Saturday, September 12, 2009

Friday, September 11, 2009

Here's a few that got the joke

Let's give credit to NBC Chicago for getting the joke. They've got it up on their website now.

Also, Sports By Brooks got it too. You can read that site's take on the story here.

Really?


I can't believe people are taking this little birth announcement we put in the Chicago Tribune yesterday seriously. Just got a call from a TV station asking if it's a hoax. Are you kidding me? Of course it is. (I prefer the word "Joke" or "Parody" or "Political Statement against the team that just wasted another summer for me.") Tell that to Deadspin.com, the Mouthpiece blog and NBC.com in Los Angeles. All of them reported it as if it were real.

Just One Bad Century is being flooded with hits today from all over the country.

Two great mustaches...

...were born on this day.



Larry Cox (1942)




and


Dave Roberts (1944)



Both of them are sadly no longer with us. Larry died in 1990 at the ridiculously young of age of 43. Dave died earlier this year.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Birth Announcement Link


Just One Bad Century placed this birth announcement in today's Tribune. I like the way it turned out.

E-mails, we get e-mails...


From "RP" regarding my post about Ernest Hemingway growing up a Cubs fan...

"So now there's new intrigue as to why he blew his head off, eh?"

Well done. Now that's funny.

Birth Announcement

In Today's Tribune...Section Live, page 7 lower left.


YEARE, Waitle Nex

Suki and Justa Crappi Yeare of Chicago's North Side are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Waitle Nex, born August 20th in Los Angeles. The entire Yeare family eagerly awaits her arrival back in Chicago. The first Waitle Nex Yeare was born in Chicago in 1909. It's too bad great-great grandma isn't around to see the birth of her namesake. Baby Waitle was born several weeks premature but is somehow perfectly healthy. Doctors tell us the chip on Waitle's shoulder will wear down over the winter and she will be 100% healthy next spring. You should see how cute she looks with the albatross necklace around her neck. Pictures available at www.justonebadcentury.com.

Highpockets



George Kelly is probably the least known Hall of Famer to wear a Chicago Cubs uniform.

His nickname was Highpockets, and he was born on this day in 1895.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Happy birthday Cindy


My sister is 45 today on 9/9/9. She's due for some incredibly good luck, wouldn't you think?

By the way, that's the two of us in 1974. She no longer wears pants like that.

Number 9

Today is a numerologist's wet dream...9/9/09. Seems like a good day to take a look at some of the Cubs that have worn the number 9. As it turns out, there have been quite a few big names...

For the first few months of 1932, future Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby wore the #9. He was fired amidst a player revolt and an investigation into his gambling.

After Hornsby left the team that year, Mark Koenig took the #9. The way his Cubs teammates treated Koenig may have provided the bad karma that lost the 1932 World Series.





In 1933 another Hall of Famer, Gabby Hartnett,took over the #9. He wore that number for the next four seasons, including the 1935 World Series.









In the early 50s (1950-1955) Hank Sauer wore #9. All he did with that number was win the MVP award in 1952. He also once hit 3 home runs in one game.









In the late 50s (58-59), the number 9 was worn by the man who hit the most famous home run in history (the shot heard round the world) a few years earlier for the New York Giants. His nickname was "The Flying Scot."







In the late 1960s the heart and soul of the Hey Hey Holy Mackeral Cubs, Randy Hundley, wore #9. In 1968, Hundley caught a ridiculous 160 games. (His son Todd later wore the same number in 2001-2002, but we don't talk about that.)






Those guys are obviously the best players to wear number 9, but there have been many others, including Frank Demaree (1937-38), Hank Leiber (1939-41), Chico Hernandez (1942), Clyde McCullough (1945-48), Mickey Owen (1949), Rube Novotney (1949), Bob Lennon (1957), Gordon Massa (1957), Del Rice (1960), Jim Hegan (1960), Cuno Barragan (1961-63), Steve Swisher (1974-77), Joe Wallis (1978), Tim Blackwell (1978-81), Butch Benton (1982), Larry Cox (1982), Fred Koenig (1983), Johnny Oates (1984-87), Damon Berryhill (1988-91), Matt Walbeck (1993), Scott Servais (1995-98), Benito Santiago (1999), Damon Buford (2000-01), Paul Bako (2003-04), Henry Blanco (2005), Jody Gerut (2005), Scott McClain (2005), Juan Pierre (2006), Jake Fox (2007), Reed Johnson (2008-09)

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Patterson & Trachsel

Reggie Patterson and Steve Trachsel were both pitching for the Cubs on this date in history.




In 1985 Patterson was facing Pete Rose at Wrigley Field. Rose only needed one hit to tie Ty Cobb on the all-time hit list. Needless to say, he got that hit off Patterson.







In 1998 Trachsel was facing Mark McGwire at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. McGwire needed only one home run to pass Roger Maris' single season home run record. Needless to say, he got that home run off Trachsel.

Monday, September 07, 2009

This week in...


1929

The Cubs are in the midst of a pennant winning season.

*The Cubs beat the Phillies 5-3 at Wrigley Field thanks to homers from Hack Wilson, Riggs Stephenson and backup first baseman Chick Tolson. It was Tolson's only homer of the year. On the same day of Tolson's heroics, San Francisco Mayor Rolf proudly unveils the country's first pedestrian crossing light.


********************
1969

The Cubs are in the midst of one of their most memorable seasons.

*While Rod Laver is winning the US Open in New York (Sept 8), the Cubs are just a few miles away, losing both games in a short series to the Mets. They are clinging to first place by their fingernails. They will only be there one more day. By September 10th, the Mets will take over for good.


********************
1984

The Cubs are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since World War 2.

*On the day that Rick Sutcliffe wins his 14th game for the Cubs against the Mets 6-0 (a dominating four hit, 12 strikeout complete game shutout), Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert Mills in the U.S. Open.


********************
1989

The Boys of Zimmer are taking Chicago by storm.

*Greg Maddux wins his 17th game (a 4-3 win over the Expos at Wrigley Field) on the same day that Boris Becker beats Ivan Lendl to win the U.S. Open.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. This week it's a very handy "English/Teenage Boy Dictionary."

You can read it here.

The Antelope

He hit exactly one home run in his Major League career, but he had some wheels on him. So much so, that he was once nicknamed "The Antelope."

Emil Verban hit that one home run for the Cubs on this date in 1948 against the Cincinnati Reds.