• EveryCubEver

    Today’s Cub Birthday

    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 11th, 2023
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    3945 Views
    ~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 known for playing with a flask in his pocket. One ti...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 10th, 2023
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    3691 Views
    ~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 didn’t have a lot of power, didn’t walk […...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 9th, 2023
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    3385 Views
    ~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. Lanfranconi never pitched for the Cubs again, b...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 8th, 2023
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    3483 Views
    ~Henry Rodriguez 1967– (Cubs 1998-2000) Henry started in left field for the Cubs in 1998, 1999, and 2000, and became a fan favorite. The left field bleacher bums would throw Oh Henry bars at him when he returned to his position after hitting a homer. He hit 75 of them in his three seasons in [&...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 7th, 2023
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    3572 Views
    ~Joe Niekro 1944–2006 (Cubs 1967-1969) His brother Phil was already a star pitcher for the Braves when Joe Niekro was drafted in the third round by the Cubs in 1966. In his rookie season in Chicago (1967), Joe won 10 games. He won 14 games for the Cubs in 1968, but manager Leo Durocher, never [...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 6th, 2023
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    3553 Views
    ~Chick Tolson 1898–1965 (1926-1930) Chick was a backup first baseman and pinch hitter for the Cubs in the late 1920s. His teammates called him “Slug” for his less-than-speedy wheels. Slug played four seasons for the Cubs, and had his best season in 1929, when the Cubs won the pennant. He had a ...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 5th, 2023
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    3080 Views
    ~Bryan LaHair 1982– (Cubs 2011-2012) LaHair was a slugger in the minor leagues, and then stormed out of the box in the beginning of the 2012 season for the Cubs. He was among the league leaders in homers for the first few months and made the All-Star team. Then…reality set in. At the end of [&h...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 4th, 2023
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    4596 Views
    ~Dick Selma 1943–2001 (Cubs 1969) He was nicknamed Mortimer Snerd by his teammates after Edgar Bergen’s famous dummy. Selma was a key member of the 1969 Cubs. He won 10 games for them and led the staff in strikeouts per nine innings after being acquired from the Padres. Selma became a fan favor...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 3rd, 2023
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    4119 Views
    ~Ken Holtzman 1945– (Cubs 1966-1971) He would become one of the rarest animals on the North American continent…a quality homegrown Chicago Cubs starting pitcher. But Holtzman was the real deal. He went 9-0 for the Cubs while serving in the National Guard in 1967, and when his military service w...
    By Rick Kaempfer
    In Today's Cub Birthday
    Nov 2nd, 2023
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    3863 Views
    ~Dutch Zwilling 1888–1978 (Cubs 1916) Until 2015, if you went to the Baseball Encyclopedia and looked at the last name listed there, you would have found Dutch Zwilling. (Now it is non-Cub Tony Zych). Dutch was born in St. Louis, and only lasted four big league seasons, but the center fielder m...