Did you know that Billy Williams was the 1961 NL Rookie of the Year? If you didn't, Topps was going to make sure that, soon enough, you learned this most important fact.
Because it was mentioned on the back of Billy's card in....
1963
1965
1967
1968
and 1969!
Teammate Ken Hubbs was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1962 (yup, the Cubs had the ROY for two straight seasons). Want to guess what was on the back of his card in 1963 and 1964??
Not a single mention of the Rookie of the Year!!!
As a kid in the 1960s (and not being from Chicago) I wondered why some people held Billy Williams in such high regard.
ReplyDeleteSure, he played in 9999 straight games, but where was the skill in that? In the NL, you had Mays, Aaron, and Clemente as the top-notch outfielders, with Brock, Rose, Flood, and Pinson after them. Personally, I put Williams as a 3rd-level outfield star, along with Willie Stargell, Rico Carty, and Willie Davis.
Even on the Cubs, it seemed he was overshadowed (at least nationally) by Banks and Santo.
I guess you had to be a Cubs fan to fully appreciate Williams.