Durocher's Cubs
From Sports Library
"Durocher's Cubs" are commonly referred to as the team that was together in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher took over the club before the 1966 season, the first manager to lead the team since P. K. Wrigley enacted his "College of Coaches" experiment. Durocher addressed the media upon taking the job and, after reviewing his fine young roster that managed to finish eighth in a ten-team league, infamously insisted that "this is not an eighth place team". Of course, you all know what happened the next year. The New York Mets crawled out of the cellar, and the Cubs took over tenth.
But, following a key trade for Phillies farmhand Ferguson Jenkins, who would then win 20 games each year from 1968 to 1973 inclusive for the Cubs, the team enjoyed a period of success not seen since the 1930's, and unfortunately not matched since.
Contents |
Arguably the Greatest Team in Cubs History
Roster
| 1969 National League East Starting Lineup: 1. Don Kessinger SS | 2. Glen Beckert 2B | 3. Billy Williams LF | 4. Ron Santo 3B | 5. Ernie Banks 1B | 6. Jim Hickman RF | 7. Randy Hundley C | 8. Don Young CF Starting Pitchers: Ferguson Jenkins | Bill Hands | Ken Holtzman | Dick Selma |
Like comparing Boys to Men
This article previously appeared in The Uncouth Sloth blog, during the 2003-04 offseason. It compares the pitching staffs of the two most successful Cubs teams of my lifetime, and illustrates not just how much tougher Durocher's Cubs really were, but it also shockingly shows just how much the game of baseball has changed.
We pick up where a commenter named "Spangler" asserts that current ballplayers are pussies compared to Durocher's Cubs:
I dunno which of you perverts is "Spangler"...I didn't remember (Durocher's Cubs starting rotation) being so great, I always considered that team to be offensively powered.
Thanks to Baseball Reference, we don't have to guess about such things, and NO, I'm not going to do any sum of squares regressions here. Two things are clear, though:
1) The 2004 staff CAN do it, and
2) Those old guys were f--kin' studs, man.
Let's look at the 2003 performance of the Justice Friends, shall we?
Clement 14-12 2 CGs, 201 Inn, 4.11 ERA
Maddux 16-11 1 CGs, 218 Inn, 3.96 ERA
Prior 18-6 3 CGs, 211 Inn, 2.43 ERA
Wood 14-11 4 CGs, 211 Inn, 3.20 ERA
Zambrano 13-11 3 CGs, 214 Inn, 3.11 ERA
League ERA: 4.28
So all five men bested the league average ERA, and Prior, of course, was 1.8 runs below the league average. Fact is, the 1969 staff never performed like this. As Mike Price said to Destiny that one time, "ROLLL TIDE!! Can you feel it Rollin', baby?" (This WAS hilarious in 2004, don't you remember?)
But, just for (grins), let's look at 1969 thru 1971. Pappas wasn't around in 1969, so that's why I looked at the next two years, when he was.
1969
Jenkins 21-15 23 CGs, 311 Inn., 3.21
STOP...stop a minute. 23 motherf--king complete games and 311 innings? Yep, these were the four-man rotation days, for all you little leaguers out there. Now, you might have a clue as to why some of the old-timers have nothing but bad to say for the current athlete. Today, you don't hafta work as hard.
Anyway, back to the sports-a-roo:
1969
Jenkins 21-15 23 CGs, 311 Inn., 3.21
Hands 20-14 18 CGs, 300 Inn, 2.49
Holtzman 17-13 12 CGs, 261 Inn, 3.58
Selma 10-8 4 CGs, 168 Inn, 3.63
League ERA: 3.59
Little known fact, Bill Hands, not Jenkins, was The Man in 1969. He game up 8-tenths of a run less, pitched just as many innings and won 20 games. Note, though, that Holtzman was right at league average ERA, and Selma was a tad worse. Dick Selma? Another reason we didn't win.
1970
Jenkins 22-16 24 CGs 313 Inn, 3.39
Hands 18-15 12 CGs 265 Inn, 3.70
Holtzman 17-11 15 CGs 287 Inn, 3.38
Pappas 10-8 6 CGs, 144 Inn, 2.68
League ERA: 4.05
Pappas was a mid-season pickup. Hands peaked in 1969, Holtzman was trending upward, and Jenkins, who was always a stud hoss, was just about ready to explode!
1971
Jenkins 24-13 30 motherf--king CGs, 325 MFing Inn, 2.77 ERA
Hands 12-18 14 CGs, 242 Inn 3.42
Pappas 17-14 14 CGs, 261 Inn 3.51
Holtzman 9-15 9 CGs 195 Inn 4.48
League ERA: 3.47
I seem to recall Holtzman being hurt, but then again, maybe he was just being the pissy little bastard he is rumored to be, and he was soon traded to the Oakland A's, for a sack of flour, or Manny Trillo, or something.
It's apples and oranges, I'm afraid. It seems that in 1969 and 1971, there was a weak link, and probably 1970 was the actual best time for these Cubs to have won something, if it wasn't due to some bad managing and worse luck.
