How long ago was 1908? Many historians consider Big Jim Colosimo the father of the Chicago mafia. His official title in 1908 is precinct captain (for First Ward Aldermen Kenna & Coughlin), but his real job is providing muscle, and collecting bribe...

~Rod Beck 1968–2007 (Cubs 1998-1999) They called him “The Shooter” because he was like a gunslinger out there, and he didn’t waste any of his bullets. Rod Beck was the Cubs closer during the Wild Card season of 1998, saving 51 games in truly scar...

This week (Aug 2-Aug 8) during the last year the Cubs went to the World Series (before 2016)… World War II *President Harry Truman announces the successful bombing of Hiroshima with the atomic bomb, while returning from the Potsdam Conference abo...

~Lloyd “Citation” Merriman 1924–2004 (Cubs 1955) Though Merriman played five seasons in the big leagues, that was the least of his accomplishments. Lloyd Merriman was a genuine war hero in two different wars, World War II and the Korean War. Befo...

~Greg Gross 1952– (Cubs 1977-1978) Greg was a slap-hitting outfielder (zero home runs in about 1500 at-bats) for the Astros (in their rainbow pajama uniform era) when the Cubs acquired him before the 1977 season. The Cubs made a run at the divisi...

August 2, 1923 President Warren G. Harding dies unexpectedly. He wasn’t from Chicago, but Chicago nevertheless played an important role in the his presidency. For one thing, in 1920 he was nominated by Republican party leaders in a smoke filled C...

~Leon Durham 1957– (Cubs 1981-1988) Of course, his real name was Leon, but it was hard to be named Durham without getting the nickname Bull. No Cubs fan will ever forget him. Durham had a pretty good career with the Cubs, making the All-Star team...

~Steve Trout 1957– (Cubs 1983-1987) Steve Trout was nicknamed Rainbow by his high school teammates for obvious reasons…the Rainbow Trout. He was a flaky lefty who probably would have been nicknamed Dizzy if not for his father who already laid cla...

July 30,1962 The All-Stars gather in Chicago’s Wrigley Field to play their second All-Star game of the season. The first one was played in Washington in early July. There are 21 Hall of Famers in the game on this Monday afternoon (yes, that’...

~Ken Kravec 1951– (Cubs 1981-1982) Kravec had been a 15-game winner for the White Sox just a few years before he was acquired by the Cubs in a rare crosstown trade (for Dennis Lamp). This one worked out for the Cubs, but not in the way you might ...