The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship

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The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 1,955 ratings · 154 reviews

Now in paperback, the New York Times bestselling The Teammates -- David Halberstam's stirring tribute to the golden age of baseball and to friendship.The Teammates is the profoundly moving story of four great baseball players who have made the passage from sports icons -- when they were young and seemingly indestructible -- to men dealing with the vulnerabilities of growin...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published May 5th 2004 by Hyperion (first published 2003)

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Jan 04, 2009 Pris robichaud rated it 4 of 5 stars

They Killed My Father, Now They're Coming After Me, 10 May 2007

"Marty Nolan, the former editorial page editor of the 'Boston Globe', once famously described the pain that came with being a Red Sox fan, "They killed my father, now they're coming after me". Johnny Pesky

Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky were all members of the famed 1940's Boston Red Sox. Their careers led the Red Sox to a pennant championship and ensured the men a place in sports history.
David Halberstam...more
They Killed My Father, Now They're Coming After Me, 10 May 2007

"Marty Nolan, the former editorial page editor of the 'Boston Globe', once famously described the pain that came with being a Red Sox fan, "They killed my father, now they're coming after me". Johnny Pesky

Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky were all members of the famed 1940's Boston Red Sox. Their careers led the Red Sox to a pennant championship and ensured the men a place in sports history.
David Halberstam, had followed the members of the 1949 championship Boston Red Sox team for years, especially Williams, Doerr, DiMaggio, and Pesky. He met up with the fellas and learned about their friendship and their trip. He knew he wanted to write about it. David Halberstam gives us an inside look at how these four teammates became friends, and how that friendship thrived for more than 60 years.

The book opens with Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio and , Dick Flavin a friend, on a 1300-mile car trip travelling to see the ailing Ted Williams in Florida. It's the last time they will see him. The journey is filled with nostalgia and memories, but seeing Ted is a shock. The most physically dominating of the four friends, Ted now weighs only 130 pounds and is hunched over in a wheelchair. Dom, without even thinking about it, starts to sing opera and old songs like "Me and My Shadow" to his friend.They had a short memorable time with Ted,and it was worth it. Every morning until the day Ted Williams died, Dom would call him with an update of the Sox.

"This book is filled with stories of their wonderful days with the Boston Red Sox, memories of plays and players, and the reaction of the remaining three to Ted Williams' death. The Teammates offers us a glimpse into the lives of these Red Sox men. and great insight into the nature of loyalty and friendship. The book tries not to dwell on the imposing power, problems, and slugging achievements of Ted Williams or reveal new sensational material or revelations. Halberstam focuses on the teammates' shared attributes: their desire to compete and succeed in baseball, their willingness to learn how to use physical/mental talents, how to provide for post-depression families yet display genuine appreciation and gratitude for each other's contributions and careers." David Johnson

For any Red Sox fan, baseball fan and David Halberstam fan this book is a must. A book of love of fellow man and baseball. It is a rare book that fills the reader with hope for the future of baseball.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 5-09-07 (less)

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Aug 05, 2008 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: baseball

This "book" contains some interesting anecdotes and provides a warm, sentimental portrayal of the friendships among Ted Williams and three of his teammates from the 1940's. It starts off, however, as a story about a trip to Florida to visit a dying Williams by two of the three. There is very little about the trip or their visit and perhaps there was nothing more to say. Still, it was a bit disappointing.

It's also a little pathetic to have a Boston fan, Halberstam, trying to blame the condition o...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

In David Halberstam’s The Teammates, Dominic DiMaggio wants to drive to see his friend Ted williams, but he’s too old to drive by himself, so he takes his friend Johnny Pesky and they drive to see their dying friend.

Some of The Teammates strengths was the complete truth of the book. In the book David Halberstam literally tells exactly what happened. I thought another strength was the description. The teammates describes exactly how they felt. I thought was a weakness also because I was actually...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Andrew Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Teammates by David Halberstam was a very intriguing biography to read. Teammates is about four lifetime friends who all happen to play ball for the Boston Redsox. The author got a chance to talk to Dom Dimaggio, Bobby Doerr, and Johnny Pesky about their long lasting friendship. The fourth man was Ted Williams, but the author couldn't talk with him because he was close to dying when Halberstam was writing the book. The book is filled with stories that tells about the legendary players off the...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Jon Manchester rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, sports

This is the story of two former Red Sox teammates going on a road trip to Florida to visit Ted Williams in the waning days of his life. Another teammate/friend, Bobby Doerr, couldn't make the trip, but is the fourth amigo dating back to their playing days in the 1940s/50s. The story is told by David Halberstam, who has had just a little success as a writer: the book cover notes his last 14 books have all been national bestsellers! As a Red Sox fan, I enjoyed learning more about the history of th...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Evan rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Teammates" by David Halberstam is not a story simply about a few baseball players. It's not a biography of four of the greatest legends to ever play on the Red Sox. It is a book about a group of guys who met through the game that they loved, and formed a friendship that would last the rest of their lives. "The Teammates" tells the story of Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr, not as young athletes, but as older men. It is a recollection of what it was like for this cl...more "The Teammates" by David Halberstam is not a story simply about a few baseball players. It's not a biography of four of the greatest legends to ever play on the Red Sox. It is a book about a group of guys who met through the game that they loved, and formed a friendship that would last the rest of their lives. "The Teammates" tells the story of Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr, not as young athletes, but as older men. It is a recollection of what it was like for this close group of friends, as they had to deal with the fact that one of them (Ted Williams) was nearing the end of his life.
Knowing that Ted was dying, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio decided to take a trip down to see their friend one last time. A good amount of the book is them telling memories they have of what it was like when they were younger, when all four of them were still playing baseball together. They remember Ted as the leader and mentor of their little group. Bobby Doerr was the serious one of the bunch. Dom was the intelligent and clever one, and finally, little Johnny Pesky was the rookie of them all. The main theme of most of the stories that they tell is that playing at Fenway Park was never looked at as a job to them. The four of them always saw it as just going out to play a game with their friends everyday.
Throughout the book, Dom also talks a lot about how fast time seems to go by. When he sees Ted in the hospital, he is shocked about how frail he looks. He reminisces about how Ted was always seen as invincible to his friends. He was strong, bold, and stubborn. He says that he seemed almost immortal. Johnny on the other hand, talked about how little Ted seemed to have changed, even in such a weakened state. He still refused to have any conversation until he was told the scores of the red sox game from the previous day. He still made jokes about Bobby Doerr's refusal to swear at any time. As Johnny put it, he was still the same guy who had taken him under his shoulder so many years earlier.
I personally found this to be a great book and I loved reading it. I am a huge Red Sox fan, and was glad to read a book about four of the players who I have posters of hanging on my wall. The book did a fantastic job at including a lot about baseball, but mainly focusing on the who these people were without their uniforms. It didn't focus on their stats or how well they played together, but on their friendship on and off the field. I would recommend this book to read, but with a warning that you should probably have an interest in baseball. While info on the sport is not the main point of the book, it is still talked about quite a bit. The only drawback I had about this book was that even though he was not able to go on the trip with Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio, the author could have mentioned Bobby Doerr a bit more. Other than that, it was a fantastic book about the four best friends who will forever be remembered in Red Sox history as "The Teammates". (less)

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Oct 25, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book I read is The Teammates by David Halberstam. This book is about Johnny Pesky, Dominic Dimaggio, Ted Williams, and Bobby Doerr. This book talks about their life before, on, and after they members of the Boston Red Sox. The book is only about these men and their friend Dick Flavin who was not on the Boston Red Sox. In 1942 Johnny Pesky, Dominic Dimaggio, Ted Williams, and Bobby Doerr were all on the Boston Red Sox. Johnny Pesky, Dominic Dimaggio, Ted Williams, and Bobby Doerr knew each o...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Wingedbeaver rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 48-in-2012

The Teammates is David Halberstam's beautiful homage to baseball friendships. In it, he chronicles the last trip taken by Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky to visit the great Ted Williams before he dies and in the process talks about their time together playing for the Boston Red Sox during the 40's and early 50's. Like most of Halberstam's work it is wonderfully written and terribly ingrossing. Halberstam has a knack for conveying the passion and respect he has for his subjects and passing it on t...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Mike added it

Shelves: never-finished-never-will, non-fiction

20 years ago, when I was 11 or 12, I was out with my mom's boyfriend when we saw Ted Williams. Knowing that I was a huge baseball, Red Sox, and Ted Williams fan (I owned and studied The Science of Hitting), my mom's boyfriend walked up to him and asked him very politely if he would autograph something for me. Ted's response? "What the hell did that kid ever do for me?" And he walked away.

Needless to say, I have not been a Ted Williams fan ever since.

I went into this book with an open mind. Maybe...more

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May 27, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's October 2001. Johnny Pesky, Dominic DiMaggio and Dick Flavin are on their way to Florida. Friend Bobby Doerr unfortunately cannot make the trip. Their purpose? One final visit with Ted Williams, friend and baseball legend, who is very close to death.

Admittedly, I don't know very much about baseball and the great players of yore. Of course, I know their names and that they are revered, but I don't have a brain for statistics and I wasn't alive to see how these players got to be the legends...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kevin Bowser rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book for baseball fans. And an even better book for fans of the Boston Red Sox.

I borrowed this book from a friend at work and was really drawn in to the personal and inside stories of the central characters, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams. I think that Ted Williams continues to overshadow the accomplishments of his closest teammates. And that is certainly reinforced by many of the stories recounted in the book.

The Teammates is the story of four great baseball pla...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sports just aren't what they used to be, are they? Or maybe...it's the athletes. I supposed the game itself doesn't change. It's the people. Striving to be bigger, better, stronger in order to be given the most money, right?

This book...at least let's readers of my generation know that at one point sport had more dignity. It was a way out, but you didn't make millions. You played because you loved it. I'm sure there's a story of this nature on nearly every team of the time period...but then the R...more Sports just aren't what they used to be, are they? Or maybe...it's the athletes. I supposed the game itself doesn't change. It's the people. Striving to be bigger, better, stronger in order to be given the most money, right?

This book...at least let's readers of my generation know that at one point sport had more dignity. It was a way out, but you didn't make millions. You played because you loved it. I'm sure there's a story of this nature on nearly every team of the time period...but then the Red Sox always have that mystique... especially Ted Williams, who was a grumpy old curmudgeon who couldn't be wrong. And only so many people had the juevos to tell him so. Bobby Doerr was one of those. In fact, I honestly believe that without Doerr, Williams would still be an amazing hitter...but I'm not sure he'd be THE best lefty to ever grace the field.

The story is about the eternal teammates, Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio and Johnny Pesky...it flashes to their beginnings in life and baseball and how it brought them together and back to a roadtrip that DiMagggio & Pesky took to visit Williams in his last days.

They didn't really have money, but they had heart. And Boston loved them...still does. Those men are eternal in Red Sox fans' hearts...they lived and breathed for that uniform. And now we have players that beg to be traded bc they don't like the media or want a bigger contract. Yes, it's the way of the world, it's a business, but sometimes some of us just like to read about a time when all that mattered was putting on that jersey everyday for the city that loves you.

Best story in it? A young rookie pitcher in his first outing was able to strike out the one and only Ted Williams. So what does the kid do after but ask Williams to sign the ball? (Wicked smaht kid) Luckily Williams doesn't snap his neck in half and does sign it. Next time up against the same kid Williams launched a home run ball that still hasn't landed...and while running around the bases Williams yells at the kid "If you can ever find that ball, I'll sign that son of a bitch too!" Classic.

That said, Williams had a filthy mouth...makes me like him even more. A man before my own potty-mouthed heart. And Pesky? What can you say more about that man? he deserves to be buried in Fenway Park. And for you bitches that said he held the ball? You don't know that man and what the Red Sox mean to him. Dom DiMaggio? You may have heard of his brother Joe...Joe wasn't too bad. He was no Dom though. =) And Bobby Doerr...the man who's patience were what calmed Ted Williams foul temper and made sure to show him the better parts of life? All men that have become a rarity in the world...and you want to know why?

They were Red Sox baby! ;) (less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Maura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baseball

yup, this was an audio book. i started it on the way home for Christmas, but didn't finish it til yesterday while running errands. I give it a thumbs up, but i think you have to be a bit of a baseball fan to work for you -- not a raving obsessive fan, but one who cares in some way or another about the sport to being with. it's about Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, Bobby Doerr & Johnny Pesky -- how they all got started in baseball, became friends, were the core of the Red Sox in the late 1940's,...more

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Sep 22, 2010 aspasiacat rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best baseball book ever! (well, at least my favorite). Halberstam, one of the all time great writers tells the story about Ted Williams and his teammates Johnny Pesky (as in Pesky's Pole), Dom DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr and the grand days of the Red Sox. He tells about the highs and lows of Teddy and the final journey his friends take to say a final farewell. Hang on to your kleenex, but also be prepared to laugh as you read because some of the stories are absolutely priceless (yes, like a vis...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Remember that scene in the movie "Twins" when Danny Devito finds out that he was born out of the excess cells used to create uber-man Arnold Schwarzenegger? "I'm genetic crap," Devito's pint-sized character laments.

Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship is not by any means crap. But, from almost start to finish, I was struck by the distinct impression that the bulk of the story was not, in fact, Halberstam's original research based on his interest in Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky's car-trip to vis...more

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Jan 08, 2011 LCPL Lake County (IN) Public Library added it

“This is the story of four lifelong friendships. All four men (Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr) played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1940′s. Halberstam takes us into the lives of all, but the focal point is the volatile, outspoken, yet generous Ted Williams. Ted is dying and the others decide to visit him one last time. They travel by car which presents the opportunity for numerous “Remember when …” stories. No need to know the game of baseball to enjoy this book, but all t...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Linda Appelbaum rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a story of baseball, friendship, the Red Sox in the 40s and no matter how bright our star may shine, we all come to the end of days longing for how things were back in the good old days.Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, Bobby Doerr & Johnny Pesky were some of the greats back in the 40s, all with the Red Sox. The bonds of friendship were strong and this book tells their stories in a bittersweet way. I really liked the book and longed to have have been alive then to see them play - to see t...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Shaun rated it 5 of 5 stars

Within these pages lies more than a story of a baseball team. The Teammates provides a unique glimpse into the long-lasting friendship of Dom Dimaggio, Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky; perhaps four of MLB's greatest players.

Dimaggio and Pesky are on their way down to Florida to visit their dear friend Ted one last time, who is dying; and throughout the book, author David Halberstam gives us a look into who these men are and why they could never be separated from one another, be it Wor...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: baseball fans

A little book that practically defines "elegiac." The story of four baseball old-timers (admittedly a relative term...these guys played during the 1940s and early 50s) and their friendship as they come to grips with old age. These are four exceptional men with a very touching devotion to one another, culminating with the death of the most famous among them -- baseball legend Ted Williams.

Admittedly, I would not have picked this up without the late, great David Halberstam's name on it. Along with...more

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Mar 02, 2010 Merrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was fitting that I read this during a trip to California that ended with the news at National Airport that my grandmother passed away. It was a very readable, personal account of 4 friends who happened to be star Red Sox players in the 40s and early 50s, and they were all born just after my grandmother.
As much as I am a big Sox fan, often the Sox history reads dry to me. This didn't at all. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a glimpse into that era.
Thanks to Chris for picking i...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Jon Sindell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like all of Halberstam books, The Teammates is distinguished by the author's humanity, intelligence, and professionalism. In explaining his preference for Tolstoy over Flaubert, An English professor once said, `Tolstoy likes his characters; Flaubert doesn't.' The "characters" in Halberstam's books are real people, and the author likes them. He treats them with respect, and he tells their stories with admiration—when their actions are admirable—and with understanding, when not. We gain a glimpse...more

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Aug 23, 2011 John Crockett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Second only to the prequel, Summer of '49, as the best baseball book I've read. Like all good stories, its deeper than what it appears to be on the surface. It might be a book about baseball but the story is really about relationships and loyalty. I love stories about Boston sports legends and this one was no exception. I knew Teddy Ballgame is the greatest hitter in baseball history but I didn't know he is a veteran of two wars, sacrificing the prime of his career to serve his country (while Jo...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Steve Kettmann rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is no comparing this little book with the great Halberstam volumes that made his reputation, whether on politics or sports, but then, that's not the point. This is as much a book about friendship as it is about baseball. It just so happens that for many baseball fans - especially Red Sox fans - the friendship in question is of added interest, since the man in decline with age, around whom the others gather, and hit the road to go visit in Florida, is the great Ted Williams, ornery at times...more

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May 27, 2010 Travis McClain rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Halberstam's--I'm sorry, Pulitzer Prize-winning David Halberstam's--book--I'm sorry, New York Times Bestseller--The Teammates is an account of the last time Dominic DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky drove down to see Ted Williams before the Splendid Splinter passed away. Little of the book itself is actually about the drive or the visit, but rather a biography of each of the three, along with teammate Bobby Doerr (unable to make the trek, as he was needed at home with his ailing wife), and the tel...more

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Sep 07, 2009 Tanya W rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone, baseball fans

Shelves: non-fiction, spiritually-uplifting

This was an enjoyable and uplifting read. I'm not a big baseball fan, but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book and seeing the journey of grand sports performance, enduring friendships, and the trials of aging.

I really enjoyed the detailed sports description of the big loss in 1946 of the Boston Red Sox against the Cardinals which kept the Red Sox from progressing to the World Series.

At first I wasn't sure I would like the book and my immediate impression was that it did...more

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Apr 19, 2008 Rilla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rilla by: Norm Cohen

This is a book that made my heart sing. Understand, one probably needs to be a lover not only of baseball but of baseball culture and baseball players to feel this way. It's a slim volume, packed with great baseball stories surrounding one of the deepest and longest freindships among four professional baseball players--former Red Sox teammates--of the 1940s and 1950s. Ted Williams (perhaps the greatest bat ever), Dom DiMaggio (a skilled and smart center-fielder and brother of the more-famous Yan...more

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Jan 05, 2008 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Here's a summary of some things we already knew about the old school Sox/Yanks rivalry, which are eloquently set forth in this book: (1) Johnny Pesky = Phil Rizzuto (player-wise, as well as shnozz-wise); (2) the Red Sox of the 40's and 50's had some truly legendary players, who took no shame in being perpetual bridesmaids to the Greatest Sports Franchise of All Time; and (3) Dom DiMaggio is to Joltin' Joe, as Tito Jackson is to Michael Jackson.

And here are a couple new things we learn: (1) In ad...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Rlcohen1235 rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I am not usually a sports book fan, this I enjoyed this true story of the friendship among four ball players from the Boston Red Sox of the '30's and '40's. With the legendary Ted Williams as the lynchpin of this group of teammates. the story focuses on the life-long attachment of Williams to his friends Dom DiMaggio, John Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. Despite the tempermental nature of Williams's personality, his love for baseball, fishing, and these three men who stayed by his side warms the h...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports-books

I am a huge sports fan but don't tend to read sports book often. Of the handful I have read I found this one to be more enjoyable and better written than most. I was born decades after any of these four great ballplayers were still playing But I thought Halberstam did a great job of making you interested in the characters, especially Ted Williams. Overall, if you are a fan of baseball literature and are looking for a light and easy read, this is a good book for you.

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Sep 25, 2011 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love reading about the old days of baseball. This one deals with four members of the old Red Sox team from the 1940's: Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio John Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. While it certainly discusses their year splaying for the Sox, the book also celebrates the life-long friendships these four shared, and the main point of the book is their getting together one last time in October of 2001 just before Ted Williams died.

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About David Halberstam

David Halberstam (April 10, 1934–April 23, 2007) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author known for his early work on the Vietnam War and his later sports journalism.

Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for...more David Halberstam (April 10, 1934–April 23, 2007) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author known for his early work on the Vietnam War and his later sports journalism.

Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for The Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee, he covered the beginnings of the American Civil Rights Movement.

In the mid 1960s, Halberstam covered the Vietnam War for The New York Times. While there, he gathered material for his book The Making of a Quagmire: America and Vietnam during the Kennedy Era. In 1963, he received a George Polk Award for his reporting at the New York Times. At the age of 30, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the war. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film on the Vietnam War entitled In the Year of the Pig.

Halberstam put an enormous effort into his book about Kennedy's foreign policy decisions about the Vietnam War, The Best and the Brightest. Synthesizing material from dozens of books and many dozens of interviews, Halberstam focused on the odd paradox that those who crafted the U.S. war effort in Vietnam were some of the most intelligent, well-connected and self-confident men in America—"the best and the brightest"—and yet those same men were unable to imagine and promote any but a bloody and disastrous course in the Vietnam War.

Thousands of readers began The Best and the Brightest feeling that the U.S. must pursue the war in Vietnam until "victory" was achieved, but became convinced by Halberstam's book that the U.S. could not win and therefore should withdraw from Vietnam.

After publication of The Best and the Brightest in 1972, Halberstam plunged right into another "big" book and in 1979 published an informative book about some of the major media outlets in America. The Powers That Be gave compelling profiles of men like William Paley of CBS, Henry Luce of Time magazine, Phil Graham of The Washington Post—and many others.

Later in his career, Halberstam turned to the subjects of sports, publishing The Breaks of the Game, an inside look at the Bill Walton and the 1978 Portland Trailblazers basketball team; an ambitious book on Michael Jordan in 1999 called Playing for Keeps; and on the pennant race battle between the Yankees and Red Sox called Summer of '49.

After publishing two books in the 1960s, Halberstam published three books in the 1970s, four books in the 1980s, and six books in the 1990s. He published four books in the 2000s and was on a pace to publish six or more books in that decade before his death. In the wake of 9/11, Halberstam wrote perhaps the most sensitive and insightful book about that tragedy, detailing Engine 40, Ladder 35, in the tome, Firehouse.

In 1980, an escaped convict from New York, Bernard C. Welch, Jr., murdered Halberstam's brother, Michael J. Halberstam, a Washington, D.C. cardiologist.[1] Halberstam refused to comment publicly about this incident.

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