Cubs by the Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Chicago Cubs by Uniform Number

by Al Yellon, Kasey Ignarski, Matthew Silverman, Pat Hughes (Foreword by)

Overview

What do Dizzy Dean, Catfish Metkovich, John Boccabella, Bill Buckner, Mark Prior, and Jason Heyward all have in common? They all wore number 22 for the Chicago Cubs, even though eight decades have passed between the last time Dizzy Dean buttoned up a Cubs uniform with that number and the first time
outfielder Jason Heyward performed the same routine.

Since the Chicago Cubs first adopted uniform numbers in 1932, the team has handed out only 77 numbers to more than 1,500 players. That’s a lot of overlap. It also makes for a lot of good stories. Newly updated, Cubs by the Numbers tells those stories for every Cub since ’32, from current staff ace Jake Arrieta to former third baseman turned division-winning manager Don Zimmer. This book lists the players alphabetically and by number; these biographies help trace the history of baseball’s most beloved team in a new way.

For Cubs fans, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs by the Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even those they think they already know.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613218792
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	642,047
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Al Yellon is the founder and managing editor of bleedcubbieblue.com, SB Nation's Cubs site, and has written and edited baseball annuals.
Kasey Ignarski is founder and proprietor of the website CubsByTheNumbers.com, which has a listing of every Cub who has ever worn a number.
Matthew Silverman is the coauthor of Mets by the Numbers (with Jon Springer), Red Sox by the Numbers (with Bill Nowlin), and Shea Goodbye (with Keith Hernandez). And he is the author of Mets Essential, Baseball Miscellany, and 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.

Table of Contents

Foreword Pat Hughes ix

Introduction xi

#1 Where Have You Gone, Jose Cardenal?-First Things 1

#2 The Lip and The Riot-Number 2 Is Number 1: Managing Wins by Number 7

#3 Kiki-Pitching Low 15

#4 The Hermans-Cubs Unis, Part I: Dressed for Success 21

#5 Take Five … Please!-Cubs Unis, Part II: Then Depression Set In 27

#6 Smilin' Stan- Cubs Unis, Part III: Into the Now 33

#7 Jo-Dee, Jo-Dee Davis-Bring 'Em Home: Most RBI by Number 39

#8 The Hawk-Be Patient; Take a Number: Walks by Number 47

#9 The Rebel and The Mayor-Scorecard Envy: Just What Are Those Scoreboard Numbers? 53

#10 The Ol' Third Baseman-Running It Up the Flagpole: Retiring Numbers at Wrigley 59

#11 Kess-Active Wear 65

#12 Shawon-Helmet Head 73

#13 Lucky Star and All-Star Claude-Gassaway Got Away 79

#14 Mr. Cub-The Number No One Knows About: Rose Breaks Cobb's Record at Wrigley 85

#15 Fame Eluded Us-The Search for Sanio 89

#16 Bittersweet 16-Maybe They Shoulda Kept 'Em Blank 95

#17 Gracie and Kris-Double Your Pleasure 99

#18 Bruno, Mo, and Geo-Numbers Not Off Their Backs: Pre-Existing Cubs (1871-1932) 107

#19 Manny and the Mad Russian-Numbers Not Off Their Backs: Since 1932 Edition 113

#20 Now Disappointing in Center Field … Stolen 119

#21 Sammy-Swing and a Drive … Swing and a Miss 125

#22 What Might Have Been … and What Might Be-Streaking 133

#23 Rynol-Gold Standard 141

#24 Fabian, LaCock, and a Guy Named Brock-More Streaking 147

#25 Raffy, Candy, D-Lee, and Two Guys Named Moe-Numbers Game 157

#26 Billy Williams Every Day-The Best-Hitting Cubs Number 163

#27 The Vulture and the Toothpick-Numbers Off to the Triple 169

#28 Closing Time-North Side, South Side 175

#29 Jeff and the Generics-Scoring by the Number 185

#30 Can You Pitch? Have We Got a Number For Youl-The Chain 191

#31 Fergie and Maddog-Here's to the Winners 197

#32 Almost Famous-Obscurity, Thy Name Is Leonette 203

#33 A Wyse Man Once Said… -One From Column A, One From Column B 209

#34 We Got Wood-Popular 215

#35 Hi, Hy, Buddy, Bo, and Turk-Strikeouts by the Bushel 223

#36 Sargo-For Appearances' Sake 229

#37 Erickson and Ellsworth-Loss Leaders 235

#38 Zl-No-No Numbers 241

#39 Abby, Kruke and Soup-How 'Bout Them Colts? 247

#40 16-11-The "System" by Yosh 253

#41 Weathers, Rain, and Dirt-Making Music in 41 261

#42 Game Over-Hall of Farne Cubs 267

#43 What The Eck?-Tales from the Crypt: Ones Thai Almost Cot Away 273

#44 From Cavvy to Bizzo-Native Sons by the Numbers 279

#45 Jug, Flash, and Nipper-Quantity, Not Quality 285

#46 What Might Have Been, Part Deux-Save It 291

#47 Shooter, Peanuts, and Spud-Oh, Those Bases on Balls 297

#48 Big Daddy and Handy Andy-Boy, the Way Hank Sauer Played 303

#49 Arrieta, Etcetera-Clown College 311

#50-#59 The Not So Fabulous 50s-Put Me In, Coach 317

#60-#99 Sixty and Beyond-Zero Zeroes 333

All-Time Alphabetical Roster 339

Acknowledgments 365

Editorial Reviews

"If you bleed true Cubbie blue year-round, or know someone who does, then likely you’ll find this book more interesting than most."
—RedEye Chicago

"If you bleed true Cubbie blue year-round, or know someone who does, then likely you’ll find this book more interesting than most."
—RedEye Chicago

From the Publisher

Can you name all the uniform numbers retired by the Chicago Cubs? In what year were numbers first introduced? What digits were shared by Dizzy Dean, Catfish Metkovich, and Bill Buckner? Cubs by the Numbers answers all those questions, but it accomplishes a lot more. It uses fascinating tidbits of trivia history to tell the story of Chicago's beloved Cubbies. This inexpensive paperback tests your recall and jolts your pleasant memories with its listing of all 1,100-plus Cubs who ever wore a number.