Today’s Cubs Birthdays (December 24)

~Del Howard 1877 (Cubs 1907-1908)
On Christmas Eve 1877, a boy named George Elmer Howard was born in Kenney, Illinois. During his childhood everyone began calling him Del. Good ‘ol Del became a big league ballplayer with the Chicago Cubs. He was a backup outfielder, first baseman, and second baseman on the only Cubs teams to win the World Series, the 1907 and 1908 Cubs. Del Howard only hit two homers in his two seasons in Chicago, but he also won two rings.

~Ernie Groth 1884 (Cubs 1904)
The 19-year-old Groth pitched in three games for the Cubs in 1904. He started (and completed) two of those game, and saved the third one, and then never pitched in the big leagues again. The Wisconsin boy was nicknamed “Dango”

~James Norwood 1993– (Cubs 2018-2019)
Norwood came up as a 24-year-old rookie and got into eleven games for the Cubs. The right-handed reliever posted a 4.09 ERA, but struggled a bit. He allowed nearly two baserunners an inning and didn’t make the postseason roster. In 2019 he posted similar results. Control continued to be his issue. He walked eight men in nine innings.