The New York Yankees wanted Ted Williams. So did the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League.
But Williams, the pride of Hoover High, was just 17 years old and his mother thought he ought to start his career much closer to home.
So Williams signed with his hometown Padres of the Pacific Coast League on this date — June 26 — in 1936.
The story that appeared the following day in the San Diego Union listed Williams at 6 feet and 165 pounds. The North Park native was signed by the Padres, then an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, as a backup outfielder after starring on the mound and at the plate at Hoover.