RIP Walter "No Neck" Williams

One of my favorite White Sox players during the period of my childhood where we had to root for Chicago teams to be a baseball fan.

Former White Sox outfielder Walt No-Neck Williams dies - Chicago

 

Everyone liked seeing him come to bat. I grew up in an NL city, and I admit that during the four-way race in 1967, Williams was one reason I was pulling for the White Sox to win it.

 

Phil Rizzuto (God rest his soul) loved talking about his nickname. RIP.

 

TTIWWOP. He in fact had no neck:



RIP

 

Merton Hanks has enough neck, he could lend Williams some.

 

Jesus, he looks solid ... like an oak tree!

 

When they were handing out necks for guys named Williams they accidentally gave Walt's to Harvey.

 

Ah, yes, I remember Harvey "Long Neck" Williams, which is what we called him without fail.

 

I remember my brother stretching his neck and saying "Buddy Bradford," then scrunching it and saying "Walt Williams."

But looking at pics, Bradford seem to have a normal neck. Maybe it's just that they were in the same outfield.

 

No Neck played with Carlos "no finger" May and Pat "no arm" Kelly

 

With "No-Neck" Williams and "Jungle Jim" Rivera the ChiSox had two-third of the all-nickname outfield in the 1950s and 1960s.

 

I remember him from the miserable 1988 season when he was on Jim Fregosi's coaching staff. RIP.