Tag / Dallas Green

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Outfielders Part 1

Originally founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League in 1876.  Over the next 150 seasons, the Cubs have played more than 22,000 games, scored over 103,000 runs and recorded more than 200,000 hits, more than any other team in baseball history.  Nearly 2,300 players have worn a Cubs uniform, earning eight division titles, 17 NL pennants, and three World Series championships.

Fans have witnessed generations of unforgettable players, from historical heroes like Joe Tinker, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams to more recent stars like Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, and Anthony Rizzo.  The team has called Wrigley Field home for 110 of those 150 seasons.

To celebrate this milestone, the Cubs are holding a fan vote to select the franchise’s anniversary team.  Each week, we will go through the provided options for each position and declare who should, and, if different, who will, win the fan vote.  We continue today with the first eight selections for outfielder.

George Altman spent seven seasons with the Cubs across two stints.  Debuting with the club in 1959, he quickly emerged as one of the team’s most productive hitters, earning All-Star selections in both 1961 and 1962.  He accumulated 7.9 WAR across those two seasons while establishing himself as a dangerous power hitter.  He returned to the Cubs in 1965 but was unable to reclaim his former status and struggled to produce.  He finished his major league career in 1967, hitting just .111 in 15 games.

José Cardenal joined the Cubs for the 1972 season and stayed through 1977.  He was one of the most popular and productive players during his tenure, bridging the gap between the superstars of the 60s and the success coming in the 1980s.  He was named Cubs player of the year by local media in 1973.  His best season came in 1975, earning 3.1 WAR while hitting .317.  He was inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame in 2022.

Kiki Cuyler joined the Cubs following the 1927 season and spent parts of eight years with the team.  During his tenure, Cuyler was one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league, helping the Cubs win two NL pennants.  He was named to his lone All-Star team in 1934 in its second year of existence.  He led the NL in three times, from 1928 through 1930.  In 1968, he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a member of the Hall of Fame.

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And Print It!

Former Cubs manager Lee Elia, who became an infamous part of baseball history following an epic rant in 1983, passed away Tuesday just shy of his 88th birthday.  Born in Philadelphia, Elia spent all of his short major league career in Chicago, in 1966 with the White Sox and in 1968 with the Cubs.  Following the end of his playing career, Elia was a coach for the Phillies in 1980 and 1981 under manager Dallas Green.  When Green was hired by the Tribune Company to be their new executive vice president and general manager for the recently acquired Cubs, he hired Elia to be the team’s new manager.

With an influx of former Phillies on the roster, the Cubs finished 73-89 in 1982, their first season under Elia.  1983 didn’t start much better and, after a tough 4-3 loss to the Dodgers dropped them to a 5-14 record on April 29th, Keith Moreland and Larry Bowa were verbally assaulted by a fan.  In his cramped office, with a small number of reporters peppering him with questions, Elia went off.  in his tirade, Elia had plenty to say about the denizens who took in day baseball every day.

What … what the fuck am I supposed to do? Go out there and let my fuckin’ players get destroyed every day, and be quiet about it? For the fuckin’ nickel/dime people that show up? The motherfuckers don’t even work! That’s why they’re out at the fuckin’ game! They ought to get a fuckin’ job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a fuckin’ living. Eighty-five percent of the fuckin’ world is working. The other fifteen come out here.

Surprisingly, Elia survived the ordeal, but not the season.  He was fired on August 22nd after saying he had never heard of a Braves rookie, Gerald Perry, who had just gone 4-for-9 with a home run and six RBI in a three-game sweep.  Elia returned to the Phillies organization, managing in the minor leagues and rejoining the big-league club’s coaching staff.  In 1987, he was named manager of the Phillies, going 51-50 after taking over the club.  He was retained for 1988, but a 65–96 record and a last place finish in the NL East led to his dismissal.

Regardless of his success, or lack thereof, on the diamond, he will always be a baseball immortal thanks to his off-the-cuff remarks on a late April afternoon in the bowels of Wrigley Field.

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By The Numbers – 8

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #8.  82 different players have donned #8 while playing in Chicago, 40 for the White Sox and 42 for the Cubs.

Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson joined the White Sox as a free agent on April 3, 1991 after being released by the Royals following a catastrophic hip injury suffered in January during the NFL playoffs as a member of the Raiders.  “In making the business decision,” owner Jerry Reinsdorf said at the time, “I assume he will not play this year. If he does, it will be a big bonus.”  Jackson did spend most of 1991 on the disabled list, rehabbing the injury, but did eventually manage to make his way back to the field.  He appeared in 23 games, hitting only .225 with 3 home runs.

Diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the hip joint and having lost all of the cartilage supporting his hip, Jackson decided to undergo a hip replacement surgery, keeping him on the shelf for the entire 1992 season.  While rehabbing, Jackson promised his mother he would return to the major leagues and hit a home run for her.  Unfortunately, Jackson’s mother died before he could return, but, in his first at bat of the 1993 season, and his first with an artificial hip, he hit a home run to right field against the Yankees at Comiskey Park.  On September 27, Jackson belted a three-run home run off of the Mariners to help the White Sox clinch their first AL West Division title in a decade.  Jackson ended up appearing in 85 games for the White Sox, hitting .232 and hitting 16 home runs while driving in 45.  He appeared in 3 of the 6 ALCS games against the Blue Jays, going hitless in 10 at bats.  Following the season, he became a free agent, ending his White Sox playing career.  In 2014, he returned to the organization as an ambassador, a role he continues to play today.

A free agent following the 1986 season, Andre Dawson was looking for a new home with natural grass that would be easier on his injured knees.  With MLB owners colluding against the players by agreeing not to sign free agents, Dawson found himself without takers.  When the Cubs opened their spring training camp that spring, Dawson and his agent, Dick Moss, arrived with a signed blank contract in an attempt to get a job.  GM Dallas Green derided the stunt as a “dog and pony show,” but, after reviewing the contract, Green and Moss reached an agreement on a lowball salary of $500,000, the second-lowest salary amongst the team’s starters.  The Cubs easily got their money’s worth, as Dawson became the Cubs’ starting right fielder, and hit a major league leading 49 home runs and was named NL MVP, despite the Cubs finishing in last place.

Dawson played five more seasons with the Cubs and was one of the franchise’s most popular players during that time.  His worst individual season came in 1989, when the Cubs won the NL East title.  During the NLCS, Dawson slumped terribly, hitting .105 as the Giants beat the Cubs 4 games to 1.  Dawson’s .507 career slugging percentage with the Cubs is fourth highest in team history.