By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 19th, 2024
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12984 Views
~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 Series when the Cubs acquired him in 1966. They hoped...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 18th, 2024
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3982 Views
~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 a dynamic leadoff man. In 2000, he hit .297 and ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 17th, 2024
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3823 Views
~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 best starters, but he was valuable enough to make t...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 16th, 2024
1 Comment
5354 Views
~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 retired), and it had nothing to do with the Burl Iv...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 15th, 2024
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4859 Views
~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 that a better bullpen would save their starters, ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 14th, 2024
0 Comments
4067 Views
~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 70s and early 80s. The Cubs got him from the Yan...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 13th, 2024
0 Comments
4027 Views
~Jimmy Archer 1883–1958 (Cubs 1909-1917) He was the regular Cubs catcher from 1911 to 1917, but Jimmy Archer was much more than that. He was an early version of television’s Steve Austin; the bionic Cub. During the winter of 1902, at the age of 19, Archer was working as a barrel maker in Toront...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 12th, 2024
0 Comments
4048 Views
~Hank Borowy 1916–2004 (Cubs 1945-1948) He had won 17, 14, and 15 games in his three previous seasons with Yankees, and had already won 10 games in 1945 when the Cubs acquired Hank. Borowy was 29 years old and in the prime of his career. People thought the Yankees had lost their minds. After Bo...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 11th, 2024
0 Comments
5569 Views
~Milt Pappas 1939–2016 (Cubs 1970-1973) Milt had some of his best seasons as a big league pitcher with the Cubs at the tail end of his career. In 1971 he became one of only ten pitchers in big league history to strike out the side on nine pitches. In 1972 he came just one out […]...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 10th, 2024
0 Comments
4950 Views
~Jim Hickman 1937–2016 (Cubs 1969-1973) After eight forgettable seasons with three different teams, Jim Hickman was magically transformed from a perennial struggler to a powerful slugger. In 1970 at the age of 33, “Gentleman Jim” somehow batted .315, with 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, and 1...
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