By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 9th, 2024
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4090 Views
~Billy Jurges 1908–1997 (Cubs 1931-1938, 1946-1947) He was known as a fiery, ill-tempered, good fielding, weak-hitting shortstop for the Cubs, but he was also one of the team leaders during the best decade of the Cubs bad century (they were in the World Series in ’32, ’35, and ’38). Stories of ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 8th, 2024
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3776 Views
~Ross Barnes 1850–1915 (White Stockings 1876-1877) Barnes was an integral member of that first National League Cubs team (then known as the White Stockings). He was one of three players brought over from Boston by Al Spalding to stock that original National League team. Barnes was already a fou...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 7th, 2024
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3790 Views
~Mickey Doolin 1880–1951 (Cubs 1916) Doc, as he was known, was part of the first Cubs team to play at Wrigley Field. The previous season Doolin had also called the ballpark home–as a member of the Federal League Whales. When team owner Charles Weeghman merged the Whales/Cubs teams, he cherry pi...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 6th, 2024
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4475 Views
~Bill Hands 1940–2017 (Cubs 1966-1972) Bill Hands was nicknamed “Froggy” because his style was reminiscent of Don Larsen, who was with the Cubs at the end of his illustrious career, and the beginning of Hands career. Larsen was nicknamed Froggy, so Hands was given the nickname too. Hands became...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 5th, 2024
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4869 Views
~Lennie Merullo 1917–2015 (Cubs 1941-1947) Lennie was the starting shortstop for the Cubs in the 1940s, including the pennant winning season of 1945. He wasn’t known as a great fielder or hitter. In fact, Merullo averaged an error every three and half games or so (172 errors in 602 games, inclu...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 4th, 2024
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4600 Views
~Vic Saier 1891–1967 (Cubs 1911-1917) Vic was one of the players who played in the last season at West Side Grounds, and the Cubs’ first season at Wrigley. The first baseman had huge shoes to fill on the Cubs–he replaced the Peerless Leader, Frank Chance. When he was healthy, Saier was a beast–...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 3rd, 2024
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4024 Views
~George Gore 1854–1933 (White Stockings 1879-1886) Gore had one of the greatest nicknames of all-time; they called him Piano Legs. George was the centerfielder for the Cubs (then known as the White Stockings) during the team’s longest period of excellence. During Gore’s eight seasons, the team ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 2nd, 2024
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4397 Views
~Keith Moreland 1954– (Cubs 1982-1987) He was a tough former Texas football player with the given name of Bobby Keith Moreland, but to his Cubs teammates, he was simply known as Zonk. One of the many former Phillies on the Dallas Green-led Cubs of the mid-80s, Moreland was the Cubs’ leading bat...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
May 1st, 2024
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5674 Views
~Rudy Meoli 1951– (Cubs 1978) Because Joe Pepitone had retired from baseball a few seasons earlier, the Cubs were in desperate need of a player who looked just like him. They weren’t disappointed when Rudy Meoli showed up in camp. He had the same wild look as Pep, but he had one other qua...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Apr 30th, 2024
4 Comments
10104 Views
~Bob Hendley 1939– (Cubs 1965-1967) Hendley only won 10 games in his two and a half seasons with the Cubs, but he had a few moments of shining glory. His most memorable game in a Cubs uniform came on September 9th, 1965 at Dodgers Stadium. The Dodgers scored without the benefit of a hit in [&he...
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