By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week in 1908
Aug 18th, 2024
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How long ago was 1908? Orville Wright (photo) celebrates his 37th birthday in Washington on August 19th. It has only been four and a half years since the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk. Because only five people witnessed that first flight, Wilbur and Orville still haven’t att...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 18th, 2024
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~Burleigh Grimes 1893–1985 (Cubs 1932-1933) Grimes never shaved on days he pitched, because the slippery elm he chewed to increase saliva irritated his skin, so he always had stubble on his face when he took the mound. That led to his nickname, Ol’ Stubblebeard. He wasn’t just known for his stu...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 17th, 2024
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~John Buzhardt 1936–2008 (Cubs 1958-1959) Buzhardt burst onto the scene in September of 1958 and immediately made his presence known. In his first two big league starts he beat Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The following year he tossed a one-hitter for the Cubs before developing elbow problems...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 16th, 2024
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~Justin Grimm 1988– (Cubs 2013-2017) Grimm was acquired in the trade that sent Matt Garza to the Texas Rangers. Grimm was a fairly solid (if inconsistent) reliever for the Cubs during his five seasons in Chicago after having a rougher go of it as a starter for Texas. He also helped out the Cubs...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week in 1945
Aug 16th, 2024
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This week (Aug 16-Aug 22) during the last year the Cubs went to the World Series (before 2016)… World War II *Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek meet in Chongqing to discuss an end to hostilities between the Communists and the Nationalists in China. Those hostilities won’t end 1949. In Pop Cu...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 15th, 2024
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5170 Views
~Barney Schultz 1926–2015 (Cubs 1961-1963) Barney had the misfortune of pitching for the Cubs during the College of Coaches era. He was not a young pup either. The journeyman who had never spent a full season in the majors was 34 years old in 1961. His teammates called him “Mr. Old Folks.” The ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 14th, 2024
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3654 Views
~Juan Pierre 1977– (Cubs 2006) He was named after Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, but this Juan also had a great career. Chicago fans knew him well before he played for them thanks to his impressive series against the Cubs in the 2003 NLCS. He hit .300, got ten hits, and scored five runs as [&hell...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Weeks Historical Events
Aug 14th, 2024
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9542 Views
August 14, 1908 In the midst of the Cubs final championship season, a horrible race riot broke out in Springfield Illinois. Before the race riots were over, forty homes were burned to the ground, 24 businesses were destroyed, and seven people were dead: two black people (lynched by the angry mob) and...
By Rick Kaempfer
In Today's Cub Birthday
Aug 13th, 2024
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3975 Views
~Andre Thornton 1949– (Cubs 1973-1976) Andre was acquired from the Braves in the trade that sent Joe Pepitone out of Chicago. That turned out to be a good deal for the Cubs, because Andre turned into one of the top young sluggers in the National League. His nickname was “Thunder” and he hit 18 ...
By Rick Kaempfer
In This Week In Wrigley History
Aug 13th, 2024
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8847 Views
August 13, 1987 The Cubs retire the number of one of the all-time greats: Good Ol’ Number 26, Billy Williams. It is only the second number they ever retired (Ernie was first). Maybe there is some magic in the air, because the woeful Cubs come back to win the game in dramatic fashion. Catcher Jo...
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