During his playing days, Gene Mauch was a backup second baseman and shortstop for the Cubs for two seasons (1948-1949). He was well-liked by his teammates, especially the guy playing ahead of him, shortstop Roy Smalley. Smalley eventually married Mauch's sister.

Gene was never much of a hitter (5 career homers and a .239 lifetime batting average in nine ML seasons), and he played for some of the worst teams in history (the 1948 Cubs famously inspired that Norman Rockwell picture), but he was always considered a student of the game.

Did his stint with the Cubs affect him as a manager? Judge for yourself. Despite having managed in more major league games than all but three other managers (at the time of his retirement), he never won a pennant. His 1964 Phillies probably had the most dramatic collapse in baseball history. Leading by 6 ½ games with two weeks to go, the Phillies blew it. Yes, I think it's safe to say…his stint with the Cubs did rub off on him.