FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 30th, 2015

CHICAGO CUBS HALL OF FAME LEGEND BILLY WILLIAMS TO BE THE NEXT FEATURED GUEST ON COMCAST SPORTSNET’S MONTHLY INTERVIEW SERIES, “INSIDE LOOK”

“Inside Look presented by Cadillac,” hosted by Comcast SportsNet’s David Kaplan, featuring Billy Williams to debut Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 PM CT

CSNChicago.com to provide additional web-exclusive coverage of ‘Inside Look,’ including extended video clips

Chicago, IL (September 30, 2015) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox, continues to delve into the lives of some of the biggest names in Chicago sports with its candid, monthly, one-on-one interview series Inside Look presented by Cadillac.

Debuting Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 PM CT (immediately following Cubs Postgame Live), Comcast SportsNet’s David Kaplan hosts an exclusive one-on-one interview with Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame legend BILLY WILLIAMS.  Regarded as one of the all-time Cub greats, Williams’ Hall of Fame career spanned 18 big league seasons, 16 of which were with the Cubs.  His staggering numbers include 2,711 career hits, a .290 career batting average, 426 home runs, 1,475 RBI, 20 or more home runs in 13-straight seasons, and once holding the National League record for consecutive games played at 1,117.  In this edition of Inside Look, Williams discusses everything from the horrors of racism growing up in Alabama and his early entrance into baseball, to the story of how he joined the Cubs, his thoughts on the passing of his teammate and longtime friend Ernie Banks, along with how he hopes to one day celebrate a Cubs World Series championship, and much more.

In addition, viewers are urged to check out Comcast SportsNet’s website CSNChicago.com for additional interview content never before seen on TV.  Fans will also be able to watch every Inside Look guest interview online after it debuts on Comcast SportsNet.  Comcast SportsNet will also re-air Inside Look with Billy Williams on the following dates/times: Mon, Oct. 5 at 1:30 PM & Thu, Oct. 8 at 7:00 PM. (Visit CSNChicago.com for information on additional airings; schedule subject to change).

Note the following quotes from Inside Look with Billy Williams presented by Cadillac premiering Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 PM on Comcast SportsNet:

WILLIAMS on growing up and overcoming life in a racist environment:
“I am from Alabama and from the south, and there you see black/white restaurants, white/black restaurants, so you dealt with it and this is how you were raised. You try to look at people not black, not white because you have bad people in all races and you try to deal with it. Maybe they had a bad day, but you know how you feel in your heart. You learn to forgive people because if you don’t, you will be hurt. I looked at people and said I had to go on with my life.

“I was playing in San Antonio and I said ‘I don’t want to play baseball anymore’ simply because of the racism. I couldn’t go to restaurants anymore and guys had to bring me food on the bus and I said ‘I have had enough, I don’t need this.’ I told my roommate to take me to the train station, I am going home.  I said ‘I don’t want to play baseball anymore’ and I took the train and went home.  Buck O’Neil came by and I said “Oh, I am in trouble now.”  I saw him come up and Buck said ‘What’s going on?’ and I said ‘I have had enough.’

‘We went to Pritchard Park, where I used to play, and all my old friends said ‘Where have you been?’ and I said ‘I am playing professional baseball’ and they all loved it…and Buck was there smiling. Buck used some psychology and it made me excited and I went right back and went to Triple-A.  I said ‘all you have to do is go home and you can move up in the organization.”

WILLIAMS on how he became a Cub:
“I see this one guy (Ivy Griffin) in the stands and everywhere we played, he would come to the game. We go to New Orleans and he was there and I thought maybe he is looking at me because I had been warned by the guard there that this is a scout in the stands for the Cubs…and luckily I must have done something good that day. Two or three days later, he knocked at the corner grocery story and he said ‘do you know where this Williams kid is?’ and they would not tell him because they thought I was in trouble.

“He convinced the people that he was a scout for the Chicago Cubs and everyone in the town knew the Williams siblings. The guy told him where I lived and he came and knocked on the screen door and my dad said ‘yes’ and he said ‘does Williams live here?’ and he said ‘yes’ and he said ‘I am a scout for the Cubs and I have been watching your kid for three weeks…he has potential to play professional baseball and I want to sign him to play.’ I said ‘let’s put our name on the contract right now because I want to play baseball!’  He convinced my father with $1,500 and a cigar that his son would play professional baseball.”

WILLIAMS on how it will be the day the Cubs win the World Series:
“It will be years and years of downward slide and all of a sudden you are up there and the celebration will be so great. First thing in your mind, you say ‘I wish my teammate was here to help us celebrate’…talking about Ernie now. I think of the people on the outside standing on Waveland and Sheffield and you look at them and you will be happy for them and for yourself, but happy for them because they have supported the organization for so many years and you will go celebrate with them. Through the bad times, through the bad luck, and all of a sudden you are there, winning.

“The first thing I would do is go to the clubhouse and have champagne with the guys, but the second thing I would do would be to think about the ‘69 team and we didn’t get there, but we tried, and I would think about all the failures the organization had…. but the ultimate thing I would think about is the people having fun. I would drink that champagne and I would celebrate and I would celebrate with the players and let them know how I much appreciate it what they have done because we tried and we didn’t do it.”

Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year.  In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with Emmy Award-winning regional sports news and analysis via SportsNet Central and SportsTalk Live.  Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, blogs and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.”  Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.

NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consist of 11 regional networks that deliver more than 2,400 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning breaking news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 43 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, which serves Baltimore and Washington D.C., Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsNet New York. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information about NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

####