A new Cubs starter?

Is this man going to be starting a game for the Cubs soon? It looks like it's possible.

Sights & Sounds

This week's Sights & Sounds has video of Rick Monday in action, and audio of Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" together.

Watch and listen here.

Bob Sirott's Theory

On Fox-32 last night, anchorman Bob Sirott offered his theory for the Cubs long drought. It was his closing commentary, "One More Thing."

Darwin Barney

With all this talk about Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, their rookie second baseman Darwin Barney has flown under the radar.

How good has he been? He was just named Rookie of the Month for April.

He's got a good glove, good speed, is a fearless clutch hitter, and he never stops hustling. I think the Cubs have a keeper here.*


*Note to SI. Please don't put him on the cover. Castro has been slumping ever since you put him on the cover.

Johnny Evers Breaks Down

Exactly 100 years ago today, Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Johnny Evers suffered a nervous breakdown after a very stressful year off-the-field.

It was the beginning of the end of the Cubs dynasty, and it's today's Tale from a Bad Century.

George Will

Newsman.

Pundit.

Cubs Fan.

Birthday Boy...70 years old today.

Margaret Donahue

The Cubs may not have been on the cutting edge of allowing African Americans to play in the big leagues (and, sadly, actually contributed to erecting the color barrier in the first place), but they were trailblazers when it came to promoting women.

P.K. Wrigley famously came up with the All-American Girls League during World War II, but at that time the Cubs already had had a woman working in their front office for more than twenty years. She was the Vice President of the team.

Her name was Margaret Donahue, and among her many accomplishments with the Cubs was coming up with the concept of Ladies Day.

Read all about her here, in her hometown newspaper the Huntley Patch.

(Photo: Margaret and Chicago Mayor Kennelly. Photo by Gloria Casas)

Jack Quinlan

This week's Tale from a Bad Century leaves the playing field and goes into the broadcast booth to tell the story of Cubs radio announcer Jack Quinlan.

A great announcer taken away from us at a very young age.

Sports Illustrated Cover

Uh oh. Does anyone know of an anti-jinx medicine Starlin Castro can take right now?

Injury updates

If you're like me and just chalk up a loss when you hear that Casey Coleman and/or James Russell are pitching, there is some good news on the injury front.

Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells both threw off a mound yesterday. It looks like they'll be going on a minor league assignment soon.

Also, Todd Wellemeyer has been rehabbing and looks like he'll be ready soon.

I know it's not exactly Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Greg Maddux, but it also ain't Casey Coleman and James Russell. (No offense, fellas).

The Old Fox

This week's Great Nickname at Just One Bad Century is "The Old Fox" and he was one of the most legendary figures in baseball history.

Read about him here.

The JOBC Contest

On this day in 1986 the Cubs signed a free agent player that is now a very prominent manager in the big leagues. What is his name?

The first person that e-mails me the correct answer at rick@justonebadcentury.com will win a commemorative Greg Maddux 3000th strikeout scorecard, an autographed copy of the excellent baseball novel "The Pitch" (by Hank Owens), plus a t-shirt from the Just One Bad Century catalog.


UPDATE: We have a winner! Congratulations to Michael Kilinski of Chicago. He was the first person to e-mail with the correct answer to this week's question. Michael wins the program, the book, and shirt. By the way, the answer was...

Terry Francona

Leo Durocher

This week's Cubs Hall of Famer at Just One Bad Century is The Lip; Leo Durocher.

Read more about Leo, and watch an old newsreel video about him here.

This week in 1908, 1945

Every weekend JOBC goes back in time to the last year the Cubs won the pennant and the World Series.


This week in 1908, the first Mother`s Day was celebrated, the first wireless broadcasting patent was issued, and 3 Finger Brown won two games for the Cubs.

This week in 1945, Mussolini is captured and killed, Hitler kills himself and Eva Braun, and Cubs pitcher Hank Wyse throws a one-hitter.