Built like a fireplug and nicknamed Popeye for his strength (not to mention an uncanny physical resemblance), the Cubs acquired Don Zimmer to start at third base even though they already had a young third baseman on the roster named Santo. It almost caused Santo to quit baseball. After seeing the response of Santo, the Cubs displaced Tony Taylor at second base instead and gave his job to Popeye. (Taylor also went on to have a long and successful career with other teams like the Phillies and the Tigers).

Zimmer, famously has a plate in his head. He was hit in the head by a Jim Kirk pitch in the minor leagues. He was unconscious for almost two weeks, lost his speech for six, and dropped 44 lbs. Inserted in his head were four "buttons...like tapered corkscrews in a bottle," he explained. He was doing well in 1956 when a pitch from the Reds' Hal Jeffcoat fractured his cheekbone and ended his season.

Naturally, someone with that many serious head injuries would eventually be hired to manage the Cubs. He was named Cubs manager by his high-school buddy, GM Jim Frey, for 1988. He won the division title in 1989, and AP Manager of the Year, with unorthodox strategic moves and lots of rookies and journeymen in his lineups, but as you might guess, those strategies starting blowing up in his face the following year.

Even though he was fired shortly thereafter, Popeye remains a Chicago Cubs fan favorite.