My Grandfather, Ted Williams, Veterans Day, and Baseball

Here is an idea. Think about how very blessed you are to be living in the great country called the U. S. of A. Think about all the people that died for that freedom. Think of all the sacrifices the men and women made that served in our armed forces so we could have the right to lounge around on a Thursday afternoon and read sports blogs.

When I think of Veterans day I think of 2 people. My grandfather, Lee Frederick, who pitched for the St. Louis Browns, which later became the Baltimore Orioles. ( That is his baseball cap on the top of the post ). Then came World War 2. He was a Marine! He fought in the Pacific. I am ashamed that I do not know more about what he did, but I think in his old age, talking about the War was not exactly one of his priorities. He loved his family. He also still loved baseball. On a typical sunny afternoon you could easily find him pulled over on the side of the road watching a random baseball game that he was passing by. He would stand at the outfield fence and just watch kids, little leaguers, high schoolers, etc… He loved baseball.

Naturally, when I start to think of my grandfather, baseball, The Marines, Korean War, and World War II, I think of the greatest hitter of all time. No, Barry Bonds did not go on a roid rage against the 3rd Reich. I am talking about Ted Williams. I could not possibly tell you all of his exploits in this short post. I will simply let the HOF War hero show you himself. Look at the twinkle in his eye when he talks about baseball. Witness his encyclopedic knowledge of all of his at bats. See the plane that he emergency landed with no landing gear. See his final at bat where he hit a home run before his home crowd, and still refused to tip his cap.

So, on this Veterans day, lets pause to thank all of the Ted Williams’s that did not make it back to hit 521 Home Runs, and the Lee Frederick’s that did not make it back to have 6 children and tons of great looking grandchildren. Let’s remember the simple joys of life … like baseball.