Farewell to Ted Williams: August 30, 1918-July 5, 2002: a baseball legend and American hero. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)

A PICTURE-PERFECT SWING DEVELOPED through endless hours of practice made Ted Williams one of the greatest hitters who ever lived. At the same time, a less-than-ideal attitude developed during numerous years of butting heads with fans and sportswriters made him a royal pain in the you-know-where.

There never seemed to be any gray area with Ted Williams. Either you adored him, or you disliked him.

As the baseball world remembers the last major league player to hit .400--he batted .406 in 1941--both sides of the man emerge loud and clear. He could turn on the charm for a youngster or teammate and be a hero and friend for life. And he could just as easily ignore his Boston Red Sox fans wanting a tip of the cap, or a sportswriter wanting an interview, and become viewed as a non-appreciative jerk.

"I was a teammate of his for seven years and he was the most humble and nice guy I ever met," former Red Sox pitcher Mickey McDermott said. "For whatever reason, I had a good rapport with him, better than most. He lived in a tunnel, so to speak, and didn't let many people in."

Most of those who entered Williams' world were either hitters or fishermen. He had a passion for both, and that never changed. Ted Williams was to hitting what Einstein was to mathematics.

"Theodore wanted to be the greatest hitter that ever lived," McDermott said.

The intense drive to reach that goal started when Williams was growing up in San Diego, California His father was a heavy drinker and his mother played her tambourine on the street corners in San Diego and nearby Tijuana, Mexico for money.