He is a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest hitters in history, and he was a Cubs player and manager. As a player he led the Cubs to the 1929 World Series and had one of the best seasons in Cubs history.As a manager he borrowed money from his players to finance a gambling addiction, tore the team apart, and was fired. That story is here.
He later returned as a roving minor league hitting instructor. In the late 50s he watched every single Cubs minor leaguer hit in the batting cage. He reported back to P.K. Wrigley: "You've only got two players; Billy Williams and Ron Santo. Get rid of everybody else."
In his later years he also did color commentary on Cubs TV broadcasts.
Rogers Hornsby was born on this day in 1897.
