to have ben bradlee here.hat is it that makes ted williams so interesting? >> in his death i was struck byl was in his life. he had been a meaningful figure to me. i had grown up outside boston as a kid. saw him play the last three, four years of his career. and i remember when he died, the boston globe was filled with letters to the editor. from grandfathers to fathers, to sons. and he was sort of a glue in the social fabric. and he was a meaningful figure to me. and i'm speed reading the earlier books on williams, they were mostly done by adoring sports writers who focused mostly on his exploits in the field. i thought there was room to tell the other parts, much less chronicled parts of his life. growing up in san diego during the depression, the fact that he concealed the fact that he was a mexican american. no one had known that until just before he died. his service in two wars, his struggles with anger, i thought it was rich. so i dove in. >>rose: i asked him once why hee i was good at it early, the mor

it took about 10 years for ben bradlee jr.e his book, the title "the kid: the immortal life of ted williams," and he gets into ted williams professional and personal life including the controversial decision to freeze his body after his death. ben, thank you very much for coming in. journalist, up in boston for many years. where did you get your love of writing and journalism? >> well, you know, i have been in the business quite a while. it might be in the genes, i'm not sure. i started as a reporter in california, a small paper, the riverside press enterprise, i wrote a couple of crime books out there. i had grown up in boston, and when i got a chance to work at "the boston globe" in 1979 as a young reporter, i moved back home. >> who turned you on to ted williams? >> williams was a figure in my life. he is perhaps my hero growing up. my room was plastered with pictures of ted williams from magazine photos, and i saw him play as a kid, got his autograph once. >> you still have the ball? >> i still have the ball. the ink is fa

journalist ben bradlee junior spent more than a decade researching the batting legend.new book is called "the kid: the immortal life of ted williams" and i am pleased to have ben bradlee here. what makes ted williams so interesting? >> i was struck by how much interest there still was in his life. he was a mean the figure to me. -- meaninful figure to me. i grew up outside of boston. as a kid, i saw him play the last 3-4 years of his career. when he died, the boston globe was filled with letters to the editor from grandfathers to fathers to sons -- he was the glue in the social fabric. he was a meaningful figure to me and in speed reading the earlier books on williams, they were done mostly by adoring sportswriters who focused mostly on his exploits on the field. i thought there was a lot of room to tell other parts -- much less, chronicle other parts of his life. he grew up in san diego in the depression. the fact that he concealed the fact that he was a mexican- american, and -- no one knew that until he died, his service in two wars, his struggles of anger, i thought

the washington post doing that in the era of ben bradlee. passing on that story and they certainly didn't pass on water. i certainly did not pass on water and they certainly did not pass on the pentagon papers i mean and washington post. you know reputation and histories is very good with respect to these type of stories because you don't want to get blown away by someone who comes in and says you publish that you're going to damage nasa security because you know it never turns how they should to there you go and see goodell to think carefully that the book is fighting for the press the inside story of the pentagon papers and other battles thanks so much for being with us tonight sir. here in tire welcome to see this and other conversations the great minds go to conversations great minds. and that's the way it is the night friday december thirteenth two thousand and thirteen don't forget he begins with you get out there get active you know. i would rather ask questions to people in positions of power instead of speaking on their behalf and t

author ben bradlee jr. is in our toyota green room.e community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] get your taste of the season, at raley's, bel air and nob hill. >>> well, did you have a best ball that you grooved off of? >> i guess i did. and every hitter did. i'll tell you what it was. right there, middle in. >> reporter: fast. >> yeah. i didn't make any difference really how fast no. i might have had two strikes. it meant a lot of difference but when i was looking for that pitch and i had it i just compensated for the guy's ability to throw the ball. >> well, charlie spoke with baseball hall of famer ted williams back in 1988. the boston red sox slugger was a 17 all-star and two-time mvp. he's th