This week (May 19 – May 25) in 1908 How long ago was 1908? The 1907 Championship flag is raised amid great fanfare at West Side Grounds in front of sold out crowd. Cubs owner Charles Murphy thinks it’s a bad omen when the flag gets stuck ha...

~Curt Simmons 1929–(Cubs 1966-1967) Simmons was a three-time All-Star that led his team to a World Series title, but of course, that team was not the Cubs. Curt Simmons was only two seasons removed from taking the Cardinals to the 1964 World Seri...

~Eric Young 1967– (Cubs 2000-2001) EY was acquired from the Dodgers in 2000 in a very good trade for the Cubs. The Cubs got a starting second baseman and a starting pitcher (Ismael Valdes) in exchange for a relief pitcher (Terry Adams). Young was...

This week (May 17–May 23) during the last year the Cubs went to the World Series (before 2016)… World War II *U-Boats defeated, Tokyo bombed… *Heinrich Himmler, German head of the SS, commits suicide in British custody. He was only 45...

~Hal Carlson 1892–1930 (Cubs 1927-1930) Hal Carlson was a veteran starting pitcher acquired by the Cubs in 1927 from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched for them for several seasons, and didn’t make much of an impact. Hal was never one of their be...

~Rick Reuschel 1949– (Cubs 1972-1981, 1983-1984) His real name was Rick Reuschel, but to his teammates he was Big Daddy. The nickname obviously had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler movie (because it didn’t come out until many years after he re...

May 18, 1920 Future Pope (and Saint) John Paul II is born in Poland. Grover Cleveland Alexander is on the mound at Cubs Park in Chicago, and he beats the Giants 4-2. He also knocks in the game winning run. Cleveland could have never guessed that this b...

~Bill North 1948– (Cubs 1971-1972) It isn’t that difficult to understand what the Cubs were thinking on November 21, 1972. They were coming off four consecutive seasons where the pitching faltered at the end of the year. Cubs management believed ...

~Dick Tidrow 1947– (Cubs 1979-1982) His teammates called him “Dirt”. His odd nickname reflected his basic, simple approach to the game. His real name was Richard William Tidrow, and he was the setup man for the Cubs (for Bruce Sutter) in the late...

May 15, 1960 In his first start since being acquired from the Phillies, Cubs pitcher Don Cardwell has the most miraculous debut in Cubs history. He is facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a double header at Wrigley Field. Stan Musial wa...