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Major League Baseball
Thursday, November 18, 1954
Williams Signs with Yankees
Major League Baseball has been shaken to its core with the announcement that Ted Williams has signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees.
The deal came as a complete shock to the entire league, including the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers who had both decided to aggressively pursue the superstar.
As Williams was headed by train to a hunting lodge in northern Minnesota, he was tipped off by friends that the Detroit Tigers were sending a contingent of representatives to meet him there in the hopes of rekindling some type of negotiation. He became infuriated at the news and during a quick stop over in Cleveland, he got off the train and made reservations to return to Boston.
Much to William's surprise he ran into Casey Stengel and Dan Topping as he entered his first class room on the train back east. The three then spent the next several hours alone in the room. Porters on the train said the three ordered food and drinks, apparently steaks, salmon, shrimp, whiskey, vodka, gin and chocolate ice cream. The porters were also asked for a notary public to be made available upon the train's arrival at Grand Central Station in New York City.
The group got off the train in New York, and were quickly whisked away in a private limo. News of the apparent contract agreement then started to leak to local sports writers who at first did not believe any part of the story because the Wednesday trip to Minnesota was not supposed to end until Thursday evening when Williams was scheduled to arrive at the hunting lodge. He had told reporters that he would be available for a quick chat Sunday afternoon at the lodge.
At 9 am this morning, the three appeared before the media at Yankee offices in Yankee Stadium and announced that Williams had decided to sign with the Yankees on a two-year deal worth $98,000 per year. The second year of the deal will become guaranteed if he plays in at least 130 games in 1955.
Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle were overjoyed when they heard the news this morning, with both saying they had no idea any negotiations were underway.
Dan Topping told reporters that once he heard Ted had initially talked with the Tigers, he decided that he would not take no for an answer and he would do everything in his power to sign the star. He called Casey Stengel about his plans and Casey told him whatever he needed he would get from him.
Red Sox fans, players and front office officials were stunned to hear the news this morning, thinking they had plenty of time to talk with the star over the winter. They all admitted that losing Ted to another team was bad enough, but losing him to the Yankees made the entire scenario almost unbearable.
The Tigers organization heard about the deal on the train ride north to Minnesota, rumors say they were just north of Oshkosh when they heard the news and were distraught when they could not find a nearby stop to get off the train. Tiger fans have already started protesting the entire fiasco with bon fires and picket lines in front of Briggs Stadium.
The Yankees will be well primed to make a run at another championship, which expects to see Ted Williams extremely motivated to win his first.
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