BillMadlock took over at third base for Ron Santo in 1974. It seemed like it would be a smooth transition. He hit over .300 his rookie season and won batting titles the following two years. It seemed like the Cubs were set with another long-time third baseman.
It seemed.
Madlock wanted more money and Wrigley didn't want to pay him. So he was traded to the Giants. The Cubs got Bobby Murcer, and paid him more than what Madlock wanted. There were ugly racial overtones to the whole messy situation.
Despite being with the Cubs for just three seasons, I've got 19 cards of Bill Madlock as a Cub. Of those, six come from after his playing days. You'll see that Kelloggs and Hostess featured him prominently.
If the Cubs had kept Madlock and Thornton, 1977 might have come out different.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite player has always been Ernie Banks (hey, I was born in 1955), but my favorite to watch after that was Madlock. Line drive, line drive, line drive. I was so ticked when they traded him...
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