By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 7th, 2024
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3512 Views
~Don Larsen 1929–2020 (Cubs 1967) When the MLB channel debuted, the first full game they showed was the only perfect game in World Series history. Everyone remembers that game, pitched by the immortal Don Larsen. Not many Cubs fans realize that the same Don Larsen also pitched for the Cubs. Eve...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 6th, 2024
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3842 Views
~Ray Culp 1941– (Cubs 1967) Ray Culp was already a two-time 14-game winner when the Cubs acquired him before the 1967 season, and they gave up former 20-game winner Dick Ellsworth to get him from the Phillies. But in his only season with Chicago, Culp was mediocre, managing only 8 wins. He also...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 5th, 2024
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3889 Views
~Rube Novotney 1924–1987 (Cubs 1949) Novotney was a University of Illinois product who got one short cup of coffee with the Cubs in 1949. He was a backup catcher who appeared in 22 games. He hit .269 in his limited appearances. Rube also played nine seasons in the minor leagues. ~Tony Jacobs 19...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 4th, 2024
1 Comment
4967 Views
~Dallas Green 1934–2017 (Cubs GM 1982-1987) Dallas Green may have been a pretty good judge of talent (he brought Maddux, Palmeiro, Sandberg, Dawson, Grace, Smith, Moyer, Dunston, Sutcliffe, et al to the team), and he may have been gotten the Cubs as close to the World Series as anyone else did ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 3rd, 2024
1 Comment
5087 Views
~Rod Beck 1968–2007 (Cubs 1998-1999) They called him “The Shooter” because he was like a gunslinger out there, and he didn’t waste any of his bullets. Rod Beck was the Cubs closer during the Wild Card season of 1998, saving 51 games in truly scary fashion. By the time he arrived with the Cubs, ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 2nd, 2024
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3474 Views
~Lloyd “Citation” Merriman 1924–2004 (Cubs 1955) Though Merriman played five seasons in the big leagues, that was the least of his accomplishments. Lloyd Merriman was a genuine war hero in two different wars, World War II and the Korean War. Before he went to war, he was better known as a footb...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 1st, 2024
1 Comment
5113 Views
~Greg Gross 1952– (Cubs 1977-1978) Greg was a slap-hitting outfielder (zero home runs in about 1500 at-bats) for the Astros (in their rainbow pajama uniform era) when the Cubs acquired him before the 1977 season. The Cubs made a run at the division title before fading at the end of the year, an...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 31st, 2024
1 Comment
4764 Views
~Leon Durham 1957– (Cubs 1981-1988) Of course, his real name was Leon, but it was hard to be named Durham without getting the nickname Bull. No Cubs fan will ever forget him. Durham had a pretty good career with the Cubs, making the All-Star team twice, hitting more than 20 homers five times, a...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 30th, 2024
0 Comments
4454 Views
~Steve Trout 1957– (Cubs 1983-1987) Steve Trout was nicknamed Rainbow by his high school teammates for obvious reasons…the Rainbow Trout. He was a flaky lefty who probably would have been nicknamed Dizzy if not for his father who already laid claim to the nickname. (Dizzy Trout pitched for the ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Jul 29th, 2024
1 Comment
5280 Views
~Ken Kravec 1951– (Cubs 1981-1982) Kravec had been a 15-game winner for the White Sox just a few years before he was acquired by the Cubs in a rare crosstown trade (for Dennis Lamp). This one worked out for the Cubs, but not in the way you might expect. Kravec was terrible as a Cubs […]...
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