Post your Cubs sorrows and grief here   Mission Statement BIG DADDY His real name was Rick Reuschel, but to his teammates he was Big Daddy. The nickname obviously had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler movie (because it didn't come out until many years after he retired), and it had nothing to do with the Burl Ives character in the movie "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" because that came out fourteen years before his Cubs debut in 1972. He was dubbed Big Daddy by teammate Mike Krukow, because at 6'3", 235 pounds, he didn't much look like someone who could pass for a professional athlete, let alone be one. For the decade of the 1970s, Rick Reuschel was the best pitcher on the Cubs. He got 135 of his 214 career wins for Chicago, which is the second highest win total of any Cubs pitcher since World War II (behind only Fergie Jenkins). Big Daddy won 10 or more games for nine years in a row (1972-1980), and on August 21, 1975, he and his brother Paul became the first brothers to combine on a major league shutout. After an injury plagued stint with the Yankees, the Cubs resigned him, and he pitched for them again in '83 and '84, but they let him go because they thought he was done. He wasn't. He won 70 more games for the Pirates and Giants over the next seven seasons. Comments Section  |  Comments(5)  |  Add a Comment Poster: Yossarian   7/1/2008 2:11:35 PM Comment: I seem to remember Rick`s brother Paul was even fatter than Rick. There`s always been a place for fat pitchers though: CC Sabathia Wilbur Wood Bartolo Colon Denny McLain Micky Lolich Ken Brett Nelson Briles Luis Tiant La Marr Hoyt Carlos Zambrano - this list goes on. Poster: North Side George   5/16/2008 1:37:42 PM Comment: I have many fond memories of seeing the Cubs game after school. No one put it better then Bill Murray his memory of coming home from school to catch the last inning or two of the Cubs game: "I remember watching Jack Brickhouse trying to explain another Cub loss as Wrigley Field was nearly empty. You could hear kids in the background popping paper cups by turning them over and stepping on them." Simply Beautifull! Poster: A   2/28/2008 7:45:07 AM Comment: And most baseball fans think David Wells cornered the market on that physique. Not so! Poster: Anna   2/27/2008 9:30:09 AM Comment: He was always friendly to the Bleacher Bums. We loved Rick. Poster: Tim   2/26/2008 6:49:22 AM Comment: He was a good hitter too. Never judge a book by it`s gigantic stomach. Mission Statement