There are three options for being frozen. People can just have their head preserved, their whole body preserved, or both of them separately. John-Henry chose the third for his father, according to Deadspin.
The process was intricate. First, they had the deceased Ted sent from Florida to their Arizona laboratories. There was a narrow window of time, and they had him packed with ice to keep him cool on the trip. After laying him on an operating table, they infused his body with a solution that would keep ice crystals from forming during the preservation. His body was drained of blood and water; those were replaced with more protective solution. They drilled two holes in his skull to prevent swelling. Then the fun part: The staff cut the head off and placed it in a container separate from the body. These containers are called Dewars, and the liquid nitrogen in there is -321 degrees Fahrenheit, as Deadspin chronicled.
Besides the family drama about whether Williams really wanted to have this done, there have been stories about how Alcor has been possibly mistreating the containers that store Williams, per ESPN, but nothing was done and his body and head are still there.
Ted Williams belongs to Boston, even now. There is a Ted Williams Tunnel. His uniform number, 9, will never be worn by another Red Sox player (via MLB).
