Bleacher Bums Forum

Notre Dame wanted him to play quarterback. John Wooden wanted him to play guard for UCLA. Hubbs opted for baseball because he could get to the big-time sooner and play longer.

Wow...if I ever knew this, I had forgotten it...just wow...

Think that Hubbs probably would have developed power, was 6' 2'' and lanky, and two full seasons in majors at age 21.

Told the story many times here--met Hubbs and some of his family in 1963 when I was a blossoming Cubs fan at age 13 and think had a lot to do with sticking with Cubs all these years. Thought about him when Cubs won World Series last year.

Similar story.

Former Cub Bill Hands has passed away at 76.

No word on batterymate Barry Foote...

The Legend of Donnie Baseball...

https://olemiss.rivals.com/news/carolyn-kessinger-the-matriarch-of-ole-miss-baseball

Love how they referred to Don and Carolyn as the "Archie and Olivia Manning of Ole Miss baseball"...that's priceless...

Lots of Cubs stuff here...

Kessinger is a good example how player evaluation has changed since sabermetrics.

Probably through the 1980s, a player like Kessinger--good defensive SS but can't hit a lick--could be an everyday regular for 10 years or more in the big leagues. Basically, Kessinger was Munenori Kawasaki.

Kessinger had 8.9 rWAR total in 16 seasons (7.9 fWAR). Remember him well when Cubs came to Dodger Stadium. Durocher batted him leadoff.

Game really changed when offense became a part of what a SS is supposed to do too. Kawasaki's peers are a lot different than Kessinger's peers. But, think modern statistical evaluation has played a big part too in the role players like this have in the big leagues.

CurtOne
Re: Cubs in '16
« Reply #7507 on: March 21, 2017, 05:36:57 pm »
Just saw this statistic.  Can someone check its veracity?  Greg Maddux faces 20,421 batters in his career.  Only 310 of them saw a 3-0 count and 177 of those were intentional walks.  Wow!  Just Wow!

If it is not right, it appears very close: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=maddugr01&year=Career&t=p
That link would seem to indicate 312 3-0 counts and 153 of them being intentional walks.  Of course the stats there seem to have some problems.  For instance while it says he 312 times faced batters with 3-0 counts, and that 293 of those 312 times he walked the batter on the 4th pitch (with 153 of them being intentional walks, the same page indicates that an additional 36 of those batters facing 3-0 counts ending up striking out.... and even jesmath can not get 312 when adding 36 to 293... even if I ignore the other 7 times hitters facing 3-0 counts got hits.

I was there. Eric Karros became a Cub that day.

On this date in 1979, the Phillies beat the Cubs 23-22 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field.

The wind was blowing out that day.

That was one heck of a game to watch.