HAPPY APRIL TO CUBS WORLD FROM THE PREZ
Spring is here! I'm sure you will agree that we all need to see a FEW things happen. For instance, in our beloved Villages, we need rain. LOTS OF RAIN! We also need to see the Cubbies pick up the pace! We're in the regular season now and things are REAL!!!
Thirdly, I have discovered a design for one of our newer recreation halls that I think Villages management should consider. It's right below. Tell me what you think.
Thirdly, I have discovered a design for one of our newer recreation halls that I think Villages management should consider. It's right below. Tell me what you think.
ON DECK CIRCLE
This month’s ON DECK CIRCLE is not placed on the hallowed grounds of Wrigley, but rather under the watchful eye of the NATIONAL BASEBALL MUSEUM in Denver Colorado.
But here in the Villages, we have our eye on our Monday May 4th membership meeting!
MAY 4TH at Colony Cottage
Cody Hills (In person)
plus
Tom Hooper (in person)
Doors open 5:30
This month’s ON DECK CIRCLE is not placed on the hallowed grounds of Wrigley, but rather under the watchful eye of the NATIONAL BASEBALL MUSEUM in Denver Colorado.
But here in the Villages, we have our eye on our Monday May 4th membership meeting!
MAY 4TH at Colony Cottage
Cody Hills (In person)
plus
Tom Hooper (in person)
Doors open 5:30
ACTUALLY…WE HAVE TWO GUESTS
by Wayne Richards
It was the late and great Ernie Banks who blurted out the phrase all Cubs fans embrace…”LETS PLAY TWO!” Well…that is exactly what we plan to do during the upcoming May membership meeting at Colony Cottage!
Our first guest is a yearly favorite, Cody Hills. Both knowledgeable and a captivating speaker, Cody will present his predictions and thoughts about the Cubs season that has begun.
Cody Hills, a former writer for the Villages Daily Sun, has always felt a connection with Cubs World! Mr. Hills…the feeling is mutual!
Our second guest (maybe guests) will be Tom Hooper, head coach of the Trinity Catholic High School baseball team in Ocala. He has a personal friend by the name of DAVID ROSS. He has stories and will be helping us procure a zoom date with Grandpa Rossi. By the way, CUBS WORLD has a very strong and positive reputation so I’m told. Cubs World, you should be proud!
by Wayne Richards
It was the late and great Ernie Banks who blurted out the phrase all Cubs fans embrace…”LETS PLAY TWO!” Well…that is exactly what we plan to do during the upcoming May membership meeting at Colony Cottage!
Our first guest is a yearly favorite, Cody Hills. Both knowledgeable and a captivating speaker, Cody will present his predictions and thoughts about the Cubs season that has begun.
Cody Hills, a former writer for the Villages Daily Sun, has always felt a connection with Cubs World! Mr. Hills…the feeling is mutual!
Our second guest (maybe guests) will be Tom Hooper, head coach of the Trinity Catholic High School baseball team in Ocala. He has a personal friend by the name of DAVID ROSS. He has stories and will be helping us procure a zoom date with Grandpa Rossi. By the way, CUBS WORLD has a very strong and positive reputation so I’m told. Cubs World, you should be proud!
THE RED WORD SEARCH COULD REWARD YOU WITH A PUBLIX GIFT CARD ALONG WITH SOME SURPRISE ITEMS
People love the red word! We've learned that during the years. For those of our new members, here's how you could win some prizes.
As you read through the newsletter, look for a word printed in RED. The word has to be embedded in the TEXT of an article...NOT A PHOTO OR GRAPHIC.
When you find it, write the word down on a piece of paper, a card, summons, train schedule, restaurant menu or anything you can jam into a special jar at our next member ship meeting. There will be TWO...count them...TWO WINNERS!
In addition to Publix cards, we have extra surprises lined up! So don't miss out! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL.
As you read through the newsletter, look for a word printed in RED. The word has to be embedded in the TEXT of an article...NOT A PHOTO OR GRAPHIC.
When you find it, write the word down on a piece of paper, a card, summons, train schedule, restaurant menu or anything you can jam into a special jar at our next member ship meeting. There will be TWO...count them...TWO WINNERS!
In addition to Publix cards, we have extra surprises lined up! So don't miss out! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL.
THE FAMOUS VILLAGES GATOR AT GATORS IN BROWNWOOD HAS A FEW WORDS FOR CUBS WORLD
by Wayne Richards
Hi everybody! Every month I see people wearing blue shirts walk right past me! I must admit, most of you look delicious, but I’ve been instructed to leave you alone.
I wish I could join you folks in the back where the real action is. Great food and fun!
I have no idea what you folks do in that back room, but I can hear screaming from time to time. Just what's going on? Too bad I'm sedated by the front door.
Well, here is a reminder for all of you who like to scream. The next CUBS WORLD WATCH PARTY will be on Saturday, April 18th. Gathering time is 1:30. Game time is 2:20. Lunch for me is anytime I’m able to catch somebody.
by Wayne Richards
Hi everybody! Every month I see people wearing blue shirts walk right past me! I must admit, most of you look delicious, but I’ve been instructed to leave you alone.
I wish I could join you folks in the back where the real action is. Great food and fun!
I have no idea what you folks do in that back room, but I can hear screaming from time to time. Just what's going on? Too bad I'm sedated by the front door.
Well, here is a reminder for all of you who like to scream. The next CUBS WORLD WATCH PARTY will be on Saturday, April 18th. Gathering time is 1:30. Game time is 2:20. Lunch for me is anytime I’m able to catch somebody.
WELCOME TO THE CUB'S WORLD FAMILY
DONNA PAPENDICK
MARILYN HOUSTON
GEORGE ORR
JAMES AND JANET REINERT
We're glad you're with us to help cheer on the "MEN IN BLUE."
DONNA PAPENDICK
MARILYN HOUSTON
GEORGE ORR
JAMES AND JANET REINERT
We're glad you're with us to help cheer on the "MEN IN BLUE."
A MEMBERSHIP MEETING DOUBLE HEADER
by Dan Marx
Our April 6th meeting had a nice turnout of about 75 members. Our dinner from Golden Corral had chicken tenders, Mac & cheese, beans, rolls, and chocolate cake started us off for the evening.
And then just like that we were in Dick Pole’s den. You might say- who’s Dick Pole? He was the Cubs pitching coach during the 1980s to the mid 1990s. I’m sure that we’ve all been armchair pitching coaches saying why did he leave that pitcher in the game so long? Or why didn’t he bring in the lefty reliever earlier? On the other hand, we also could say that the coach did such a great job turning the pitchers around into assembling a great staff. Our April 6th meeting had a nice turnout of about 75 members.
And then just like that we were in Dick Pole’s den. You might say- who’s Dick Pole? He was the Cubs pitching coach during the 1980s to the mid 1990s. I’m sure that we’ve all been armchair pitching coaches saying why did he leave that pitcher in the game so long? Or why didn’t he bring in the lefty reliever earlier? On the other hand, we also could say that the coach did such a great job turning the pitchers around into assembling a great staff. Our April 6th meeting had a nice turnout of about 75 members.
Dick Pole grew up in a tiny town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His high school had a total attendance of 53. He thought that he might be a pretty good pitcher, and was good enough to pitch on the 1975 Red Sox team, and he was fortunate enough to play in the World Series that year against the mighty Reds.
He played very little in the majors, but went south later to pitch and coach in the Mexican league . He came up north to become a pitching coach in the minors and the majors for over 22 years. Besides the Cubs he was also the coach for the Giants.
Dick waxed nostalgic, and how he was totally on awe in all of the stars of the game that he met. He loved, loved, loved going to Wrigley every day. He said it was like being in heaven!
He liked some of the new technology that has become part of the pitching game, but he also can’t understand all of the pitch counts. And he just remembers pitchers in the 1990s that would pitch 370 innings in a year, and then come back the next year and pitch 300 innings.
Dick totally enjoyed himself and said that he would love to come back next year and talk to us in person.
He played very little in the majors, but went south later to pitch and coach in the Mexican league . He came up north to become a pitching coach in the minors and the majors for over 22 years. Besides the Cubs he was also the coach for the Giants.
Dick waxed nostalgic, and how he was totally on awe in all of the stars of the game that he met. He loved, loved, loved going to Wrigley every day. He said it was like being in heaven!
He liked some of the new technology that has become part of the pitching game, but he also can’t understand all of the pitch counts. And he just remembers pitchers in the 1990s that would pitch 370 innings in a year, and then come back the next year and pitch 300 innings.
Dick totally enjoyed himself and said that he would love to come back next year and talk to us in person.
Then we had 2 local baseball players come to visit us and tell us about the new Villages baseball team. It’s call the Villages Bison. Steve Lloyd and Gary Ryman told us how the team evolved. Steve is from Cincinnati and he is the general manager. He’s a big Cincinnati Reds fan . Gary is an assistant general manager and player, and he’s a huge Cubs fan. In fact he wanted to name the team after the Cubs but Steve vetoed it.
Gary came from a tiny town in Iowa- Strawberry Point. He played all divisions of baseball growing up, and when his 3 boys grew up, they all went through all 3 divisions of baseball. This brand of baseball is a 64 year and older league that went through a lot of hoops to get involved with some of the teams that exist already. The other teams were very hesitant to play The Villages, let alone travel all the way over here. But they have a very nice facility, Pat Thomas Stadium , which is also where the Leesburg Lightning play.
They are still having a hard time getting accepted in such a softball area like The Villages. There are over 3000 softball players that play here.
Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see them one day, and we wish them well.
Gary came from a tiny town in Iowa- Strawberry Point. He played all divisions of baseball growing up, and when his 3 boys grew up, they all went through all 3 divisions of baseball. This brand of baseball is a 64 year and older league that went through a lot of hoops to get involved with some of the teams that exist already. The other teams were very hesitant to play The Villages, let alone travel all the way over here. But they have a very nice facility, Pat Thomas Stadium , which is also where the Leesburg Lightning play.
They are still having a hard time getting accepted in such a softball area like The Villages. There are over 3000 softball players that play here.
Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see them one day, and we wish them well.
THE BLEACHER BUM REPORT
by Jack Herbon
Many of us have been Cub fans our entire life. For me it would be when I went to see the Cubs at Wrigley Field when I was in the Cubs Scouts. No pun intended TRUE story. Any way that was in 1961. Al Heist hit his walk-off grand slam at Wrigley Field on April 15, 1961. The pinch-hit home run occurred in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Braves, turning a 5-5 tie into a 9-5 victory for the Chicago Cubs. To this day I'm not sure how many walk off grand slams the Cubs have had from a pitch hitter. And Al Heist only played in 103 games in his career and was a 32 year old ROOKIE!
That game is in my top ten of all time but I'll have to put that aside and give you the TOP TEN CUB GAMES OF ALL TIME:
I'm sure many of you would agree these are very worthy and you probably have a game that should be on this list. Here are the HONORABLE MENTIONS: Ernie Banks 500 home run game/ Milt Pappas almost perfect game/ Kenny Holtzman no hitter/ Willie Smith walk off home run on opening day in 1969/ And last but not least the last game of the 69 season when all the Bums went over the outfield wall and stormed the field. BTW myself and some other person carried off Randy Hundley on our shoulders to the club house door in the left field corner.
by Jack Herbon
Many of us have been Cub fans our entire life. For me it would be when I went to see the Cubs at Wrigley Field when I was in the Cubs Scouts. No pun intended TRUE story. Any way that was in 1961. Al Heist hit his walk-off grand slam at Wrigley Field on April 15, 1961. The pinch-hit home run occurred in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Braves, turning a 5-5 tie into a 9-5 victory for the Chicago Cubs. To this day I'm not sure how many walk off grand slams the Cubs have had from a pitch hitter. And Al Heist only played in 103 games in his career and was a 32 year old ROOKIE!
That game is in my top ten of all time but I'll have to put that aside and give you the TOP TEN CUB GAMES OF ALL TIME:
- 1/ 2016 World Series, Game 7 (Nov. 2, 2016): The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings to win their first World Series title since 1908, featuring a dramatic rain delay and Ben Zobrist's heroics.
- 2/1998 Kerry Wood 20-K Game (May 6, 1998): Rookie Kerry Wood tied the MLB record with 20 strikeouts against the Houston Astros, widely regarded as the most dominant pitching performance in team history.
- 3/ 2016 NLCS, Game 6 (Oct. 22, 2016): The Cubs clinched their first World Series berth in 71 years by beating the LA Dodgers 5-0 behind a stellar performance from Kyle Hendricks.
- 4/ 1984 "Sandberg Game" (June 23, 1984): Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs off closer Bruce Sutter to tie the game in the 9th and 10th innings, leading to a comeback win over the Cardinals that spurred a division title.
- 5/ 2015 NLDS, Game 4 (Oct. 13, 2015): The Cubs clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time, beating the Cardinals 6-4 with homers from Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo.
- 6/ 1938 "Homer in the Gloamin'" (Sept. 28, 1938): Gabby Hartnett hit a walk-off home run in the near-darkness to beat the Pirates, a crucial win in the pennant race.
- 7/ 1998 Sosa 61st/62nd Home Run Game (Sept. 13, 1998): Sammy Sosa hit his 61st and 62nd homers to briefly tie Mark McGwire, featuring a Mark Grace walk-off home run in a 11-10 win.
- 8/ 2003 NLDS, Game 3 (Oct. 3, 2003): Mark Prior dominated the Braves at Turner Field, allowing only one run to help the Cubs win their first postseason series in over 90 years.
- 9/ 1945 World Series, Game 6 (Oct. 8, 1945): A 12-inning 8-7 win over the Tigers to force a Game 7, featuring a Stan Hack walk-off, briefly overcoming the "Curse of the Billy Goat".
- 10/ 2016 NLDS, Game 4 (Oct. 11, 2016): A four-run 9th-inning comeback against the Giants secured the series, featuring a comeback engineered by Jason Heyward and a comeback-clinching single by Javier Baez.
I'm sure many of you would agree these are very worthy and you probably have a game that should be on this list. Here are the HONORABLE MENTIONS: Ernie Banks 500 home run game/ Milt Pappas almost perfect game/ Kenny Holtzman no hitter/ Willie Smith walk off home run on opening day in 1969/ And last but not least the last game of the 69 season when all the Bums went over the outfield wall and stormed the field. BTW myself and some other person carried off Randy Hundley on our shoulders to the club house door in the left field corner.
AND NOW A MESSAGE FROM THE PREZ
For as long as I can remember, my esteemed editor, DAN MARX has sing praises for a book that could very well be his baseball bible!
Dan Marx has returned once again to share some tidbits from this entertaining volume.
WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL
by Dan Marx
Dan Marx has returned once again to share some tidbits from this entertaining volume.
WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL
by Dan Marx
This story is about possibly the most memorable home run ever. It was The "Shot Heard Round The World" by Bobby Thomson. At one point in the 1951 season, the NY Giants trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers by 13 games. The Dodgers came back in the standings to force a 3 game playoff.
In the ninth inning the Giants were trailing Ralph Branca and the Dodgers until Bobby Thomson stepped up to vault himself into history forever with a home run to win the pennant.
There is a back story to this that I never knew about before. Leo Durocher, yeah that same Leo Durocher, was managing the Giants and allegedly pulled all of his players into the dugout to explain a sign stealing plan. That meeting was held 7/19/1951 and were 47-41 at the time. The rest of the way the Giants went an incredible 55-17.
Ironically enough, the Giants were a better hitting team before July 19th, EXCEPT for Bobby Thomson. Before 7/19, Bobby hit. .237 and slugged .482. After 7/19, he hit .357 and slugged .652.
After that series, Thomson and Branca became friends. Thomson always said that he had no idea which pitch was coming. Branca never seemed to believe him.
Joe Posnanski , the author, has said that he must have seen the iconic home run 500 times. One of the last times he had seen it, he noticed that the Giants first base coach, Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons was going out of his mind with joy. He said that he was throwing his cap up in the air like he had just graduated from Yale.
Posnanski became so fascinated with Fitzsimmons that he looked into him.
He found out that at 15 years old, Fitzsimmons, developed a devastating knuckleball. He had his back to the hitters and had a very unorthodox delivery. The batter would watch the ball, and before they knew it, the ball was past them.
Freddie’s most popular story that year was how he and Durocher went to a fortune teller , who told them how the Giants would get off to a horrible start, but would be there right at the end of the season. And he said how the Thompson home run was the most exciting baseball moment of his life.
I love reading Posnanski’s book to read all about the back stories and all of the characters that have been involved. I also love going to Cubs World meetings for the exact same reasons. AND, of course, for the incredible camaraderie that exists in this wonderful club.
In the ninth inning the Giants were trailing Ralph Branca and the Dodgers until Bobby Thomson stepped up to vault himself into history forever with a home run to win the pennant.
There is a back story to this that I never knew about before. Leo Durocher, yeah that same Leo Durocher, was managing the Giants and allegedly pulled all of his players into the dugout to explain a sign stealing plan. That meeting was held 7/19/1951 and were 47-41 at the time. The rest of the way the Giants went an incredible 55-17.
Ironically enough, the Giants were a better hitting team before July 19th, EXCEPT for Bobby Thomson. Before 7/19, Bobby hit. .237 and slugged .482. After 7/19, he hit .357 and slugged .652.
After that series, Thomson and Branca became friends. Thomson always said that he had no idea which pitch was coming. Branca never seemed to believe him.
Joe Posnanski , the author, has said that he must have seen the iconic home run 500 times. One of the last times he had seen it, he noticed that the Giants first base coach, Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons was going out of his mind with joy. He said that he was throwing his cap up in the air like he had just graduated from Yale.
Posnanski became so fascinated with Fitzsimmons that he looked into him.
He found out that at 15 years old, Fitzsimmons, developed a devastating knuckleball. He had his back to the hitters and had a very unorthodox delivery. The batter would watch the ball, and before they knew it, the ball was past them.
Freddie’s most popular story that year was how he and Durocher went to a fortune teller , who told them how the Giants would get off to a horrible start, but would be there right at the end of the season. And he said how the Thompson home run was the most exciting baseball moment of his life.
I love reading Posnanski’s book to read all about the back stories and all of the characters that have been involved. I also love going to Cubs World meetings for the exact same reasons. AND, of course, for the incredible camaraderie that exists in this wonderful club.
FROM THE DESK OF THE PREZ
Annie would kill me if my office looked like this. But occasionally I do feel like kicking things around. It's a busy time for yours truly.
I see that we have some new members and that always makes me happy! Some of these fine folks might become a board member in the future!
There is a spirit building in Cubs World that is amazing to see. I noticed that during our last membership meeting some of the members grabbed the microphone and told stories...or at least made a comment. Hearing what people have to say makes the entire evening more special.
Be on the lookout for a list of baseball movies next month in the newsletter and the Monday flyer. we will once again vote on five classic baseball film titles, and the winner will be presented at the EPIC OLD MILL Theatre in July!
I have a request. If you have some photos you've taken of any of our events, please send them to me at [email protected]. Here's why. I would love to put together a video presentation to celebrate our history as a club. It might take a while to produce, but I think it would be great fun to see where we've been and where we're heading.
I also will be planning a birthday celebration for the CHICAGO CUBS! At the moment, I'd like to coordinate an October or November party with a zoom session with DAVID ROSS!
Lastly, before you finish this newsletter, take note of our FINAL COMMENTS SECTION. This is the place for you to leave your thoughts, stories or suggestions.
See you next month. GO CUBBIES!!!!
Annie would kill me if my office looked like this. But occasionally I do feel like kicking things around. It's a busy time for yours truly.
I see that we have some new members and that always makes me happy! Some of these fine folks might become a board member in the future!
There is a spirit building in Cubs World that is amazing to see. I noticed that during our last membership meeting some of the members grabbed the microphone and told stories...or at least made a comment. Hearing what people have to say makes the entire evening more special.
Be on the lookout for a list of baseball movies next month in the newsletter and the Monday flyer. we will once again vote on five classic baseball film titles, and the winner will be presented at the EPIC OLD MILL Theatre in July!
I have a request. If you have some photos you've taken of any of our events, please send them to me at [email protected]. Here's why. I would love to put together a video presentation to celebrate our history as a club. It might take a while to produce, but I think it would be great fun to see where we've been and where we're heading.
I also will be planning a birthday celebration for the CHICAGO CUBS! At the moment, I'd like to coordinate an October or November party with a zoom session with DAVID ROSS!
Lastly, before you finish this newsletter, take note of our FINAL COMMENTS SECTION. This is the place for you to leave your thoughts, stories or suggestions.
See you next month. GO CUBBIES!!!!
