Today’s Cubs Birthdays (August 20)

~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 champions (1975, 1976); the immortal Big Red Machine. In his big league career Fred Norman won 104 games. Zero of those came for the Chicago Cubs.

~Blake DeWitt 1985– (Cubs 2010-2012)
The Cubs got DeWitt from the Dodgers in the trade that sent fan favorites Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to Los Angeles. Blake was the Dodgers’ starting second baseman at the time. DeWitt played second base and third and had a couple of good stretches with Chicago, but they let him go after the 2012 season. He finished his career with the Atlanta Braves.

~Bull Smith 1880–1928 (Cubs 1906)
Bull was a member of the winningest team in baseball history (the 1906 Cubs), but he only played in one game. He later became a minor league manager. He also played football — which is where he got his nickname. He was the halfback on the Canton Bulldogs.

~Robert Gibson 1869–1949 (Colts 1890)
Don’t let anyone tell you that Bob Gibson never pitched for the Cubs. Robert Gibson did indeed pitch for Chicago. In 1890, the team was still known as the Colts, and the 20-year-old Gibson pitched a complete game on August 7th. It was his only appearance in a Chicago uniform.

~Kal Daniels 1963– (Cubs 1992)
Daniels was a slugger with the Reds and the Dodgers (over 100 career homers) and had good speed, but he was at the tail end of his career when he came to the Cubs. In 1989 he had knee surgery, and he was never the same player after that. Daniels hit his final four big league homers wearing a Cubs uniform. He was released after the season and retired. (Photo: 1993 Select Baseball Card)