after he finished this project, but luckily for those of us who treasured his friendship, we can hear him on every page of the book." -Jim Nantz "As a boy, Dick Enberg idolized Ted Williams. Later, Dick, like Ted, became a master of his craft. As the fates would have it, the two would become friends. This book is both an homage to the game Dick loved best, and a unique remembrance of one of the most compelling figures that game has ever known." -Bob Costas "An all-time broadcaster meets an all-time hitter. Two Hall of Famers have produced a grand slam home run." -Vin Scully "As his parting gift, the classy Dick Enberg reminds us once again why we love baseball." -Tim McCarver