A little over 48 hours ago, Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden radio voice, was panhandling on the side of the road in Columbus, Ohio. Now he’s an Internet sensation who’s been offered a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the new voice for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and appeared on the Today show this morning. During that interview Williams was very open about his past, both the substance abuse (“In 1993 I started snorting cocaine, and then I started smoking it. Alcohol has always been a part of my life”) and the crimes (“No violent crimes, it was all theft and fraud, and that was just to afford the drug habits and so forth”) teared up multiple times, talked lovingly about his mother, said hi to his nine children, and generally seemed like a very lovely man. When Matt Lauer said to him, “We both worry a little that a lot is happening, very quickly. And most people might find that hard to deal with. Are you ready for this second chance?” Williams even seemed like he had thought about it: “This time around I have God.” But still, are you worried for Williams? Zero to famous can be a lot of for anyone to take, and Williams was up to no good very recently. Is it just cynical to be concerned, or realistic?
