Whistler, Alabama

Billy Williams, my all-time favorite Cub, is from Whistler, Alabama.  The little town, just outside Mobile, no longer exists, having been annexed by Prichard.  

Yesterday we had a day trip to Mobile planned.  On our itinerary included some time at Bellingrath Gardens (Mrs. WW is an avid gardener) and a visit to the USS Alabama.  I also suggested a small detour on our way between the two sites.

We stopped at Billy Williams Drive in the former Whistler. Billy grew up in a home on that street and the town renamed it after him.  Now when I see Whistler on the back of any of his cards I’ll know exactly where it is referring to.

Here's Joe

Did you find him? As promised, today I have the location of Joe Journeyman in the Cubs puzzle.

Joe Journeyman Cubs Puzzle

I got this puzzle for Christmas.  I brought it with me on our trip to Gulf Shores, thinking it would be a nice thing do do in the evening.  It has 500 pieces and I was able to put it together over two days.  It was a fun was to pass the time and I may have to get some more.

The puzzle is also a Where's Waldo knockoff.  It has Joe Journeyman instead of Waldo.

If you click on the picture of the completed puzzle, you should get a larger image if you’d like to look for him.

I’ll post a picture tomorrow with his location.  Happy hunting.

Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 20,920 Cubs cards from 316 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1969 Topps Stamp Ron Santo  Starting out strong today with a stamp of the Cubs' captain.

1980s: 1981 Topps #533 Jesus Figueroa He never played for the 1981 Cubs.  After hitting .253 in 115 games as a rookie in 1980, Figueroa was traded to the Giants over the winter.  He never played in another big league game.

1990s: 1992 Ballstreet Journal Ryne Sandberg This is one of two cards of Ryno in the set.

2000s: 2000 Fleer #96 Jon Leiber  I never noticed how awful Leiber's signature is.  That it terrible!

2010s: 2013 Topps Making Their Mark #17 Anthony Rizzo How did Rizzo make his mark on June 30, 2012?  In his fourth game as a Cub, he hit a two-run homer that led the Cubs to a 3-2 win over the Astros.

Sixties Saturday - 1968 Topps

There are just two years left in the decade as we move ahead to 1968.  The 1968 Cubs regressed a little. winning three less games than the year before.  They definitely  did not live up to expectations.

A couple of players have cards with their picture taken at Wrigley Field, so this is the first time since 1965 that Topps showed a Cubs player in the home pinstripes.  We did not get a team card of the Cubs, though, as they were one of several teams that didn't have one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Why!

 Why, you may ask, did we head south for a couple of weeks?

Theses two pictures will answer that question.  The top picture is from our doorbell at home.  The second picture is the view from our rental's balcony.

Sporadic Posting

 Posts here will be sporadic for the next couple of weeks.  Mrs. WW and I did what old retired people from Michigan do.  We went south.

We’re in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  My mother in law rented a condo on the Gulf for two months and we are with her.  The high temperature yesterday was 50° warmer here than back home.  We did a 15 mile bike ride in t-shirts and shorts.  I can get used to this!

I do have my regular Saturday and Sunday posts scheduled.  I also have access to the scans of all of my cards, so I might try to put something up occasionally.  But if you don’t see anything new for a few days, don’t worry, I’m fine.