Sox greats forever young

BOSTON – They were “The Teammates” all through some of the most glorious years in the history of the Boston Red Sox.Now, they’ll be immortalized as long as there’s a Fenway Park, and there are people who care enough about the Red Sox to go there. And that’s going to be an awfully long time.The Red Sox Wednesday unveiled a statue outside the park commemorating the on-field accomplishments and unique camaraderie of four former players immortalized in David Halberstam’s book, “The Teammates-Portrait of a Friendship.” – Johnny, Bobby Doerr, Dominic DiMaggio and Ted Williams may.Halberstam, who began his journalism career writing about heavy topics like the Vietnam war for the Yew York Times, wrote several books on sports – and particularly baseball – later in his career. It was while writing a long story on the pennant race of 1948 that Halberstam became friendly with Pesky, DiMaggio, Doerr and Williams, and the experience led him to write a second book about them – “The Teammates,” which centered around he trip Pesky and DiMaggio took to Florida to visit Williams right before he died in 2002.Pesky, who lives in Swampscott, which is where he settled when he played for the Red Sox, was a clubhouse boy when he met the other three when they played in the old Pacific Coast League. The friendship flourished, and Halberstam once said that throughout their lives, Williams was very protective of Pesky, to the point where he wrote a pointed letter to then Red Sox GM Dan Duquette when he removed Pesky from the Red Sox dugout.The statue depicts Doerr, DiMaggio, Pesky and Williams as they appeared in 1946 standing shoulder to shoulder and holding baseball bats.The players, all originally from the West Coast, came to the Red Sox between 1937 and 1942 and forged a lifelong friendship based on their common experiences.Principal owner John Henry called the men “the greatest of players and the best of friends.”The statue sculpted by Antonio Tobias Mendez features the players cast in bronze at 120 percent of life size, atop a 15-ton granite pedestal.DiMaggio, whose brother, Joe, was a Hall-of-Fame player for the New York Yankees, died last year. Nicknamed “the Little Professor” because of the round-rimmed glasses he wore, DiMaggio is considered one of the best center fielders in the history of team. Doerr is a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame and has had his number (1) retired by the Red Sox. Pesky (6) and Williams (9) have also had their numbers retired.