By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 26th, 2023
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3049 Views
~Babe Herman 1903–1987 (Cubs 1933-1934) That’s right, “Babe” played for the Cubs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t THE Babe. His real name was Floyd Caves Herman, and his manager in the minors called him “Babe” after he got a hit in his first at-bat. Babe Ruth was playing then, and the manager said, “Y...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 25th, 2023
0 Comments
3388 Views
~Aramis Ramirez 1978– (Cubs 2003-2011) The Cubs acquired Ramirez during the playoff push of 2003, and he paid off in a big way that season. He hit 4 homers and knocked in ten runs during the playoffs. He also became the best third baseman the Cubs have had since Ron Santo. He was a two-time [&h...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 24th, 2023
1 Comment
4059 Views
~Rollie Hemsley 1907–1972 (Cubs 1931-1932) Rollie was the backup catcher on the Cubs in 1931 and 1932, but he didn’t get along with manager Rogers Hornsby. Although Hornsby was a degenerate gambler, he was also a teetotaler that really cracked down on the team drinkers. Offenders included just ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 23rd, 2023
0 Comments
2522 Views
~Jack Hardy 1877–1921 (Cubs 1907) One of the most obscure members of the first World Series champion Cubs team (1907), Hardy played in exactly one game for Chicago. The catcher went 1 for 4, with a single and a strikeout. He got a few more cups of coffee in the big leagues with Cleveland (his [...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 22nd, 2023
0 Comments
3499 Views
~John Dillinger 1902–1934 (Cubs fan) He was Public Enemy #1–so hounded and hunted by the FBI that he underwent drastic plastic surgery to change his appearance. The surgery left him disfigured, but didn’t do a very good job of disguising his appearance. Other bank robbers and gangst...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 21st, 2023
0 Comments
3149 Views
~Rick Sutcliffe 1952– (Cubs 1984-1991) The nickname “The Red Baron” was given to Rick Sutcliffe by Harry Caray, because of his intimidating presence (he was 6’7″) and red beard. 82 of his 171 career wins came with the Cubs, including 16 in his Cy Young-winning season of 1984. He was almost unhi...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 20th, 2023
0 Comments
3969 Views
~Wayland Dean 1902–1930 (Cubs 1927) Wayland Dean was one of those tragic stories that pepper baseball history. He was deeply troubled; a chronic alcoholic who suffered from depression. But he had a live fastball and made his way up to the majors in 1924 with the New York Giants. The Giants unde...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 19th, 2023
0 Comments
2822 Views
~Blake Parker 1985– (Cubs 2012-2014) Parker was a Cubs draft choice who got a lot of action of out the bullpen during the 2013 season. He appeared in 49 games for the Cubs that year and pitched fairly well, registering an ERA of 2.72. Unfortunately, the 2014 season didn’t go nearly as well, and...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 18th, 2023
1 Comment
3926 Views
~Lou Brock 1939–2020 (Cubs 1961-1964) It’s not that the Cubs didn’t realize they had a good potential player on their hands. It’s just that they didn’t know how to develop him. Brock came up through the Cubs system during their ill-fated College of Coaches era. Every few weeks Lou was getting d...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jun 17th, 2023
1 Comment
4128 Views
~Phil Douglas 1890–1952 (Cubs 1915-1919) They called him “Shufflin’ Phil” Douglas because he sort of shuffled his feet when he walked, but he was one of the best pitchers on the Cubs. Phil was a starter in their 1918 pennant-winning rotation. Unfortunately, Douglas was also a notorious drunk. T...
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