Ted Williams is perhaps the most famous of the baseball playing anglers. He was such an acclaimed angler that he was inducted in the IGFA Hall-of-Fame in 2000, and spent the majority of his post-baseball career (and a portion of his playing days) as a tackle merchant, both on his own (Ted Williams Inc. until 1961) and as a spokesman for Sears, Roebuck & Co. fishing tackle.
Much has been written of Williams on-line, including my own little epistle that has turned out to be one of the most viewed articles in the history of this site. It dealt with his famous (at least among collectors) Upper Deck commercial. If you missed this one, you can read about it by clicking here.
As I've been conducting a lot of research on Williams over the past several years, I will have some great pieces on the Splendid Splinter's angling career over the course of the next year. But there's a lot to keep you busy in the meantime:
Sports Illustrated's great article by Williams' biographer John Underwood on Ted and fishing: Click Here to View.
Fran Folsom's piece on Williams fishing on the Miramichi River: Click Here to View.
ESPN's piece on the Greatest Flyfisher who Also Played Baseball: Click Here to View.
Richard Ben Cramer's fantastic 1968 piece for Esquire: Click Here to View.
And finally, if you have 28 minutes, watch this fantastic video on Ted Williams fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon uploaded by Sears, Roebuck & Co. It's a hoot.
As baseball playoffs are in full swing, let's remember Ted Williams as both an angler and the best hitter who ever lived.
-- Dr. Todd
