Ted Williams passed away today, at age 83. Our sabermetric methods show that he probably wasn't quite as good a hitter as Babe Ruth, but he did lose about five years of his prime (24-26, 33-34) to military service, so I think the distinction is debatable. That missed time took away certain membership in the 3,000 hit and 600 home run clubs, not to mention several opportunities at batting titles, MVP awards and pennants.
Williams once said, "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street, folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.'" For the last man to hit .400 in the major leagues, the man who homered in the final at-bat of his career in 1960, that's a fitting epitaph. Rest in peace.
