Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean
Regarding this dismissal of Ted Williams based on his lack of championships, I recall watching an episode of "Sports Reporters" in the late '80s. Dick Schaap was interviewing a group of reporters who covered baseball in the '40s and '50s. I'm sorry, but I can't recall their names. One question that he asked was "Who was better, Dimaggio or Williams?" One of the men replied "You want to know the difference between Dimaggio and Williams? I'll tell you the difference. Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Spud Chandler, Whitey Ford, Allie Reynolds, Eddie Lopat and Vic Raschi."
My point (and the sportswriter's) is that you can't judge a ballplayer's ability solely on championships. Williams was a great hitter, and if the Red Sox didn't have enough pitching to match the Yankees this shouldn't diminish his reputation.
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And, DiMaggio had the advantage of not having to face those pitchers. The only HOF pitcher the Red Sox had during DiMaggio's career was Lefty Grove, who was washed up by the time Williams debuted.