skipper5
09-12-2009, 06:04 PM
In the mid-1980s, Ted did a joint interview with Mattingly and Boggs.
He didn't much care for watching Dewey Evans swing the bat.
Though he was a dead-pull hitter himself, Ted strongly advocated an up-the-middle/oppo mindset.
WILLIAMS : "When you get in the cage, you swing through with your head straight down -- Dewey Evans pretty near makes me vomit the way he swings."
MATTINGLY: I don't buy that, either.
WILLIAMS: All I've heard around the Red Sox for the last five years is to keep your head straight down all the time, and it's a terrible thing. Mr. Brett does it sometimes and gets himself all screwed up. You know why? There's no way you can complete your swing.
WILLIAMS: When you hit the ball to leftfield, do you hit more ground balls or fly balls? [ Williams of course believed the goal of a hitter was to get the ball into the air].
MATTINGLY: [ a lefty] I hit more fly balls [oppo].
WILLIAMS: As did everyone else who ever played the game.When you pull the ball, you have a tendency to hit more ground balls. You tend to hit the ball on the ground because the toughest thing is to pull the ball and get it in the air. That's the premium, par excellence hit.
WILLIAMS: Now, if I could give you any advice, it would be that the tougher the pitcher, the tougher the situation, the tougher the count, the worse the light, the worse the umpires, the tougher the delivery, the single most important thing to think about is hitting the ball hard through the middle. You'll never go wrong with that idea in your mind. As long as you hit, and especially as you get older, hang in there and be quick.
He didn't much care for watching Dewey Evans swing the bat.
Though he was a dead-pull hitter himself, Ted strongly advocated an up-the-middle/oppo mindset.
WILLIAMS : "When you get in the cage, you swing through with your head straight down -- Dewey Evans pretty near makes me vomit the way he swings."
MATTINGLY: I don't buy that, either.
WILLIAMS: All I've heard around the Red Sox for the last five years is to keep your head straight down all the time, and it's a terrible thing. Mr. Brett does it sometimes and gets himself all screwed up. You know why? There's no way you can complete your swing.
WILLIAMS: When you hit the ball to leftfield, do you hit more ground balls or fly balls? [ Williams of course believed the goal of a hitter was to get the ball into the air].
MATTINGLY: [ a lefty] I hit more fly balls [oppo].
WILLIAMS: As did everyone else who ever played the game.When you pull the ball, you have a tendency to hit more ground balls. You tend to hit the ball on the ground because the toughest thing is to pull the ball and get it in the air. That's the premium, par excellence hit.
WILLIAMS: Now, if I could give you any advice, it would be that the tougher the pitcher, the tougher the situation, the tougher the count, the worse the light, the worse the umpires, the tougher the delivery, the single most important thing to think about is hitting the ball hard through the middle. You'll never go wrong with that idea in your mind. As long as you hit, and especially as you get older, hang in there and be quick.