By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 27th, 2024
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5453 Views
~Emil Verban 1915–1989 (Cubs 1948-1950) Verban was a second baseman for the Cubs. They called him the Antelope because of his speed early in his career, but by the time Verban played in Chicago, he wasn’t exactly tearing up the base paths. In his three seasons with the Cubs he stole a total of ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 26th, 2024
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3755 Views
~Sparky Adams 1894–1989 (Cubs 1923-1927) His real name was Earl John Adams, and he was an energetic little guy; only 5’5″. Adams spent 1923 and 1924 as the Cubs’ semi-regular shortstop, but came into his own when he was switched to second base after George Grantham was traded to Pittsburgh for ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 25th, 2024
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3584 Views
~Rube Kroh 1886–1944 (Cubs 1908-1910) His real name was Floyd Kroh, but Rube was a common nickname in the first half of last century, indicating that the player was a country boy. Rube Kroh certainly fit that description. He grew up in a small town in New York named Friendship. Kroh’s first sea...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 24th, 2024
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3524 Views
~Jimmy “Scoops” Cooney 1894–1991 (Cubs 1926-1927) Cooney was already 32 years old when he joined the Cubs in 1926, but he had only played parts of four major league seasons (two with the Cardinals, one each with the Red Sox and Giants). But the Cubs had no one else to play shortstop when they a...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 23rd, 2024
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3584 Views
~Guy Bush 1901–1985 (Cubs 1923-1934) The Mississippi Mudcat got his nickname because he came from Mississippi and had a very strange delivery. Bush won 150+ games for the Cubs, as a starter and reliever (he led the league in relief wins 4 times). Some of those were key games in Cubs history. On...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 22nd, 2024
1 Comment
4776 Views
~Ray Burris 1950– (Cubs 1973-1979) Ray anchored the Cubs rotation in the mid-70s, twice winning 15 games in a season (’75 & ’76). Unfortunately for Ray, expectations were very high for him. He arrived on the Cubs just as Fergie Jenkins was departing, and the team hoped that Burris could st...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 21st, 2024
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4493 Views
~Tuffy Rhodes 1968– (Cubs 1993-1995) In 1994, the Cubs had a memorable home opener against the New York Mets. A little-known player named Tuffy Rhodes hit three homers that day to power the Cubs to a victory. Cubs fans had delusions of grandeur after that game, but Tuffy hit only five more home...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 20th, 2024
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3431 Views
~Fred Norman 1942– (Cubs 1964-1967) Fred was one of their bright young prospects in the mid-60s, but the 5’8″ screwball expert was traded to the Dodgers in 1967. Norman finally came into his own in the 1970s with the Cincinnati Reds. He was part of the rotation for two consecutive World Series ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 19th, 2024
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3672 Views
~Tim Blackwell 1952– (Cubs 1978-1980) With Blackwell on the roster from 1978-1980, the Cubs knew that they had someone who could hit against both lefties and righties (he was a switch hitter), and if necessary, he could also be an emergency understudy for any Wyatt Earp movie being filmed in th...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 18th, 2024
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4702 Views
~Burleigh Grimes 1893–1985 (Cubs 1932-1933) Grimes never shaved on days he pitched, because the slippery elm he chewed to increase saliva irritated his skin, so he always had stubble on his face when he took the mound. That led to his nickname, Ol’ Stubblebeard. He wasn’t just known for his stu...
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