I’ve been talking about this guy for fifteen years! Still, he doesn’t get the attention he deserves because he didn’t play baseball professionally. It’s really not fair. The way I see it, hitting a baseball and teaching someone to hit a baseball are two different things. And I’ll tell you what – Steve Ferroli can teach it every bit as good as I could hit it!

I took the game of baseball quite seriously and looking back I guess I did alright. But when age started kicking me in the pants, I got to thinking more and more about kids – kids and baseball. I began to think about coaching and how important quality coaching is. Then I thought boy, who out there is going to be able to talk hitting and get it right? Who has the knowledge to answer the big league questions and the heart to put it on the line for the kids? I was describing Steve Ferroli.

How good is he, you may ask? Well, I’ll give you some numbers…There are millions of kids between the ages of 8-12 years old playing baseball all around the world. They have been playing in organized youth leagues in our country since 1939. But they have been playing a game that is out of scale considering their size and age. Some of the dimensions were simply not scaled down correctly to account for the smaller bodies of these players. As a result, the game is affected – the fun, the interest! When you read Chapter Nine of this book, The Ted Williams League, consider how many hundreds of thousands of coaches, umpires and parents have had this mistake right under their noses but couldn’t see it. For over a half a century no one saw it – except Steve Ferroli.

It is my sincere hope that he stays in baseball and teaches hitting forever. That’s because among all the players, coaches, students, teachers, professors… anybody with whom I’ve ever talked hitting, Steve Ferroli knows more about my principles of hitting than anyone I’ve ever known.

In 1994, Ted personally selected Steve Ferroli, an author and batting instructor, as the Number 1 teacher of the Ted Williams Hitting Theory. Steve began his youth baseball study in 1986, and has collaborated with Ted Williams on this project since 1990.

He has been asked to speak at both the Ted Williams Museum and the National Baseball Hall Of Fame and Museum on Ted Williams’ hitting theories as well as the innovative Ted Williams League. The TWL league combines Ted’s theories with several decades of Steve’s highly praised research.

Ted Williams himself proclaimed:

Steve Ferroli knows more about my principles of hitting than anyone I’ve ever been with.

Steve Ferroli has devoted his life to teaching the theories of the man whom many have called “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived”. An outstanding player in his own right, Steve has combined his educational background in cognitive, affective and psychomotor activities with a passion for teaching and the result is a unique baseball learning experience for kids up to 15 years of age at the TedWilliams/Steve Ferroli Baseball Camp.

Presentations cover life, achievements of Red Sox Hall of Fame hitter

(COOPERSTOWN, NY): The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will honor the life and legacy of Hall of Fame great Ted Williams Sept. 11 and 12 in Cooperstown with a slate of presentations and events focused on the “Splendid Splinter.”

Ted Williams Weekend will feature 10 events during the two-day salute, with all activities free for visitors with a Museum admission. Appearances by former major leaguer, and former Williams’ teammate, Bill Monbouquette; United States Marine Corps Major General Larry S. Taylor; and noted Sports Illustrated columnist Leigh Montville highlight the weekend events.

Events begin Saturday at 10 a.m. with a presentation by historian Bruce Markusen in a discussion of Williams’ managerial career with the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers; at 11 a.m., Dave McCarthy, executive director of the Ted Williams Museum, will discuss the Ted Williams Museum; and at 11:45 a.m., Maj. Gen. Taylor will discuss Williams’ career in the Armed Forces. Montville, who recently authored a Williams biography, will discuss his book and sign copies following the presentation at 1:30 p.m. At 3 p.m., Steve Ferroli will share stories from the Ted Williams Baseball League. A showing of the documentary “Teammates,” depicting Williams’ bond with Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio,” will take place at 4 p.m. on both days.

On Sunday, Alan Pierce will discuss Williams’ role in pop culture through ephemera and memorabilia at 10 a.m. John Holway will recall the Splinter as a well-liked ballplayer at 11 a.m., and Bill Nowlin will discuss Williams’ family roots, including his Hispanic heritage at 1 p.m. Monbouquette will close the presentations at 2 p.m., sharing his memories of Williams as a teammate.

In addition, the Museum will host a special temporary exhibit on Ted Williams’ career, and will distribute Museum admission tickets featuring a Ted Williams’ collage on both days. All events will take place in the Bullpen Theater and are free with Museum admission.

Open seven days a week the year-round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the off-season, and from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day. Ticket prices are $9.50 for adults (13 and over), $8 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships is the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $4 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge, and there is no charge for children six years and younger. Active and retired card-carrying military personnel are admitted free. For more information, visit www.baseballhalloffame.org, or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME.

The complete schedule for Ted Williams Weekend:

Saturday, September 11

11 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. – “Ted Williams as manager of the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers”, presented by Bruce Markusen 
11:00 to 11:30 a.m. – Executive director of the Ted Williams Museum, Dave McCarthy 
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – “Colonel Ted Williams”, USMC, presented by Maj. Gen. Larry S. Taylor, USMC 
12:45 – 1:30 p.m. – Video Biography of Ted Williams 
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. – Leigh Montville, noted Sports Illustrated columnist and biographer of Ted Williams (Book signing to follow in Library Atrium) 
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – The Ted Williams Baseball League presented by Steve Ferroli 
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. – Teammates Documentary

Sunday, September 12 

10:00 to 10:45 a.m. – “Ted Williams and popular culture, including ephemera and memorabilia”, presented by Alan Pierce 
11:00 to 11:45 p.m. – “Remembering Ted as a well-liked ballplayer”, presented by John Holway 
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. – Video Biography of Ted Williams 
1:00 to 1:45 p.m. – Ted Williams’ Hispanic heritage (a discussion of Ted’s family roots), presented by Bill Nowlin 
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. – Bill Monbouquette, Teammate of Ted Williams in Boston 
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. – Teammates Documentary