Des Plaines Illinois

I bought this Post 1962 card of Ed Bouchee because of this part of the card...

Home: Des Plaines, Illinois.  Like Ed, I lived in Des Plaines, too.  I spent 12 years in Des Plaines and my two older sons probably consider it their hometown.

I actually knew Ed a little, and wrote about it here.

I've always wondered how he ended up in Des Plaines.  As far as I can tell, the only connection he had to the Chicago area was from his time with the Cubs.   Bouchee grew up in Washington and then played for the Phillies before coming to the Cubs.

He had some legal trouble in Washington, so he may not have felt welcomed back home.  Once traded from the Phillies to the Cubs during the 1960 season, he may not have wanted to stay in Philly anymore, either.

The Cubs spring 1961 roster book already lists Des Plaines as his hometown, so it looks like he moved his family to the area pretty quickly after the trade.  You can see on the card that the Mets took him in the 1962 expansion draft, but he kept his home in Des Plaines.  By 1963 his career was over.

After baseball, he worked as a warehouse supervisor and also took up officiating.  After retiring, he eventually left Des Plaines and moved to the warmer climate of Gilbert, Arizona.  I left Des Plaines for the not so warm climate of Michigan.