Sports Illustrated is offering new details about the state of baseball great Ted Williams. He was decapitated by surgeons at the cryonics company where his body is suspended in liquid nitrogen, and several samples of his DNA are missing.

Following his death in July 2002, Williams' body was separated from his body (the process is called neuroseparation) and the body and head were preserved separately. The head is stored in a steel can filled with liquid nitrogen. It has been shaved, drilled, and accidently cracked ten times.

Eight DNA samples of the 182 takedn from Williams are missing without explanation.

~Adam

This falls into the category of TMI but fascinating nonetheless.

Ditto.

All I can think of when I read about this is the TV show "Futurama" where the heads of famous people are forever preserved and kept alive in glass jars. Sometimes maybe medical science can be a little too advanced!

Call me odd if you will but the strangest part of the whole story to me is when they disclosed that the head was "accidentally cracked ten times" ....accidentally? eek! ....not to make light of this despicable act on the part of Ted's son but are the employees at Alcor just clumsy and kept dropping the head (TEN times :confused: ) or is this part of their "routine procedure" after severing the head?

Alcor's director is now denying that any of Ted's DNA is missing and claims that the story originated due to "allegations from a former employee"....but, as if this wasn't strange enough already, he is not referring to some "entry level" employee -- he is talking about the company's CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, who failed to show up for work on Monday and asked for a $500 advance when he picked up his last paycheck....geez, can this story possibly get any stranger and sadder than it already is? (remember, we are talking about one of the all-time greatest sports athletes of the 20th century).

Alcor denies report of missing Splinter DNA

[ August 13, 2003, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

I just don't get why anyone would pay a dime for Ted's DNA. I mean, hasn't everyone seen the offspring produced by Ted's boys? Pay money to get another John Henry? Me thinks not.

he may be one of the all time greatest sports hero's, but he's dumb as a post if he wasted his money on freezing himself when he died, instead of giving to either, his family, or to charity.

That's the main point of the whole "controversy", Bobcat -- Ted NEVER wanted to be frozen or in any way allow his remains to be affiliated with Alcor, this slimy organization in Arizona....all of Ted's close friends and remaining family members (with the exception of his sick, money-grubbing son John Henry) adamantly state that Ted mentioned on MANY occasions that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread off the coast of Florida....as the many recent news stories and HBO "Real Sports" piece have detailed, not only does Ted's ACTUAL WILL specify these requests but they even have it on video tape! -- and not that shabby, grease stained piece of scrap paper that was found in the trunk of John Henry's car allegedly signed by the Splinter (a forgery if I've ever seen one) supposedly changing the details of his will ....gimme a break! -- that bastard son is solely looking out for his own bank account (as he did during many well documented instances during his father's final years), regardless of how decrepit and unseemly his actions may be.

Apparently Ted's daughter had to drop the legal fight she had begun against her brother in an effort to restore her father's wishes due to mounting legal fees and lack of funds....considering the huge throng of supporters, fans, former teammates and close friends of Ted that still remain (not to mention the Red Sox organization and MLB itself) I would hope that a group of them would pool their funds to offset some of the legal fees and restore dignity to one of the all-time great's once and for all, as he rightfully deserves.

[ August 13, 2003, 11:56 AM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

Almost as if the investigators were reading my last post here's an update that just hit the wire regarding the "amended will" note that John Henry Williams forged his father's signature to, leading to Ted's body being sent to Arizona and frozen....I hope that John Henry gets the maximum sentence allowed by law for committing such a despicable act in the name of greed (sorry but Gordon Gecko is NOT always right), particularly when it involved his own DECEASED FATHER (and a legend of the game, at that).

Authenticity of Williams Note Questioned