Reese, Not Ted Williams, Gave Famous Hitting Advice

To the editors:

It is as a longtime and loyal baseball fan that I write you to express my anger at the recent caption above a photograph of Ted Williams and Wade Boggs. The caption read "Hit 'em where they ain't." This phrase is attributable to Pee Wee Reese, a slap-hitting shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the '40s and '50s, and has absolutely no relevance to Ted Williams.

Ted Williams, in fact, was known for his notorious obstinacy in always trying to pull the ball, even in the face of Cleveland Indian manager Lou Bourdreau's "Williams Shift." The phrase was truly misplaced. ELI B. RICHLIN '01   April 2, 1998