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David Halberstam's Teammates is about Boston Red Sox Dominic DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Ted Williams; who enjoyed close friendships during their playing days which continued through the rest of their lives. The book begins with Pesky, DiMaggio and Red Sox historian Dick Flavin driving to Florida to spend their last time with the ailing Williams. Doerr could not make the trek as he was in Oregon taking care of his wife who had weakened after suffering two strokes. From here, Halberstam takes the reader through a brief history of each of these players and their steadfast friendship through the decades.

Much of the book is centered around Williams, the most famous of the four, of course, and the most dominating of the personalities. Halberstam does an excellent job painting the characters in such a way that the reader feels he/she really knows them. Such is especially the case with Williams; the intense perfectionist who demanded the most of himself and those around him. Included in this book are stories of Williams' long debate with Doerr over the proper swing (Williams always winning the argument) which is described in a hitting clinic during a fishing trip in 1987. Even a friendly day of fishing with Doerr turned into an uncomfortable situation when Williams believed his friend kept missing opportunities to catch tarpons. The author, in fact, kept the fact that he fished from Williams until after his first interview with the star to avoid a potentially disastrous fishing excursion before he obtained his story (pg. 80). Halberstam describes Williams' poor childhood and homelife to help the reader understand this domineering figure driven always to be the best.

Baseball historians will enjoy the many reminiscences of the old-time players of the day. Halberstam details game seven of the 1946 World Series and Dominic DiMaggio sets the record straight about the infamous Pesky play (Curiously, Williams' views on that play are not revealed). The author also sought out former Red Sox pitchers Tex Houghson and Boo Ferriss to find out what happened to weaken the potentially great Boston pitching staff after their World Series run. Halberstam spent many hours with all four of these players in interviews for other works and had the cooperation of the three surviving teammates and their wives when writing this book. This relationship between author and subject gives the reader confidence in the book's accuracy and sincerity. The book is fast moving (200 pages of text) and well written. It includes the four teammates' career statistics, Boston's standings from 1937-53, and many wonderful photographs.

David Halberstam is recognized as a brilliant author, although what I've found especially impressive is his versatility. He has written some excellent non-baseball books (i.e. "The Fifties), but for this reader, Halberstam is at his best writing about the Great American Pastime. And his latest is very good.

"The Teammates" centers around the unlikely and very close friendship between Ted Williams, Dominic Dimaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr, four Boston Red Sox legends from the World War II era. Williams, of course, was the true giant among them, although the other three were vitally important to the impressive run the Sox had just before and after the war.

Halberstam conducted numerous interviews with Dimaggio, Doerr and Pesky, as well as legendary Boston sportswriter Dick Flavin, about Williams and the influence the Splendid Splinter had on their lives. The result is a book-long flashback which segues in and out of snatches of conversation Flavin, Dimaggio and Pesky had during a 1000-mile drive to visit Williams when it was clear the legend was nearing death.

This is not a lengthy book at all, nor did it need to be. And Halberstam, while making reference to the circus-like atmosphere surrounding Williams' death and the behavior of his clearly dysfunctional children, did the classy thing by not dwelling on it and besmirching the Williams legend further. It is made clear that Williams wasn't the easiest individual in the world to get along with--he was an absolute perfectionist, and things were done his way or not at all. He was also very opinionated, which Halberstam explains himself while recounting a fishing trip he took with Williams in the late 1980's.

Red Sox fans will adore this book, especially older devotees. It's strongly recommended for them, and recommended as well for all baseball fans. And it goes without saying that if you enjoyed Halberstam's previous baseball books, you'll like this one.

This is a moving book about friendship. As baseball legend Ted Williams' lay slowly dying at age 83 in the fall of 2001, his former teammates Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr considered making the long drive to Florida for a final visit. The narrative focuses on that trip, and the enduring friendship between these four that continued for five decades after their playing days ended. Readers come to know these men, their backgrounds, flaws, strengths, families, health conditions, and post-baseball careers. Fans will enjoy their playing memoirs from the powerful Red Sox squads of the 1940's - teams that often fell just short at season's end. Adding spice to the narrative are Boston sportswriter Dick Flavin (who made the trip) and occasionally the author David Halberstam. This is another outstanding baseball book by Halberstam (SUMMER OF '49, OCTOBER 1964); let's hope he'll write more. THE TEAMMATES is a concise and moving tribute to friendship, baseball...and life.