Price: $85.00

Billy Williams Oakland Athletics HOF 87 Autographed Signed OML Baseball Chicago Cubs COA

~~THIS ONE IS A BEAUTY.

Great looking, single signed baseball by former 1961 National League Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer...Billy Williams.

Billy began his career in 1959 with the Chicago Cubs.  He played for the Cubs 1959-74 and Oakland Athletics 1975-76.  Billy was named the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year, was named to six All-Star teams, was a member of the 1969 Chicago Cubs and was named to the Hall of Fame in 1987.  Billy signed the sweet spot of this OML Allan H. Selig baseball with a blue ballpoint pen and he also inscribed underneath his name, "H.O.f. 87", to note his accomplishment.  Billy signed this baseball on July 10, 2005.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia...

Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is retired American professional baseball player. He was a Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played primarily for the Chicago Cubs. In 1961, Williams won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year award. A highly competitive player on Chicago Cubs teams that never reached the post-season, he finally played in the post-season late in his career with the Oakland Athletics. Like his former Cubs teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Ron Santo, he never played in a World Series. Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Early life

Williams was born in Whistler, Alabama. His father Frank was a stevedore who had also played first base for the semipro Whistler Stars.[1] Growing up in an integrated neighborhood in the Mobile suburb, Williams had never experienced overt racial discrimination until he played for the Cubs minor league club in San Antonio, Texas. He was so discouraged that he left the team and went home. Buck O'Neil, the Cubs scout who had originally discovered Williams, was dispatched to Whistler and he persuaded Williams to try again.[2]

Major League Baseball

Chicago Cubs

Williams advanced quickly through the minor league ranks, joining a Cubs team that would feature stars such as Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Ron Santo by the early 1960s. Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who by 1960 was serving as a scout and coach in the Cubs organization, was an early mentor for Williams, and predicted he would someday win a batting title. Williams debuted with the Cubs in 1959, but he played in only a small number of games in 1959 and 1960. He was selected as the Rookie of the Year in 1961. That year he hit 25 home runs and drove in 86 runs. He was named an NL All-Star in 1962, 1964 and 1965.[3] Williams struggled defensively in the first few years of his career, leading NL outfielders in errors as a rookie. By the mid-1960s, his defense was no longer seen as a serious weakness.[1] He returned to the All-Star Game in 1968.[3]

In 1970, Williams batted .322 with 42 homers and 129 RBIs and finished second in National League Most Valuable Player voting. Williams set a National League record for consecutive games played with 1,117 between 1962-71 (eclipsed by Steve Garvey 1975-83 with 1,207). As his consecutive games streak began to accumulate, he was dubbed "Iron Man" by some writers.[4] He co-authored a 1970 book called Iron Man.[3] In 1972, he was the National League batting champion and named the major league Player of the Year by The Sporting News.[5] He paced the league in batting average with a .333 mark, also posting a .606 slugging percentage while collecting 37 home runs and 122 runs batted in (RBI). He finished behind Johnny Bench in the MVP selection. From 1961 to 1973, Williams annually hit at least twenty home runs and was responsible for eighty-four or more RBIs.

His batting swing was smooth and efficient, with quick wrist action that allowed him to hit for both average and power despite his slender frame. Early in his career, this earned him the nickname "Sweet-Swinging Billy Williams", sometimes shortened to "Sweet Williams" or "Sweet Billy" (perhaps suggested by the flowers known as sweet williams). His nickname was later referenced in the subtitle of his autobiography. He was also nicknamed "Sweet-Swinging Billy from Whistler," suggesting his birthplace in Alabama. His home run feats included hitting 20 or more home runs for 11 straight seasons, hammering three homers in one game and five in two consecutive games. Twice in one season, Williams belted four extra-base hits in a game.

Oakland Athletics

Williams was traded to the American League's Oakland Athletics after the 1974 season for second baseman Manny Trillo and two pitchers. He helped lead Oakland get to the 1975 American League West championship as a designated hitter, hitting 23 homers with 81 RBI. In 1976, Williams played in only 120 games and hit only .211.[3] He retired that year. Williams accumulated a lifetime .290 batting average with 426 home runs and 1475 RBI.

Later life

Billy Williams was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. Williams credited a grade school teacher with encouraging him to always try to improve, citing the old saying, "Good, better, best / Never let it rest / Until the good is better / And the better is best."[6]

On August 13, 1987, Williams' uniform number 26 was retired at Wrigley Field. His was the second number to be retired by the Cubs, the first being Ernie Banks' number 14. Following his departure from the Cubs, the number was reassigned to other players from time to time, most notably Larry Biittner, although Williams reclaimed it during several intervals of coaching with the Cubs after his playing days had ended. In 1999, he was named as a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. During the 2010 season, the Cubs honored Williams with a statue outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago. The statue was unveiled in a pre-game ceremony before their home game on September 7 against the Houston Astros.[7]

In 2011, Williams was appointed as a member of the Hall of Fame's new 16-member Golden Era Committee (8 Hall of Fame members) which considers 10 Golden Era candidates identified by the Baseball Writers Association of America appointed Historical Overview Committee (10-12 BBWAA members), for the Hall of Fame, every three years. His former Cubs teammate and friend, Ron Santo, was the only Golden Era candidate elected to the Hall of Fame by "The Committee" during their winter meetings, in December 2011.[8]

Lifetime guarantee in regards to this autographed baseball which also comes with a COA from Gearhart Enterprises, Inc. Member of the UACC. UACC Registered Dealer #RD189.