~Rich Harden 1981 (Cubs 2008-2009) The Cubs knew they were getting a fragile but talented pitcher from the A’s during their division winning season of 2008, but gambled that he could help. When he got on the mound, he did. Harden had a 5-1 record...

~Howard Johnson 1960 (Cubs 1995) His parents obviously had a sense of humor, because they named their son Howard, the same name as a famous hotel and restaurant chain. His nickname naturally ended up being the same thing as the restaurant’s nickn...

Carlos Villanueva 1983 (Cubs 2013-2014) Carlos was signed as a free agent after pitching seven big league seasons in Milwaukee and Toronto. He was a very valuable pitcher for the Cubs for two seasons, filling every conceivable role. Carlos started 20 g...

~Johnny Schmitz 1920 (Cubs 1941-1951) He was nicknamed Bear Tracks because of his lumbering shuffle to the mound. Schmitz was only twenty when he was called up to the majors, and pitched two seasons for the Cubs, but was drafted to serve in World War I...

~Larry Gura 1947 (Cubs 1970-1973, 1985) Gura didn’t pitch too much for the team that drafted him. He appeared in a total of 54 games over four seasons (mostly out of the bullpen). The Cubs traded him for pitcher Mike Paul. Paul had very little le...

~Joe DiMaggio 1914 (Offered to the Cubs 1934) He was never a member of the Chicago Cubs, but he could have been. That’s right: The Chicago Cubs passed on Joe DiMaggio. Is there anything that sums up a bad century better than that sentence? The sa...

How Long Ago Was 1908? The King of Ragtime Scott Joplin turns 41 on Nov 24. Though he is from St. Louis and recently moved to New York, his music is the soundtrack for Chicago’s notorious Levee District, including “The Entertainer,” a...

~Dave Hansen 1968 (Cubs 1997) Hansen was one of the best pinch-hitters of his generation. He played one full season for the Cubs in 1997, but that turned out to be a rather unpleasant experience. After being on a perpetual winner in Los Angeles, the 0-...

~Harpo Marx 1888 (Cubs Fan) The Marx family moved from New York to Chicago in 1909. For much of that time they lived in a large house at 4512 South Grand Boulevard (now called Martin Luther King Boulevard). The house is still there. The Marx Brothers (...

~Dick Bartell 1907 (Cubs 1939) Acquired in a trade with the Giants (for among others, starting shortstop Billy Jurges, and outfielder Frank Demaree), Dick was the starting shortstop for the Cubs in 1939. Bartell was accustomed to the hardscrabble New Y...