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Hitters honored, but focus is on Ted

Legend's daughter collects tributes as Williams continues recovery from surgery.

By KEITH NIEBUHR

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 19, 2001

CITRUS HILLS -- At a ceremony that honored baseball greats past and present, a person who admittedly knows little about the sport stole the show.

Her name is Claudia Williams.

The 29-year-old St. Petersburg resident and youngest child of baseball legend Ted Williams was one of the featured speakers at Sunday's eighth annual Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Her 82-year-old father, recovering from heart surgery at a New York hospital, missed the event for the first time, but she made sure to tell the several hundred people on hand that his health had "taken a major step forward," which drew the day's loudest applause.

"The doctors are very, very positive," Williams said. "They told me last night he was doing well."

She later said the elder Williams likely will be moved to a rehabilitation center, possibly in California, in the "next couple of days."

Williams, an activities director at Fairwinds Treatment Center, was making her first trip to the induction ceremony. During her speech, she thanked those in attendance for coming and said she couldn't wait to see her father later this week to describe the weekend's events to him in person. After the ceremony, she signed baseballs, pictures and programs while person after person wished her father well.

"It's so amazing," Williams said. "Everybody that has come up to me has told me a story about my dad and it's touched me so much."

Several of baseball's biggest names, among them Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Monte Irvin, Robin Roberts and Enos Slaughter, were on hand to pay tribute to Ted Williams and to celebrate the induction of four players -- Paul Molitor, Jim Rice, Dave Winfield and Robin Yount -- into the Hitters Hall of Fame. Rice, Winfield and Yount attended, and each gave a short acceptance speech.

"I am in awe," said Winfield, a 2001 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. "I have enjoyed every minute of it."

Also on hand was another Hall of Famer, Tom Seaver, who received a Wall of Great Achievement award, which goes to a pitcher.

"Anybody that has played baseball has a deep-seated love for Ted Williams," Seaver said.

Three of today's youngest stars -- Rafael Furcal of Atlanta, Mark Quinn of Kansas City and Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra also accepted awards. Furcal and Quinn won rookie of the year for their respective leagues; Garciaparra was given the Splendid Splinter award, named in honor of Ted Williams.

Garciaparra summed up the thoughts of most of those in attendance when he told the crowd that "all our prayers are with Ted."

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