5 Things Chicago Cubs Fans Should Know

Even if you were born in 1908, you haven't lived long enough to see the Chicago Cubs win a World Series. This isn't news to any Cubs' fan, but the 5 bits of information below may catch some of the Chicago faithful off guard. One of the oldest franchises in Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs have a long history, most of it "cursed" since an inn-keeper and his goat were tossed from the 1945 World Series at Wrigley Field. If you follow the Chicago Cubs, see if you know about these tidbits that follow.

1. Riggs Stephenson is one of the most overlooked players in baseball history!

A lifetime .336 hitter, Riggs came to the Cubs from the Indians in 1926. In Cleveland he had hit as high as .371 in 1924 but had never played in over 100 games. With Chicago, Stephenson batted at least .319 for 8 consecutive years. The second baseman-turned-outfielder contributed to a pair of Cubs' pennants, in 1929 and 1932, with his best year being a 110 RBI effort in '29. However, Riggs failed to stay on the field consistently, as injuries kept him from having as many as 500 bats every year except for 2. This is the reason why he is not remembered as a great player, despite his wonderful career average; it came in just 4,500 at-bats over 14 campaigns.

2. Charley Root was pretty good!

Root is recalled by most baseball purists as the man who allowed Babe Ruth's disputed "called shot" home run in the 1932 World Series, but he is the Cubs' all-time winningest pitcher with 201 wins. 10 times Root won double-digit games over the course of a season, with his 26 in 1927 his best year. He didn't begin his Chicago days until he was 27, but he threw for the Cubbies until he was 42, retiring in 1941. Root went to his grave denying that Ruth predicted his home run. Root also had 40 saves, good for 10th place on the Cubs' all-time list; his 3,137 innings pitched are the most by anyone in the club's history.

3. Since 1912, only one Cubs' manager has lasted more than 8 seasons!

Only Leo Durocher, Frank Chance, and Charlie Grimm have been able to say they managed Chicago for more than 5 years since Cap Anson's 19 year run that ended in 1897. Grimm skippered the Cubs for a total of 14 seasons between the years 1932 and 1960, winning a quartet of National League pennants but each time losing the World Series. His 1,737 Cubbie wins are second behind Anson's 2,258; Durocher and Chance each had over 1,000 triumphs leading the Chicago. But from Joe Altobelli to Don Zimmer, no Cubs' skipper has seen his charges raise the championship banner since Chance did it in 1908.

4. Stan Hack averaged 54 RBI a year for 16 years, yet couldn't be replaced at 3rd base!

Hack could hit for average but never for power, failing to belt more than 8 homers in any one campaign. His highest RBI total came in 1936 when he accumulated 78. But this lack of power could not keep Stan from being the Cubs' Opening Day third sacker for 13 years from 1934 through 1946. The career .301 hitter played a position usually associated with power, but the Cubs could never find a better option during his career. He finished his days in Chicago with almost 2,200 base hits in over 7,200 at-bats, but he hit just 57 homers to go with 642 runs batted in.

5. Ron Santo belongs in the Hall of Fame!

Okay, maybe Cubs fans already know this, but the rest of baseball needs to wake up to the fine career the great third baseman had. Santo played during the pitching-dominated 1960s and early '70s, yet he had over 100 RBI 4 times and fell short by just 2 of the century mark on 3 other occasions. Ron was an excellent glove man who clobbered 342 homers over 15 seasons in the Windy City, hitting for a .277 average. The 9 time All-Star has numbers comparable to 4 other men already enshrined in Cooperstown according to Baseball reference.com and should have been voted in long ago.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/pos.shtml