Teddy Ballgame, the splendid splinter, the Kid: Ted Williams was — and still is — called by many names.
The baseball Hall of Famer is best known for his time playing on the Boston Red Sox and as a military veteran.
But all of his greatness began in San Diego, where he grew up.
His childhood home in North Park is now up for sale, according to former San Diego Padres broadcaster Bob Chandler.
“At one time the major league Padres had thought about maybe buying that house and turning it into a baseball shrine. You know, like a Hall Of Fame and so forth, but obviously it didn't happen,” Chandler said of the humble one story bungalow.
At the same time that Williams' childhood home is on the market, so is the house once owned by world-famous children’s book author Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.
Geisel's former home is an expansive, hilltop mansion in La Jolla.
Jason Barry, co-owner of the real estate firm Barry Estates, was selected to list the home by the current owner of the property — University of California, San Diego.
“You look at the front door where you have the etched glass of the hat of the 'Cat in the Hat.' And as I was mentioning the pool in here too, you've got the bow tie of the 'Cat in the Hat,'" Barry said.
Unlike the Geisel property, Williams' childhood home on North Park’s Utah Street is easy to miss.
That's partly because there’s no sign or monument that marks the house.
“It's not very far from this athletic field. And he used to go there, as the story goes, from morning until night with a bat and a baseball,” Chandler said of a young Williams. “And that's where he honed himself — it was in North Park.”
Williams boyhood home has been owned by people outside of his family, but the house of the “Cat in the Hat” author is on the market for the first time in more than 75 years.
Barry said Geisel's late wife — Audrey — kept some of the place in its original state after his death in 1991. She lived until 2018.
“Supposedly, we haven't confirmed this yet, but the library and the office and then the tower up above were part of the original house that she then rebuilt around. And that's where [Dr. Seuss] did a lot of his work,” the real estate agent said.
The Williams home sale is currently “pending” for $925,000.
Meanwhile Dr. Seuss' hilltop mansion is listed at nearly $19 million for the house and surrounding property.
Offers close at 5 p.m., Wednesday for the La Jolla home with a decision on a possible sale to come Thursday by the UC Regents.
