Great memories of a dedicated ballplayer

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Guess where I met Ted Williams? I met him as he was leaving a shower in a dressing room at Comiskey Park in Chicago. My wife dated Earl Johnson when they were classmates at Ballard High School. (Earl later married one of her best friends.) Earl was a relief pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. When his team came to Chicago, he would give us tickets to their games with the Chicago White Sox. My 6-year-old son and I would sit next to the Red Sox bull-pen which was along the right-field base line. We could reach out and touch the Red Sox players who were very close to us. Sometimes Earl would take us to the Red Sox dressing room after the game. That is when we met Ted Williams, Dominic Dimaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doer, Birdie Tebbets, Mel Parnell, and other Red Sox players.

Earl Johnson also visited our home in Chicago. I can still see him wiping dishes with a dish towel while my wife washed the dishes after dinner. Several times Earl invited us to come to dinner at the Del Prado Hotel where the Red Sox stayed when playing against the White Sox. The year was 1946 and the Red Sox played in the World Series that year against the St. Louis Cardinals. (The Cardinals won the series.) Earl Johnson pitched in relief during the first game.

I felt sad when I heard that Ted Williams had died. He was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was a dedicated player and always gave his best effort.

Arlington