Showing Tag: "cubs" (Show all posts)

Goodbye, Dale or Here We GO Again!

Posted by Michael Hanns on Monday, September 30, 2013,
Dale Sveum was fired today as manager of the Cubs.after 2 of the worst seasons in Cubs history, even though he was expected to lose, being saddled with a team of journeyman players. The reason for his firing appears to be the regression of Starlin Castro and a disappointing year from Anthony Rizzo(I refuse to characterize him as regressing, how do you regress after one full season in the major leagues?) I admit Sveum was not an especially good manager, but he wasnt supposed to be and the offe...
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Who IS this guy?

Posted by Michael Hanns on Saturday, November 19, 2011,

"Who is this busher?" "Why was he hired to manage the Cubs, he has no major league experience?" "The President of the Cubs shouldve hired a star instead of this guy!"
That sounds like the reaction of many Cubs fans when the Cubs hired Dale Sveum to manage the team for 2012, but it is meant to describe what many people must hav felt in 1925 when the Cubs hired Joe McCarthy. Like Sveum, McCarthy had no experience as a major league manager. Indeed, McCarthy had never even PLAYED in the major leag...

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My Dad, the Cubs and Me

Posted by Michael Hanns on Sunday, October 30, 2011,

October 27, 2004 is a date that is ingrained in my memory, not just because it was the day the Boston Red Sox broke the supposed "curse" by winning the World Series. It was the day my father passed away. Those 2 events are not totally unrelated, though. I became a Cubs fan because of my father. It was the one thing we had in common. We were very different in most ways. He was a bus mechanic and loved working with his hands, while I have always been somewhat mechanically challenged. He prefe...


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Sept. 2, 1972: Me, Milt Pappas and the last Almost Perfect Day

Posted by Michael Hanns on Friday, September 2, 2011,
left, Fanzone, sans trumpet, right, Milt Pappas
Me, circa 1972
On September 2, 1972, Milt Pappas no-hit the San Diego Padres 8-0 and came within a strike of a perfect game. I was lucky enough to be at that game with my family. I was 13 years old and had been a Cubs fan for 3 years. My dad was a huge fan and that got me interested. That was one thing I had in common with my dad. He worked as a bus mechanic at Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois and he also drove a bus for weekend field trips...

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Jimmy Qualls, 1969 and the not-so-perfect game

Posted by Michael Hanns on Wednesday, July 13, 2011,
On July 9, 1969 Tom Seaver was pitching a perfect game against the Cubs with 2 outs to go in the 9th inning when Jimmy Qualls stepped to the plate. What happened next isnt really important in the whole scheme of things, but it was a key moment in that exciting 1969 season. To get a better appreciation of that moment it helps to understand what had gone on up to that point in the season. The Cubs had gotten off to that great start and seemed to be primed to reach the post season for the first ...
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Jim Hendry......

Posted by Michael Hanns on Wednesday, July 6, 2011,
Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of the day that Jim Hendry was named General Manager of the Cubs and I think this is a good time to do some evaluation of the job he is doing. First I would like to say that I have been a staunch defender of the guy. He has had some success, indeed he is only the 2rd GM in the history of the franchise to oversee multiple post season appearances and is the only one to oversee 3 post season appearances. In terms of a success rate, Hendry is probaly the best eve...
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BOOKS: Fred Merkle:Public Bonehead, Private Hero

Posted by Michael Hanns on Friday, March 4, 2011,
From time to time I want to spotlight books that might be of interest to Cubs fans, especially books of historical interest. This week, I want to discuss a new book about the key figure in what is probaly the most famous game in the history of the Chicago Cubs, played on September 23, 1908. This book is called "Fred Merkle:Public Bonehead, Private Hero" written by Mike Cameron, in which he tries to humanize a long misunderstood player. Its a very fascinating read, and while its a little flawe...
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