~Mitch Williams 1964 (Cubs 1989-1990) Cubs fans would sing the rock song “Wild Thing” when Mitch Williams emerged from the Chicago bullpen in 1989, in reference to his explosive but uncontrollable fastball (and yes, he got that nickname bef...

~Rollie Zeider 1883–1967 (Cubs 1916-1918) He remains one of only two men to have played for three different professional teams in Chicago (he played with the Cubs, the Sox, and the Federal League Whales). His last three seasons in the big leagues...

~Franklin P. Adams 1881–1960 (Cubs hater/immortalizer) He wrote the most famous poem ever written about the Cubs, “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon”, and it was so memorable it probably got Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance elect...

~Jim Brewer 1937–1987 (Cubs 1960-1963) Jim Brewer was a rookie pitcher for an unbelievably bad Cubs team in 1960. He was a little bit wild, and was having trouble controlling his pitches, and on one very unfortunate August day (8/4/60), he threw ...

~Johnny Kling 1875–1947 (Cubs 1900-1911) Kling was one of the best catchers in baseball; a grizzled veteran who was so good defensively, he caused former catcher Frank Chance to move positions (to first base). Hall of Fame pitcher Mordecai “Three...

~Sammy Sosa 1968– (Cubs 1992-2004) Sammy was a phenomenon during his time with the Cubs. He holds the all-time record for homers hit in a Cubs uniform (545), and many of them were hit in dramatic fashion. His chase of the Roger Maris record (alon...

~Rabbit Maranville 1891–1954 (Cubs 1925) His real name was Walter. Nicknamed for his speed and rabbit-like leaps, Rabbit Maranville was always a great fielder, but he was even better known for his partying. When he was with the Pirates he was kno...

How Long Ago Was 1908? The city of Chicago is abuzz with tons of new construction. The big shoulders are getting stronger and sturdier, especially downtown. City Hall is being built a few blocks away, but that project is dwarfed by the structure going ...

~Mike Vail 1951– (Cubs 1978-1980) He was already in his fourth big league season when the Cubs acquired Vail in the trade that sent Tarzan Wallis to the Indians. Vail was a talented hitter who hit well over .300 in his time with the Cubs, but he ...

~Walt Lanfranconi 1916–1986 (Cubs 1941) The small (5’7″) right-handed pitcher only got a cup of coffee with the Cubs in September of 1941 (two appearances) before being drafted into the military. He spent the rest of the war working for Uncle Sam...