On Oct. 9, 1987, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr staged a formal debate about hitting on the banks of Oregon’s Rogue River, a conversation captured on video and — according to ESPN — found last year in the home of late Red Sox teammate Dave “Boo” Ferriss.
Williams and Doerr first met in 1936, when Williams was 17 and Doerr 18, and both went on to Hall of Fame careers with the Boston Red Sox, according to ESPN. The two long-time teammates disagreed on hitting fundamentals: Doerr came from the traditional school that advocated swinging down on the ball to create backspin to clear the wall, while Williams rejected conventional coaching and called much of the hitting instruction in the major leagues broken, according to ESPN.
ESPN said the debate took place during a three-day fishing trip with canoes and tour boats visible in the background. Each participant received 10 minutes to present his view and five minutes of questions from the group. The footage, ESPN reported, functions as a visual companion to Williams’ book The Science of Hitting and offers material comparable to modern hitting instruction.
Bobby Doerr told the group Williams “was so much ahead of anybody else,” according to ESPN. The fishing companions ultimately voted the debate a tie, but ESPN noted Williams’ arguments and teaching style were described in the tape as a clear influence on later hitting coaches and players.
Six-time All-Star and former National League MVP Joey Votto, identified by ESPN as a leading modern adherent of Williams’ approach, reviewed five points from the tape. Votto said, “I travel with the holy book” referring to The Science of Hitting, and called the newly revealed 45-minute video an extension of Williams’ written work, according to ESPN.
Williams’ first point emphasized “quickness” and strength: “This is a quick game and a strong game. You wanna be as quick and strong as you can be,” he said, according to ESPN. ESPN noted the average everyday player in Williams’ era was about 6 feet tall and 180–185 pounds, compared with roughly 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds for the modern every-day player, and that hitters now prioritize size, strength training and bat-speed work. Votto summarized Williams’ use of “quickness” as the hitter’s ability to read and react to the pitch, according to ESPN.
