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Keystone Pictures PicturesTED TED WILLIAMS Ted Williams Very Optimistic Over Pending Truce in Korea May Be Back for September Stretch Drive and At Least Two More Years of Baseball1 Baseball1By By OSCAR FRALEY FRALEYUnited United Press Sports Writer WriterPITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH Pa June 10 Capt Ted Williams who marched back to the wars a year ago last May with little hope of ever returning to baseball disclosed today from Korea that he may be back for the Septem ¬ ber stretch drive and at least two more years of baseball With peace pending in Korea where the 34yearold Boston Red Sox slugger is a Marine jet pilot Williams was optimistic that he might be released from service sooner than expected expectedIf If so he said in a letter to Freddie Corcoran his business manager I hope to be able to give baseball a whirl before the season ends then if T can hit 300 Id like to keep playing for at least two more years yearsWilliams Williams is due out through ordinary channels in early September But he has had an impressive flying record and would be eligible for a quicker discharge dischargeThe The only current day ball player ever to hit 400 Williams was a Marine flying in ¬ structor for three and onehalf years dur ¬ ing World War n Then he was recalled to active duty in the Korean conflict on May 2 1952 Homer Breaks 33 Tie TieHis His last day in baseball flannels was typical of the Kids great plays through the years On April 28 1952 with the score against Detroit tied at 3 to 3 Williams in his last official time at bat crashed a win ¬ ning 420foot home run at Fenway Park ParkThen Then uncomplaining but expecting the worst the man who hit 406 in 1941 marched away Tall slender Ted actually never expected to make it back backIve Ive got a feeling he told Corcoran that something is going to happen happenIt It almost did Not when he was stricken with pneumonia and spent a month in a Naval hospital but later when he began flying mission in the maelstrom of Korea Twice his jet bomber was struck by anti ¬ aircraft fire fireOnce Once he limped home through the riddled skies to crashland in flames j jStan Stan Musial of the Cardinals who also is represented by Corcoran listened quitely as the man who also is his business man ¬ ager read Williams hopeful letter letterHe He shouldnt worry said Musial who holds the batting eminence in the National league which Williams did in the Ameri ¬ can Ted will be a great hitter until hes 40 Give him two weeks of batting practice and hell be there just as good as ever everHe He probably will at that Captain Wil ¬ liams never even hoped to make it back home let alone back to baseball and the odds are that hell take his happiness out on the poor old pitchers
