By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week in 1908
Aug 25th, 2024
1 Comment
5704 Views
How long ago was 1908? The city of Chicago has officially gone crazy for the Cubs. The Chicago Tribune sets up an electronic scoreboard outside their headquarters at the corner of Madison & Dearborn to provide “scoring updates” of the Cubs-Giants games in New York. The electronic sco...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 24th, 2024
0 Comments
3535 Views
~Jimmy “Scoops” Cooney 1894–1991 (Cubs 1926-1927) Cooney was already 32 years old when he joined the Cubs in 1926, but he had only played parts of four major league seasons (two with the Cardinals, one each with the Red Sox and Giants). But the Cubs had no one else to play shortstop when they a...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week in 1945
Aug 23rd, 2024
0 Comments
4799 Views
This week (Aug 23-Aug 29) during the last year the Cubs went to the World Series (before 2016)… World War II *The depth of the destruction in Japan is slowly seeping out. From the New York Times: “30,000 MORE DIE SLOW DEATH IN HIROSHIMA: JAPS – Report Many Sufferers Cry, ‘Kill...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 23rd, 2024
0 Comments
3597 Views
~Guy Bush 1901–1985 (Cubs 1923-1934) The Mississippi Mudcat got his nickname because he came from Mississippi and had a very strange delivery. Bush won 150+ games for the Cubs, as a starter and reliever (he led the league in relief wins 4 times). Some of those were key games in Cubs history. On...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 22nd, 2024
1 Comment
4796 Views
~Ray Burris 1950– (Cubs 1973-1979) Ray anchored the Cubs rotation in the mid-70s, twice winning 15 games in a season (’75 & ’76). Unfortunately for Ray, expectations were very high for him. He arrived on the Cubs just as Fergie Jenkins was departing, and the team hoped that Burris could st...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Weeks Historical Events
Aug 21st, 2024
1 Comment
5647 Views
Johnny Conlisk is as “Chicago” as they come. Both his father and grandfather were high ranking members of the Chicago Police Department. Many other family members have been Chicago Police officers as well. His father advised him not to go into “the family business” and Johnny took him at his word. Fo...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 21st, 2024
0 Comments
4518 Views
~Tuffy Rhodes 1968– (Cubs 1993-1995) In 1994, the Cubs had a memorable home opener against the New York Mets. A little-known player named Tuffy Rhodes hit three homers that day to power the Cubs to a victory. Cubs fans had delusions of grandeur after that game, but Tuffy hit only five more home...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Aug 20th, 2024
1 Comment
6589 Views
August 22, 1982 The Cubs retire the first number in franchise history: #14 in honor of Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. No-one had worn #14 since Ernie retired as a coach in 1973, but by raising the #14 flag the Cubs make it official. In the lineup for the Cubs that day is a rookie third […]...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 20th, 2024
0 Comments
3441 Views
~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 ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 19th, 2024
0 Comments
3684 Views
~Tim Blackwell 1952– (Cubs 1978-1980) With Blackwell on the roster from 1978-1980, the Cubs knew that they had someone who could hit against both lefties and righties (he was a switch hitter), and if necessary, he could also be an emergency understudy for any Wyatt Earp movie being filmed in th...
The Pothole Store | Eckhartz Press | Rick Kaempfer's Blog | Illinois Entertainer
Site construction by WorkSite, LLC