What made my jaw drop is that is it often said of Teddy ballgame that even though he is probably the best hitter of all-time, he was still a better fighter pilot.
Hall of Fame membership aside, it is amazing to think he volunteered to 'lose' some of the best years of his baseball career, as did many others of his generation.
/I was once told that the Splinter used talk to himself during batting practice -ie. 'I'm Ted F'ing Williams' *whack* , etc.