My Favorite 75 Cubs Whom I've Seen Playby Vvvergeer - 75 cards (Last updated on Aug 14, 2021) |
September 21, 2020. Yu moves in. Hamels never made it. Kimbrel doesn't look like he has much of a chance.
I've been a Cubs fan all my life. The conscious-of-baseball part of my life starts in about 1970. I've watched some pretty bad teams, but there were always players -- some great, some just fun -- whom I loved to watch. This is my attempt to compile my favorite 75, roughly in order of preference. (It started as 50, expanded to 91, then I cut it back to 75 -- so many players I remember). As you can see, it's not just about stats. There are some odd choices in here. Some, I just liked their grit. Some just had great nicknames. The deeper you get into the list, the more they blend together in order of preference. And I'm probably forgetting quite a few....
The representative cards are the the oldest card I have of each player as a Cub. (Had to pick SOME criteria).
Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to remind me of players I probably loved but left off the list.
1. 1983 Topps #83 Ryne Sandberg
My all-time favorite player. Hands down. So classy. So good. His induction was my first trip to the Hall of Fame. |
2. 1959 Topps #469 Ernie Banks
Most joyful player ever. I barely got to see him play, but he was part of the Cubs organization for years after he retired. |
3. 2012 Topps #334 Anthony Rizzo
He's jumped high on this list quickly. Being classy and good and relatively quiet will do that for you. He just seems like a great guy, who never has a bad season. HOFer? Ask me in 10 years.
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4. 1982 Topps #452 Lee Smith
I loved watching him come into games after Willie Hernandez had blown a big lead to create a save opportunity. He really should be in the HOF eventually. |
5. 1988 Topps #361 Greg Maddux
Classy, quiet, and one of the best of all time. So sad when he left. So happy he came back an won #300 with the Cubs. HIs induction was my second trip to the Hall of Fame. No one will ever win more games than him again. And, yes, I care about wins. |
6. 1989 Topps #465 Mark Grace
There's a theme. Class and...grace. Player with the most hits in the 90s. Doesn't get enough love. |
7. 1973 Topps #482 Rick Reuschel
Built like my father. Just doesn't look like an athlete. But he won 20 for the Cubs and was really an excellent pitcher. What with modern stats, he's getting more appreciation lately. |
8. 1978 Topps #473 Bill Buckner
Perpetually gimpy, but won a batting title with the team and was just the kind of gritty, good player you had to love. NEVER struck out three times in a game. Literally. |
9. 1988 Topps #500 Andre Dawson
Signed with the team for a blank check, then won the MVP for a last place team. Classy, etc. And a great batting stance. |
10. 1977 Topps #144 Bruce Sutter
One of the first great players on the team I remember watching come up and then becoming devastating. Reinvented the save, and the forkball. |
Comments
As usual, your commentary is the star of the list. | ||
Awww, thanks, Billy. | ||
Fun list to look at. As a Cardinals fan who detests the Cubs but loves baseball, I grew up watching the Cubs just about every day in the 80s. And yes, I emphasize the word "day"! We lived too far east in Illinois to get the Cardinals channel. So I especially enjoyed your cards from that era. Also, I was hoping to see Warren Brusstar. | ||
As a Cubs fan growing up deep in Cardinal territory, where they had their AA affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas, I enjoyed catching all the gmes on WGN in the 80's and 90's listening and watching Harry and Steve's broadcasts. Yes, I did go see the minor league team play quite a bit. The team is no longer affiliated with the Cardinals which made a ton of Cardinals fans there VERY unhappy. I have to say my favorite Cubs player is Mark Grace. Though he was not a prolific home run hitter he was a very consistent contact hitter with some pop who saved Shawon Dunston a ton of errors in the field over the years. I was happy to see him win the World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001. Ryno is a close second.
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What, no Dennis Lamp?! Among the starters, he was the Cubs' ERA leader in '78 and '79, but pitched in hard luck. I've seen about 20 MLB games in person and Lamp started the first Cubs game I attended, Aug. 11, 1978 at Olympic Stadium. Ross Grimsley tossed a two-hit shutout, 1-0. The player I really wanted to see was Dave Kingman, but his only appearance was pinch-hitting for Lamp in the 9th inning, where he drew a walk. The Big O had foul lines painted on its inner rim, which were put there after Kingman hit a monster shot off that part of the stadium in an earlier game. |
