.406 BA
The Splendid Splinter
Ted Williams

56 Consecutive Games
The Yankee Clipper
Joe DiMaggio

The summer of 1941 was the background for two young superstars in the American League who put on a dazzling display of talent that provided the greatest batting feats in the history of baseball in a single season. Certainly they have not been equaled during the past 77 years. Joe’s hitting streak broke the record by 12 games and Ted became the last hitter to hit over .400 since 1930.

When we were kids the argument as to who was the better hitter raged as common playground banter. One from San Diego, the other from San Francisco; one a lefty, the other a right-handed hitter; one was always buttoned up while the other never wore a tie; both served in WWII; both became national heroes and both are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Our class will relive these extraordinary events using films and interviews from that era to recreate those times, the players and their teammates. We will begin with a look at the overall careers of the two men but move to the details of their specific accomplishments during this amazing season.

We will also recall their life stories which took dramatically different turns. As two of the most recognized athletes of their times they had very different interests. DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe and lived in the big city while Williams married several times and loved to fish in remote areas. Both had issues with the press and their deaths were surrounded by surreal events.

There will be some suggested readings and surprisingly good films of these men and their teammates in action. We will discuss the players, their teams, and their exploits. Come prepared to defend your position as to who had the better year and to remember the days when baseball really was America’s pastime!