In a New York Times story posted September 25, Charles McGrath observed the 50th anniversary of Ted William’s last game, “in which, with an impeccable sense of occasion, he hit a home run, a miraculous line drive to deep right center, in his final at-bat.” McGrath, who knew Updike well, noted that among the fans was “28-year-old John Updike, who had actually scheduled an adulterous assignation that day. But when he reached the woman’s apartment, on Beacon Hill, he found that he had been stood up: no one was home. ‘So I went, as promised, to the game,’ he wrote years later, ‘and my virtue was rewarded.'” Here’s the link to the full story, in which McGrath also pays tribute to Updike’s “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” as “the most celebrated baseball essay ever.”