Tag / Gatorade

by admin

150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Starting Pitchers Part 3

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 start today with the final eight selections for starting pitcher.

Rick Reuschel, a native of central Illinois, spent parts of twelve seasons across two stints with the Cubs, from 1972-1981 and again from 1983-1984.  From 1975-1978, he was teammates with his brother Paul, also a pitcher.  His best season came in 1977, when he won 20 games, made his lone All-Star team as a Cub, and finished third in Cy Young award voting.  After being traded in 1981, he returned to the Cubs in 1983 following a rotator cuff injury.  He is a member of the Cubs Hall of Fame.

Charlie Root spent the majority of his major league career with the Cubs, from 1926-1941.  In 1927, he led the National League with 26 wins, 48 games, 309 innings pitched, and, unfortunately, 117 walks.  In the 1932 World Series, Root was on the mound for Babe Ruth’s infamous called shot home run, though he would dispute the account.  Overall, he appeared in four World Series as a Cub and received some MVP support in five of his sixteen seasons.  He is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.

Bob Rush debuted with the Cubs in 1948, spending ten seasons on the north side.  A two-time All-Star, he led the NL with 20 losses in 1950.  He was a steady, if unspectacular, mainstay of the Cub rotation during the fallow period following their final World Series appearance of the 20th century in 1945.

Continue reading →

by admin

By The Numbers – 38

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 #38.  89 different players have donned #38 while playing in Chicago, 45 for the White Sox and 44 for the Cubs.

From the time he made his debut in 2001 through the January 2012 trade that ended his Cubs career, Carlos Zambrano took the field with #38 on his back.  When he was on his game, which he was for much of his early career on the Northside, he was one of the best in the game, helping the Cubs to division titles in 2003, 2007, and 2008.  Towards the end, though, he was known more for the troubles he has caused, whether it was fighting with Michael Barrett, Derrek Lee, or a Gatorade machine before finally walking out on the team after a horrid start against the Braves in the August of 2011, where he was ejected, claimed he was retiring, and then was suspended for the remainder of the season.  In January, he was traded to the Marlins.

On the south side of town, Pablo Ozuna donned #38 during his 3+ years with the White Sox.  Signing as a free agent in January of 2005, Ozuna saw the most playing time of his career to that point, including scoring the winning run in Game 2 of the ALCS, pinch running for A.J. Pierzynski after the infamous dropped third strike call in the 9th inning, and kicking off he 8 game winning streak to close out the franchise’s first World Series title in 88 years.

Ozuna returned to the White Sox in 2006 and, on May 3, he hit his first career home run.  A broken leg suffered in late May of 2007 limited Ozuna to 27 games.  He returned from the injury in 2008 and was performing well, hitting .281 in 32 games, but was designated for assignment after a roster crunch in July.

by admin

Goodbye Big Z

A career that showed much promise closed a chapter today, as the Cubs traded Carlos Zambrano, their one-time ace and current problem child, to the Florida Miami Marlins, where we he will join fellow former Chicagoans Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle.  Zambrano is almost the polar opposite of Buehrle, by far the more talented pitcher, but, due to his frequent meltdowns, was not able to utilize that talent.  When he was on his game, which he was for much of his early career on the Northside, he was one of the best in the game.  More recently, though, he has been known more for the troubles he has caused, whether it was fighting with Michael Barrett, Derrek Lee, and a Gatorade machine to finally walking out on the team after a disasterous start against the Braves last summer.  This is one of those moves where it was probably best for all involved to move on.

Personally, it will be a little difficult to see him go.  Discounting a brief callup the year before, Zambrano basically started his career in 2002, the year I first had season tickets to the Cubs.  From the run to the NLCS in 2003, the frequent drubbings on opening day starts, the back-to-back sweeps in the 07 and 08 NLDS, and, sadly, the constant fights with teammates, it feels like we’ve been through it together.

Here are his career numbers in games I have attended: Continue reading →