Wilbur Wood
struggled early in his career with the Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates. After
being traded to the Chicago White Sox, he took Hoyt Wilhem’s advice to rely on
his knuckleball. It would launch his career. In 1968, he set a then major league
record of 88 appearances.
In 1971, Wood
was moved to the starting rotation, and delivered with four consecutive 20 game
win seasons. He would lead the American League in wins in 1972-73, and was an
American League all-star in 1971-1972, and 1974. His career was derailed in 1976, when a line
drive from the bat of Ron LeFlore shattered his left kneecap. After returning
from his injury in 1977, he wasn’t as effective with his knuckleball, and
retired after the 1978 season. He finished his career with a 164-156 won-loss
record, and an ERA of 3.24.
Frank Howard
broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his rookie season Howard hit 23 home
runs with 77 RBI earning the National League Rookie of the Year award.
His best
offensive seasons would come as a member of the Washington Senators uniform. He
hit forty plus home runs in 68-70 seasons. In 1968 and 1970, he led the
American League in home runs. He had the creative nicknames of “The Washington
Monument”, “Hondo” and “The Captial Punisher.” Howard was a four time all-star.
After his playing days, he managed the New York Mets and San Diego Padres. He
also served as a coach for his several clubs.
He hit 382
home runs with 1,119 RBI with a hitting line of .273/.352/.499.
Mel Allen
began his sports broadcasting by calling Alabama Crimson Tide football games. Later
while working for CBS, Allen was assigned to the 1938 World Series as a color
commentator to begin his career in baseball.
He began doing games for the Yankees in June of 1939.
After serving
in WW II, and beginning in 1947 through 1964, before his contract was not
renewed in 1965. He would rejoin the Yankees in 1976, and in 1977 Mel Allen was
the voice This Week In Baseball. He broadcast a game in 1990 for WPIX to make
him the first seven decade broadcaster.
Allen also
broadcast for the Milwaukee Braves in 1965, 1968 Cleveland Indians television. He
broadcast 12 Rose Bowls, 2 Orange Bowls and 2 Sugar Bowls.
He was one of
the first two to receive the Ford C. Frick award for broadcasters along with
Red Barber.
The video is of the seven greatest offensive seasons in baseball
history. Hack Wilson
is the first of the seven.
Hack
Wilson was a
hard drinking, hard hitting outfielder, quick with his fists, that made
for one the most colorful players of his day. At only 5-6, he would display
power not seen in the National League at that time. Wilson broke in the major leagues in 1923
with the New York Giants. In his official rookie season of 1924, the Giants
would win the pennant, but Wilson
struggled in the World Series hitting only .233. In May of 1925, Wilson was slumping so
badly he lost his job in left field. His slump continued most of the season,
and was sent to the minor league Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association.
The
Chicago Cubs wallowing in last place would claim Hack Wilson that winter on
waivers when the Giants failed to protect him. The Giants right-fielder Ross
Youngs at the time offered the prophetic words "They let go the best
outfielder I ever played beside, and they're going to regret."
Getting
claimed on waivers by the Cubs Wilson would win the center field job, and is
his first season on the north side of Chicago,
he hit a league leading 21 home runs with 109 RBI. The Cubs went from last to
fourth place finishing 10 games over .500. Over the next three seasons he
would hit 30 or more home runs including leading the league in 1927-1928.
The 39 home runs he hit in 1929 would help lead the Cubs to the National
League pennant. In 1930, Wilson
would have an offensive season for the ages. He would hit 56 home runs, a first
in the National League with a major league baseball record of 191 RBI. The RBI
record is believed by many to be a record that will never be broken. He
finished the season with a slash line of .356/.454/.723.
After
the great season of 1930, Wilson's
drinking became very heavy. He reported for spring training in 1931 twenty
pounds overweight. He went into a long slump during the season, and the
last straw for the Cubs came when he got into a fight with reports on a train
in Cincinnati.
He was suspended by the Cubs for the rest of the season. He had hit only .261
with 13 home runs. In December the Cubs shipped the troubled outfielder to the
St. Louis Cardinals. They in turn traded him the Brooklyn Dodgers.
He
bounced back in Brooklyn during the 1932
season hitting 23 home runs with 123 RBI. His career like his drinking was
spiraling out of control. He would retire from baseball in 1935. Wilson died broke in 1948, National League President Ford
Frick paid for the funeral when Wilson's
wouldn't claim the body. Wilson
would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 by the veterans
committee.
In
his final interview with CBS Radio Wilson left us with these words of advice: "Talent
isn't enough. You need common sense and good advice. If anyone tries to tell
you different, tell them the story of Hack Wilson. ... Kids in and out of
baseball who think because they have talent they have the world by the tail. It
isn't so. Kids, don't be too big to accept advice. Don't let what happened to
me happen to you."
Between
1902 and 1912 the trio of Joe Tinker shortstop, Johnny Evers second base, and
Frank Chance. The trio were elected by the veterans committee in 1946 to the
Baseball Hall of Fame. During their time with the Cubs, they won
1907-1908 World Series, and four National League pennants. The only two World
Series championship in Chicago Cubs history mastering the Detroit Tigers in
both series.
Franklin
Pierce Adams of the New York Evening Post made the trio famous by penning the
poem "Baseball's Sad Lexicon." It was originally titled "That
Double Play Again" when it was published on July 12, 1910. The poem
launched the trio into baseball immortality
.
It
is well documented that Evers and Tinker didn't speak to each other after
September 14, 1905. Evers took a cab to the ballpark leaving Tinker in the
hotel lobby, and they ended up having a fist fight on the field.
Frank
Chance managed the Cubs from 1905-1912, and afterwards managed both the New
York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. He was a lifetime .296 hitter and twice led
the National League in stolen bases. Tinker would be a player-manager for
the Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. He only hit .262 in his career.
Johnny Evers would hit .270 over the course of his long career. In era of
high batting averages, the trio were helped by the famous poem.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
Hickman is remembered for delivering the game winning hit in the
1970 All-Star game in which Pete Rose blew up Ray Fosse at home plate.
Hickman broke in
to the big leagues with the New York Mets after being selected in the expansion
draft from the St. Louis Cardinals, and played with them from 1962-66. While in
New York,
Hickman became the first Met to hit for the cycle, and it was Hickman that hit
the last home run in the Polo Grounds. He played the 1967 season with the Los
Angeles Dodgers before being sent packing to the Chicago Cubs.
He enjoyed his
most productive year in 1970 with the Cubs. Hickman blasted 32 home runs with
115 RBI, and finished with a .315 batting average. They were career highs in
all three categories. He would provided the Cubs two more solid seasons before
tapering off in 1973, and spent 1974 with the Cardinals.
As a young fan
of the Cubs Jim Hickman was always one of my favorites among the non-star
players. In my young mind, it seemed he was always delivering in the clutch.
Sweet Swinging Billy Williams, he was tagged early in his career
with the Chicago Cubs. Williams, who was the 1961 National League Rookie of the
Year made his mark in baseball history with his durability, and bat.
Williams spent
sixteen seasons in the major leagues fourteen of those with the Cubs, and his
last two with the Oakland Athletics. Williams was an iron man his day playing
1,117 straight games from 1963-1970. His streak currently ranks sixth in major
league history. He was a six-time National League All-Star, won the battling
title in 1972. He was snubbed for the All-Star game in 1970 when had a 26 home
runs and 80 RBI at the all-star break.
His best season
was 1972, when he hit 37 home runs with 122 RBI, and hit .333. He finished
second to Johnny Bench of the Reds in the MVP voting. His career numbers of 426
home runs, 1475 RBI, and a .290 batting average were enough to get him elected
to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Often over
shadowed in recent years by fellow Hall Fame players Ferguson Jenkins, Ron
Santo, and Ernie Banks, but Williams was a key member of the solid Chicago Cubs
teams of the late 60's and eaarly 70's.
Dave
Kingman was known for his ability to crush long towering home runs, a poor
glove, and an abrasive personality. Kingman was drafted by the San Francisco
Giants out of USC (University
of Southern California)
in 197. He made his Major League debut in 1971 with his first full season in 1972, a strike delayed
season, he hit for the cycle on the second game of the season (April 16, 1972).
Kingman would hit 29 home runs that season with 83 RBI, but he would finish
with a sub par slash line of .225/.303/.478 which would become indicative of
what was to come in his career.
His
offensive numbers continued to dip over the next two seasons. The Giants gave
up on Kingman as a third baseman after making 12 errors in only 59 chances in
1974. His run production had slipped from his rookie campaign. He hit only 18
home runs with 55 RBI, and a slash line of .223/.302/.440. He would be
traded to the New York Mets after the 1974 season.
In
New York, he
was moved to the outfield where he put up career high in 1975 in home runs with 36
and RBI with 88. During the 1976 season on June 4th, he would hit three home
runs in an 11-0 thumping of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would accomplish this
feat five times in his career. He also set a new high in home runs during the
season with 37.
The
1977 was a poor season for Kingman, who was traded to the San Diego Padres, and
after performing poorly was waived and claimed by the California Angels on
September 6th. Only nine days later he was shipped to the New York Yankees. He
is one of the few players in Major League history to play for four teams in the
same season.
In
1978, he would sign as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs. He would hit
28 home runs and drive in 79 runs in his first year on the north side of Chicago. He followed it
up by having the best year of his career hitting 48 home runs driving in 115
with the best slash line of his career at .288/.343/.613. He was named to
the National League all-star team for the second time in his career. He was an
all-star with the Mets in 1976, and would be named an all-star with the Mets
again in 1982. The Cubs tiring of Kingman's personality traded the outfielder
back to the New York Mets.
In
his last six seasons he hit thirty or more home runs four times. Including the
last three seasons with the Oakland
A's. Despite hitting 35 home runs with 94 RBI , he wasn't offered a contract.
Despite lofty home run totals Kingman was plagued by a poor slash his entire
career finishing .236/.302/.478. He hit 442 home runs in his career with 1210
RBI. He became the first hitter with more than 400 home runs not to be elected
to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He
was entertainment on many mediocre teams in New York,
Chicago, and Oakland.
April 25, 1876, the Chicago White
Stockings when their opening game in the inaugural season of the National
League. They beat the Louisville Grays 4-0 inLouisville.
The White Stockings would change their name first to the Colts, Orphans, and
now known as the Chicago Cubs. They would win the National League championship
in the first year of the the league.
The White Stockings would finish the
season at 52-14, and would dominate the National League by winning six of the
first eleven titles. They would be called the Cubs in 1902 by the Chicago Daily News, but the team name wasn't officially changed until 1907.
The best highlights of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs’
first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo was instrumental in leading the Chicago Cubs
to their first World Series title since 1908. He hit .292 with 32 home runs and
109 RBI.
Rizzo is a three
time all-star (2014-2016) 2016 Gold Glove winner, and the 2016 platinum glove
winner at first base. He is a survivor of limited
state classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He established the Anthony Rizzo Foundation
in 2012 to raise money for cancer research, and to assist families that are
fighting cancer.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
