Posnanski: How do you sum up the greatest hitter who ever lived?

From SABR member Joe Posnanski at The Athletic on July 17, 2018:

PBS’​ American Masters​ series is one of the treasures​ of​ American television. It​ has been​ going for more​ than​ 30​​ years (and has won 28 Emmys). There have been more than 250 American masters celebrated and studied through intimate documentaries, from Johnny Carson to Arthur Miller, Jimi Hendrix to Georgia O’Keefe, Julia Child to James Dean and Norman Rockwell to John Lennon, who was certainly a master and just as certainly not American.

On Monday, July 23, for the first time, American Masters will feature a male athlete.

That seems odd, no? In three decades it has not found one male athlete worthy of being called an American Master? (To be fair, there have been two women athletes profiles: Billie Jean King and Althea Gibson). It seems absurdly overdue.

But say this: When the people behind the show finally picked an American Master male athlete, they picked the right one: You will love Nick Davis’ documentary: Ted Williams. “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.”

Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/435615/2018/07/17/posnanski-how-do-you-sum-up-the-greatest-hitter-who-ever-lived/



Originally published: July 18, 2018. Last Updated: July 18, 2018.