Community Blog

The Votes are in ... The Cubs will Win 86-90 Games in 2011?

2011-04-10T15:38:08Z

The CCO asked and the Faithful responded with 818 votes. In the closest poll conducted in the nearly six years of ChicagoCubsOnline, 212 thought Mike Quade's team will win between 86-90 games this season ... and 210 see the Cubs finishing at or near the .500 mark.

]]> 818 votes were cast in a poll that ran from March 12 - April 9 ... and here's the breakdown of the final results:

70 - 75 wins - 133 votes
76 - 80 wins - 135 votes
81 - 85 wins - 210 votes
86 - 90 wins - 212 votes
91 - 95 wins - 75 votes
96+ wins - 53 votes

McNutt, Simpson and Szczur Win Fan Poll

2011-04-03T18:06:02Z

The results of this year's minor league fan poll are now in. Forty-five players were nominated and a total of 126 votes were cast. In the end, right-handed pitchers Trey McNutt and Hayden Simpson, along with outfielder Matt Szczur tied with nine votes apiece.

]]> The top ten vote-getters are:

1. Trey McNutt - RHP
1. Hayden Simpson - RHP
1. Matt Szczur - OF
4. Josh Vitters - 3B
5. D.J. LeMahieu - IF
5. Reggie Golden - OF
7. Michael Burgess - OF
7. Micah Gibbs - C
9. Jae-Hoon Ha - OF
9. Brett Jackson - OF

However, since only two pitchers were selected and Brett Jackson may be a quick call-up, I'm asking readers if they would mind Jackson being replaced by pitcher Chris Carpenter, the next leading player? Post your comments, and the will of the people shall reign.

A special shout-out goes to Steve23, who has given a new nickname to Rubi "The Expensive Cuban" Silva, IF/OF.

Here is a list of the nominees and the number of votes received, in alphabetical order:

Jeffry Antigua - LHP - 1
Darwin Barney - SS - 1
Austin Bibens-Dirkx - RHP - 2
Justin Bour - 1B - 2
Michael Brenley - C - 1
Michael Burgess - OF - 6
Yaniel Cabeza - 1
Tony Campana - OF - 1
Chris Carpenter - RHP - 4
Wellington Castillo - C - 1
Matt Cerda - 3B/2B - 3
Steve Clevenger - C - 2
Casey Coleman - RHP - 1
Dustin Fitzgerald - RHP - 1
Ryan Flaherty - IF - 2
Micah Gibbs - C - 6
Reggie Golden - OF - 7
Marwin Gonzalez - IF - 2
Jae-Hoon Ha - OF - 5
Brett Jackson - OF - 5
Jay Jackson - RHP - 3
Aaron Kurcz - RHP - 3
Junior Lake - IF - 4
D.J. LeMahieu - IF - 7
Pierre LePage - 2B - 1
A.J. Morris - RHP - 1
Robinson Lopez - RHP - 1
Marcos Mateo - RHP - 1
Trey McNutt - RHP - 9
Max Ramirez - C - 1
Dae-Eun Rhee - RHP - 1
Rebel Ridling - 1B - 1
Chris Robinson - C - 1
Zack Rosscup - LHP - 2
Chris Rusin - RHP - 1
Ryan Searle - RHP - 1
Rubi Silva - IF/OF - 3
Hayden Simpson - RHP - 9
Brad Snyder - OF - 1
Elliot Soto - IF - 1
Larry Suarez - RHP - 1
Matt Szczur - OF - 9
Josh Vitters - 3B/1B - 8
Logan Watkins - 2B - 1
Robert Whitenack - RHP - 1

The Black Sox and the Modern Game

2011-04-03T16:38:11Z

Given the day off by my employer, I decided to get ahead of myself and start on a few feature articles for the report. I found myself hitting a brick wall in trying to find the motivation to write articles on the minor league managers and coaches. Looking for inspiration, or perhaps just stalling for time, I switched on my DVR. Scrolling through the programs, I found that I recorded a broadcast of the movie Eight Men Out. I hadn't seen the movie since it was released on VHS (now I'm showing my age), so it was pretty fresh to me.

For those not familiar with the movie, it's based on the 1963 Eliot Asinof novel of the same name. It concerns the 1919 Chicago White Sox, and their conspiracy to "throw" the World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox agreed with gamblers to allow the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series. The player's motivation was believed unfair treatment by White Sox owner, Charles Comiskey. The frugal Comiskey held the players true to their contracts, but did manipulate them to avoid paying bonuses.

]]> However, the conspiracy began to unravel almost as soon as it began. One player had second thoughts, and never participated. Another took the money, but didn't do much to alter his play. The gamblers failed to make their promised payoffs, and reporters smelled a rat right away. After the series, a cloud of suspicion hung over the Sox, and a Grand Jury was convened. Eventually, all eight players would end up being banned for life from Major League Baseball. As I watched, I kept telling myself that it wasn't a documentary, but a drama. However, I know from my given profession that every good story has a base in truth.

The first thing that struck me about the movie was the team's "chemistry". There were a lot of innuendoes, cliques, and petty jealousies. The patter ranged from mildly insulting to downright nasty. Yet they still won ballgames. We hear an awful lot about the value of a happy clubhouse in sports today, but seeing this gave me pause for reflection. How important is "chemistry" if the players are acting in a professional manner on the field? Despite the ugliness, the players in the movie performed like a team "between the lines". Pride in one's work meant something back then, at least, until they took the gamblers' money. Does that pride still exist in athletes today, or is it only "all about the money"?

Another thing I noticed was the employer/employee relationship. We hear reports from some of today's players saying how bad they have it. The image of the pouting player or one complaining about "communication" with management has now become part of the sports landscape. Could you imagine Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, or, dare I say, Milton Bradley playing for Charles Comiskey! Forget about the fireworks of the Bradley - Lou Piniella confrontation. A showdown between those forces could have been something people would talk about 100 years from now.

The attitudes of the fans and media were also different. Throwing garbage from the stands and dummies from airplanes, along with burning players in effigy make the complaints of LaTroy Hawkins, Jacques Jones, and Milton Bradley about playing conditions look weak. No fretting concerns over player safety from the fans back then. Rather, fans' voicing their displeasure with bad play was considered the norm. And could you imagine Bruce Levine or any other beat reporter walking into the Cubs' locker room and croon "I'm forever blowing ballgames" the way Ring Lardner did? To even think of any sportscaster or mainstream media outlet with that much courage these days is mind-boggling.

One thing that did stay the same was some of the players' attitudes. Ninety-two years later, we are still hearing about players not being "respected" by ownership (translation: not having money thrown at them); and how the fans come to see "them", and not the game. It's also disturbing to see that players can turn it "off" and "on" a lot more easily than people think they can.

Oh, and one more thing. It was interesting to note that a jury acquitted all the players, and their signed confessions "mysteriously" disappeared. I guess, in Chicago, some things never change.

Please No Retreads

2011-03-19T13:35:35Z

We do not need another older player to play second base or anywhere else .
Please, please, please Jim Hendry do not bring the New York Mets retread to Chicago.
The Cubs system is full of second basemen we do not need anymore veterans to mudding up the works. Let the kids play

The Vine Line's New Look

2011-03-06T17:31:29Z

The Vine Line, the monthly magazine of the Chicago Cubs, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a new look and new size. The Cubs monthly mag is quite a bit smaller, 9"x10 7/8" than the 10"x12" that has been the norm for many years. The Vine Line also features a new logo ... and a new publisher, EMI Network.

]]> Michael Huang remains the managing editor and the magazine still contains the great content it has in the past.

Click here for more info on the Vine Line
The Vine Line Blog

15 Worst Endings Ever to Regular-Season Games

2011-02-19T14:59:36Z

Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times sent the CCO an article on the 15 worst endings ever to regular-season games.

Merkle's Boner is #2 and Jaffe pointed out the infamous game happened 90 years prior to the day of the Brant Brown game.

Click here for the entire article from Hardball Times

The CCO's Community Blog is Back!

2011-02-18T01:35:30Z

After almost a four-month hiatus, the CCO's Community Blog is back ... and ready for posts. Due to the changes on the main page, the community blog had to be taken down.

The commenting system on the community blog is the same as on the front-page, Disquis, so you can post comments the same way. But in order to create your own blog post, you must sign into MT and create an account ... if you do not have one from before Disquis was added to the main page..

Please click here to create your account on the CCO to post your thoughts on the Cubs. All previous accounts have been restored with the same passwords and user names.

Please click here to read what the CCO Community Blog believes in and click here for tips and tricks on posting.

Thank you for your patience with this feature of ChicagoCubsOnline being unavailable since November.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Building a New Tradition in the 80's

2010-10-28T04:55:08Z

The end of yet another dismal season on the north side has brought about a number of questions for this franchise. Since 2003, Cub fans have seen management continue to patch and paste while chasing an elusive championship. With new ownership, the time may be right to move in another direction.
Sound familiar?

In 1981, the Cubs ended 60 years of ownership by the Wrigley family when they were purchased by the Tribune Company. Among the company's holdings included the Chicago Tribune newspaper, WGN television (the Cubs television outlet), and WGN radio (their radio outlet). The Tribune Company wasted no time in hiring Philadelphia Phillies Manager and former front office executive Dallas Green as their new General Manager. Together, they announced that they were "Building a New Tradition" for the Cubs.

But before looking at how Green changed the culture of the Cubs, let's take a brief look back at some of their former General Managers.

]]> Ask any diehard Cubs fan about their favorite season and you'll usually end up in 1969. While the legendary names from that season will roll off the tongues of the faithful, the name of General Manager John Holland, who assembled the core of the team, remains relatively forgotten. Holland, the General Manager from 1957 to 1975, presided over an organization that developed Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Glen Beckert, Ken Hubbs, and Ken Holtzman. Sadly, everyone knows what happened in 1969. By 1972, Holland had seemed to have lost his touch, developing only outfielder Billy North, first baseman Andre Thornton, and pitchers Rick Reushel and Bruce Sutter.

When Holland retired after the 1975season, he was replaced by Cubs' Vice President E.R. "Salty" Saltwell. Saltwell lived up to his nickname, feuding with many of the team's top players, including fan favorite Jose Cardenal. He would end up trading Kessinger, Thornton, and third baseman Bill Madlock while non-tendering free agent pitcher Steve Stone.

After only one year, Saltwell was replaced by baseball veteran Bob Kennedy. Kennedy's tenure bears a striking resemblance to current GM Jim Hendry. Like Hendry, Kennedy acquired some past-their-prime players (Dave Kingman, Woodie Fryman, Ted Sizemore, Jerry Martin, Mike Tyson, Lenny Randle, Cliff Johnson), made some good trades (outfielder Rick Monday for infielder/outfielder Bill Buckner and shortstop Ivan DeJesus), failed to close the deal on other trades (couldn't pull off several deals for his son, catcher Terry Kennedy), and failed to promote promising minor leaguers (outfielders Scott Thompson and Karl Pagel, second baseman Jim Tracy) while uncovering others (pitchers Donnie Moore, Dennis Lamp, and Lee Smith).

The team that Green would inherit in 1981 was truly abysmal. The Cubs had finished no higher than third in the standings in each of the previous eight seasons, finishing last twice. What's more, Wrigley Field had become run-down, with poor facilities for both fans and players. The neighborhood was also in poor condition, and was considered an unsafe place to be after ballgames or anywhere within a half a block of the park. However, Kennedy and interim GM Herman Franks had not left the cupboard totally bare. The minors included outfielders Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Billy Hatcher, and Henry Cotto, as well as first baseman Carmello Martinez. Kennedy would trade closer Bruce Sutter to the Cardinals for third baseman Ken Reitz and promising infielder/outfielder Leon Durham. The Cubs also acquired catcher Jody Davis in the Rule 5 draft.

Green and the Tribune Company started the aggressive rebuilding of the organization with Wrigley Field and the neighborhood. The dingy old park was cleaned up, and became more fan and family friendly. Through their media influence, the Tribune was able to push community improvements through the city council. It helped make Wrigleyville a destination, even when the Cubs weren't playing. Green then initiated the "Cubs Caravan" that toured local towns in order to rally fan support and court new fans. Two years later, the "Cubs Convention" continued to stir interest and satisfy a rabid fan base. His greatest capital achievement wouldn't be realized until he had left the club. After threatening to move the team to Schaumburg or Arlington Heights (two northwest suburbs), the Chicago City Council agreed to have lights installed at Wrigley Field.

All these improvements and renewed interest generated money, and lots of it, for the Tribune Company. Green was able to persuade the Tribune Company to invest the money in their minor league system. He hired scout Gordon Goldsberry as his Director of Player Development to assist him in drafting and managing the minor league system. And soon, the prospects began to come into the system. Some of the players Green and Goldsberry would end up drafting include: Pitchers Greg Maddux, Jamie Moyer, Drew Hall, Johnny Abrego, Les Lancaster, Shawn Boskie, Jim Bullinger, Frank Castillo, Heathcliff Slocumb, and Mike Harkey; Outfielders Darrin Jackson, Dave Martinez, Dwight Smith, Doug Dascenzo, Rafael Palmeiro, Derrick May, and Jerome Walton; Catchers Damon Berryhill, Hector Villanueva, Joe Girardi, Matt Wallbeck, and Rick Wilkins; Infielders Gary Varsho, Mark Grace, and the player Green considered the biggest jewel of them all, shortstop Shawon Dunston.

However, it was Green's impatience with the major league roster that would have him make, alternatively, some of the best, worst, and most controversial moves in franchise history. In trying to change the culture of losing, Green traded underrated shortstop Ivan DeJesus to the Phillies for aging shortstop and team leader Larry Bowa and minor league shortstop Ryne Sandberg. But he also traded homegrown pitcher Mike Krukow to the Phillies for pitchers Dan Larson and Dickie Noles, and catcher Keith Moreland.

Trading for backup catchers was a weakness of Green's, making 4 separate deals in 6 plus years as GM. Carmelo Martinez was part of a three team deal that brought pitcher Scott Sanderson. He also traded promising infielders Pat Tabler and Scott Fletcher for pitcher Steve Trout. By 1984, Buckner had become a spare part on the team, and he was traded to the Red Sox for pitcher Dennis Eckersley. However, Green's biggest and most controversial trade included outfielders Mel Hall and Joe Carter to the Indians for pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier, and catcher Ron Hassey.

Cubs' fans will forever remember Sutcliffe's 16-1, Cy Young award winning season in 1984. However, his career record and ERA following that season is remarkably similar to long time Cub Rick Reushel during the same period. Reushel was non-tendered following the 1984 season. Frazier was a non-factor, while Hassey injured his knee shortly after arriving, ironically while playing first base, depriving Green of yet another back-up catcher. Carter would become a superstar, whose dramatic walk-off homer would win the World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.

In the end, it was Green's prickly manner that would be his undoing. Green was promoted to team president after the1984 season. The Cubs' pitching staff had injuries in '85 and the team sputtered in '86. Green fired manager Jim Frey and wanted to replace him with longtime associate John Vukovich. But he lost a power struggle with ownership, who forced him to name major league veteran Gene Michael as manager after two games under Vukovich. The Cubs would finish last in 1987 under Michael, who was fired over Labor Day weekend. Green would then blast the 1987 team for "quitting" in the Chicago Tribune. Green wanted to name himself the Cubs' new manager following the season. Instead, he resigned in October of that year, citing "philosophical differences".

To this day, the Cubs continue to use marketing strategies developed under Dallas Green. The 20 million dollar investment by the Tribune Company in 1981 grew to a 900 million dollar sale of the Cubs in 2009. The competitive philosophy of Green helped produce playoff teams in 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Now, Cubs fans no longer accept "loveable losers", but results. Sadly, the minor league organization built by Green would be dismantled by subsequent GM's Jim Frey, Larry Himes, Ed Lynch, Andy MacPhail, and Jim Hendry.

Defense

2010-10-24T15:30:37Z

As bad as the Cubs defense looked last year why would they want more defensive woes with Dunn in our line up? If I recall correctly we have a player that was suppose to be able to hit 40 home runs a year when we signed Soriano. I don't think we need another bad defensive outfielder just because hit "may or may not" hit home runs. I'll give you the fact that Soriano did improve his defense last year but he still made some pretty lame attempts at catching a few fly balls hit to left. If we do acquire Adam Dunn I believe he should be made a first baseman. There are plenty of examples of outfielders making the transition from outfield to first, Pulhos comes to mind. By the end of the year the Cubs defense did show improvement. Young Castro didn't make as many errors as he did when first arriving and the defense was in fact better under Mike Quadi than under Pinalla. Weather Lou just didn't care anymore or was truly puzzled by the effort being shown by the players and was unable to correct it, something was seriously wrong with the team from the start of the season. This is my first blog entire but I assure you it won't be my last. I've been a Cub fan for over 40 years and put up with the Sox fans in my family and among my friends for a long time and I'm begging the Rickets to please make better decisions when it comes to the free agent market and trades. Every player Henry wants is not in the best interest of the Cubs just because they had 1 good year for another team.

2003 - Five Outs from Glory, or Doomed to Fail?

2010-09-18T01:00:07Z

Author's Note: This is the second in a series of articles dealing with player development. The first: Seconds from Stardom - The Tragic Tale of Richard Lewis, addressed the timing in which to promote young players. This article focuses on a team strategy for development. The last will look at long range planning. I hope you will find them interesting and informative.

The scene plays over and over again in a diehard Cubs fan's mind, like some recurring nightmare. It was October 14, in game 6 of the National League Championship. The Cubs were leading the series 3 games to 2. It was one out in the 8th inning, with starter Mark Prior pitching a 3 hit shutout. Luis Castillo hits a pop fly that is drifting foul toward left field. As outfielder Moises Alou streaked over to make the play, the crowd, including a bespectacled fan in a green sweatshirt and Cubs cap, rose to its feet. As Alou reached over into the stands ...
Hit the pause button! For those of you who believe in curses, what happened next was inevitable. However, if you believe in Karma, then you knew it would be only a matter of time for the worst to happen. To understand what I mean, let's hit the rewind button and go back to sometime before the 2003 season. As we do, you may see the relevance to the Cubs' current situation.
The 2003 season for the Cubs was not supposed to be a championship season. In 2002, the Cubs finished in fifth place, 30 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals. It was in the off-season that the organization came up with a plan to build a winning franchise by promoting many of their minor league prospects. The 2003 Cubs were lead by charismatic superstar Sammy Sosa, aging slugger Moises Alou, promising young outfielder Corey Patterson, and a young but extremely talented pitching staff. The rest of the squad was nothing to write home about. However, the Cubs did have a number of minor league prospects that it felt were on the verge of being ready for the majors. As a hedge, General Manager Jim Hendry decided to bring in a number of aging veterans and castoffs in order to ease the transition to the younger players. Among the players already in place and later brought in were Eric Karros, Mark Grudzielanek, Alex Gonzalez, Mark Bellhorn, Lenny Harris, and Damian Miller.
But something amazing happened at the start of the 2003 season. The Cubs started winning, and kept winning. Even through poor performances and injuries, they kept winning.
If one incident could be cited as the turning point of the season, it would be the June 7, 2003 game against the New York Yankees. During that game, rookie first baseman Hee-Seop Choi camped under a routine infield fly. Pitcher Kerry Wood, not hearing Choi call him off, came rushing over to make the play, crashing into Choi. Choi laid on the ground motionless for several minutes. He was finally helped off the field, and had to spend several days in the hospital with a concussion. From that point on, the Cubs used their veterans at the expense of their rookies. When Bellhorn continued to struggle offensively, promising infielder Bobby Hill was tried at third base at AAA Iowa. Several days later, Hill, Jose Hernandez, and Matt Bruback were sent to the Pirates for third baseman Aramis Ramirez and centerfielder Kenny Lofton. The youth movement was officially over.
While the 2003 squad won the NL Central Division and beat the Braves in the playoffs, it fell to the Florida Marlins in the league championship, five outs away from the World Series. More importantly, what was lost was the plan to build the Cubs into a perennial contender. Instead of continuing the practice of bringing in young players, GM Hendry continued to cut and paste with veterans while chasing a phantom championship. Some of his moves (particularly Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly) got the Cubs close, both in 2007 and 2008. However, other moves (such as Nomar Garciaparra, Milton Bradley, and a plethora of long term-no trade contracts) dug the franchise into a deeper hole. Now the Cubs are faced with a similar situation they had at the end of the 2002 season. Let's hope this time they stick with the plan.

Seconds from Stardom - The Tragic Tale of Richard Lewis

2010-08-26T07:28:26Z

With the recent talk of playing time and call-ups of minor league prospects, its time to take a look back at one of the best examples of poor judgment by Cubs management.

Richard Lewis was a second baseman who, along with left handed pitcher Andy Pratt, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Juan Cruz and Steve Smyth prior to the 2004 season. Cruz was a part of the Cubs young pitching staff, which included Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, and Joe Borowski. Cruz was a set up man, but was held in high regard as a future starter or closer.

Lewis was also a well regarded prospect who batted .404 in the 2003 Arizona Fall League. He was assigned to the Cubs AA team at West Tennessee. He went on to hit .329 in 99 games. He had 47 extra base hits, including 10 Home Runs, and, more importantly, a .995 fielding percentage. At the All-Star break that year, Cubs GM Jim Hendry told a Chicago radio audience that outfield prospect Felix Pie and Lewis would be "the Cubs lead-off and number two hitters for years to come". Lewis would be named both a Southern League All-Star and the League's MVP for 2004.

In late 2004, the Cubs were in a push for the wild card spot. They had recently made a blockbuster trade to acquire Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the Boston Red Sox. However, Lewis' success hadn't gone unnoticed by the Chicago media. When pressed as to whether Lewis would be called up to the parent club, Hendry lapsed into a phrase now common to Cubs fans concerning prospects, "He's not ready". Hendry, along with manager Dusty Baker, preferred to go with veterans Todd Walker, Jose Macias, and Neifi Perez. Instead, Lewis was sent to Iowa, the Cubs' AAA team. A dejected Lewis batted only .239 for Iowa, but had 3 Home Runs and 4 stolen bases. It was still rumored that Lewis would be brought to the big leagues once Iowa's season finished. In the last game of Iowa's season, while sliding into second base, Richard Lewis broke his leg. There would be no call up.

Richard Lewis would go on to play four more minor league seasons: two with Cubs affiliates, one in the Texas organization, and one independent. He never did recover from his broken leg, although he did steal 18 bases in his last year of play. He never made a major league appearance.

The 2004 Cubs would fall short of the playoffs, and started a downward spiral that would eventually get Dusty Baker fired. One of the biggest criticisms of his managing was an over-dependence on marginal major league veterans. Hendry is still the GM of the Cubs. He is overseeing what some experts feel the best collection of minor league talent the Cubs have had in 25 years. Here's hoping that some of these prospects get a better chance than Richard Lewis.

Celebrity Cub Fan

2010-07-13T02:07:57Z

John Dillinger was a bank robber, a murderer, and a Cubs fan.

He was Public Enemy #1--so hounded and hunted by the FBI that he underwent drastic plastic surgery to change his appearance. The surgery left him disfigured, but didn't do a very good job of disguising his appearance.

Other bank robbers and gangsters tended to lay low while they were "on the lam," but die-hard Cubs fan Dillinger couldn't stay away from Wrigley Field. In the weeks before he was shot, June and July of 1934, Dillinger attended several games. He went to see them on June 8th, and he went again on June 26th. He was convinced his new face was fooling everyone.

At that June 26th game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, a fan in the stands (Robert Volk from Crown Point) couldn't keep his eyes off the man sitting two seats away from him. There was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Was it possible? Was that...no, it couldn't be. It looked like it could have been him. He introduced himself to the man, who shook his hand and introduced himself as Jimmy Lawrence.

A reward was being offered for Dillinger's capture dead or alive, so Volk considered turning him in, but he couldn't be sure. Would John Dillinger really take a chance by going to a Cubs game? Nah, it couldn't be him.

On July 8th Dillinger went to his final Cubs game.

Jim Weaver was on the mound for the Cubs. He was the fifth starter on the team that year, an 11-game winner at season's end. But it wasn't the Cubs pitching that drew fans to the ballpark that year; it was their hitting. Future Hall of Famers KiKi Cuyler and Gabby Hartnett paced the most feared offense in the league. (Photo: 1934 Cubs) They pounded the Pirates that day, 12-3.

The next day the Cubs left on their longest road trip of the season.

They were only three games out of first place on July 22, 1934. That afternoon they played an extra inning game against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Dillinger probably didn't know that the Cubs had blown it in the bottom of the 12th inning because he was in one of the only cool places in Chicago--the Biograph Theater. He was watching the movie "Manhattan Melodrama" with his girlfriend.

When he emerged from the theater and back into the scorching heat (it was over 90 degrees that day), he felt a different kind of heat. FBI Agent Purvis related what happened next:

"I was about three feet to the left and a little to the rear of him. I was very nervous; it must have been a squeaky voice that called out, 'Stick 'em up, Johnnie, we have you surrounded.'"
Dillinger ran to the alley and allegedly reached for his gun, but he was cut down quickly by the agents on the scene. Agent Purvis was among the first ones to examine the body.
"Probably I will never forget, although I would like to, the morbidness displayed by the people who gathered around the shooting. Craning necks of curious persons, women dipping handkerchiefs in Dillinger's blood. Neighborhood business boomed temporarily. The spot where Dillinger fell became the mecca of morbidly curious."
When Robert Vogel saw the photo of the corpse, he knew his suspicions had been correct. He had been sitting just two seats away from John Dillinger at Wrigley Field.
Cubs fan John Dillinger went to his grave thinking that 1934 might be "the" year for the Cubs. Needless to say, it wasn't. They ended the season in third place, eight games out of first.

Going to 2 ICubs games next week,,any advice?

2010-06-11T16:36:58Z

Hey guys as some people here mat know im going to see 2 ICubs next weekend and i had a couple questions about getting autographs.. lol
thanks a ton in advance

1. Where should i go to get the majority of the team?

2. Do any players give out broken bat or old batting gloves (any players that do a lot, if so who)

3. Does Sandberg give out the Lineup card after games?

thanks

CUBS DRAFT THREAD!

2010-06-07T00:27:12Z

Hey guys as you know tomarrows the draft and i thought id make a quick write up so we can all have somewhere to post about the Draft!

Im hoping we draft another college player, way safer than HS

Wiffleball 1979

2010-05-24T15:24:42Z

It's not Cubs related ... but fun! An excellent short film by Travis Kurtz.