North Side South Side: Brent Lillibridge

The 2013 Cubs roster had two players Edwin Jackson and Brent Lillibridge) that spent some time on both sides of town.  Both were pretty lousy with the Cubs, but the worst was Brent Lillibridge.

The weak-hitting outfielder / infielder spent three and a half seasons with the White Sox, from 2009 - June, 2012.

The Cubs signed him as a free agent over the winter.  A career .213 hitter coming into the season, I don't think the Cubs were expecting much other than a utility glove.  Darwin Barney got hurt the last week of spring training and would be out for a few weeks, opening a roster spot for Lillibridge.

He was the Cubs opening day starter at second base, but it was pretty obvious right away that he was not going to be any good. He started seven of the Cubs first nine games and had a grand total of one hit...and that came in his seventh game.  After a few more day of the same lack of hitting, Lillibridge and his .042 average were sent to AAA.  A couple months later the Cubs sold him to the Yankees.

His time with the Cubs was so short that he never made it into any cards as a Cub.  This is a card I made for a post back on opening day.

North Side - South Side: Juan Pi....

It's been a long time since I've looked at a player who spent time on both sides of town. But with the two teams facing each other this past weekend, it seems like a good time to renew this feature. Today I'll take a look at Juan Pi....



...zarro. No, I couldn't bring myself to feature Juan Pierre, the way he took it to the Cubs. So instead, it's left-handed pitcher Juan Pizarro.

Pizarro broke into the majors with the Braves as a 20-year-old in 1957 and was in Milwaukee through the 1960 season. The Sox acquired in a three way trade with the Braves and Red Sox. He would stay with the south siders for the next six season and have the best years of his career. He made the All Star team in 1963 and 1964, his best two seasons. He was 16-8 and 19-9 those two years. He tailed off in 1965 and in 1966 spent most of his time working out of the bullpen.

The Sox traded Pizarro to the Pirates, and the journeyman portion of his career was under way. It was 1 1/2 seasons in Pittsburgh, a season in Boston, and parts of a season in Cleveland and Oakland before Pizarro ended up back in AAA in 1970.

While with Hawaii in 1970, he posted a 9-0 record and the Cubs purchased his contract for the last two months of the season.



That was good enough for Topps to include him in the 1971 set. The AAA shuttle continued the next season, as he split time between Tacoma and Chicago. With the Cubs he posted a 7-6 record in 16 games (14 starts).



Pizarro spent the entire season in Chicago in 1972, but was used sparingly. He made only 16 appearances, starting seven. His record was 4-5 with an ERA of 3.94. Topps didn't think much of his 1972 season either and left him out of the '73 set. After starting the 1973 season in AAA, he was recalled to the Cubs in mid-May. He pitched in 17 games before the Cubs sold him to the Astros.

He finished the year in Houston, and hooked up with the Pirates a bit in 1974 before being released, ending his career.

His final Chicago stats:
White Sox (6 seasons): 75-47, 3.05 ERA
Cubs (4 seasons): 11-12, 4.78 ERA

North Side - South Side: Steve Trout

It's been a long time since I've done one of these, but with the long winter settling in, now is as good a time as any to give this another go.

The featured player today is pitcher Steve Trout, aka Rainbow. Although there have been many players who have played for both the Cubs and Sox, Trout is one of only a few who had extended and successful stays on both sides of town. He spent five seasons with the Sox and 4 1/2 with the Cubs and was good with both.

The son of former big league Dizzy Trout, and a Chicago area native, Steve was drafted by the Sox in the first round of the 1976 draft. Only two years later, he was on the mound at Comiskey Park, going 3-0 in four games at the end of the 1978 season. In 1979 he was inserted into the starting rotation and started 88 games over the next four seasons and was 37-40 during his time on the south side.



Topps 1980, this is his first card as a big leaguer. He looks really young.



His final card with the Sox, Topps 1983

The Cubs acquired him in January, 1983, in a trade that involved a total of six players. That, too, was unusual, in that the Cubs and Sox did very little trading with each other, especially mutliplayer deals. New Cubs GM Dallas Green was throwing all the old rules out.

Trout would put up the best numbers of his career while with the Cubs, going 43-38 over 138 games. He was an important part of the 1984 Eastern Division championship team, with a 13-7 record that year. He started game 2 of the NLCS and got the win for the Cubs. The victory put the Cubs up 2-0 in the series, and as the teams moved on to San Diego, all the Cubs needed was one win in three games to move on the the World Series....a win they never got.

But he peaked in 1984 and would never win more than nine games the rest of his career. In 1987 he was traded mid-season to the Yankees, but went 0-4 in the Bronx. He spent the last two seasons of his career with the Mariners before being released in June, 1989.



Trout's first Topps card with the Cubs was in the 1983 traded set.



From Donruss 1984, making a pitch at Wrigley.



Fleer 1986, a head shot.



And his final Topps Cubs card, 1987

North Side South Side: George Bell

Leaf 1991 George Bell



Outfielder George Bell played only one season with the Cubs. He was signed as a free agent by general manager Jim Frey for the 1991 season after several successful seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bell had established himself as a big-time run producer with the Jays. He was an all-star twice and won the AL MVP in 1987, hitting .308 with 47 home runs and 134 RBI's. He was one of three big name signings by the Cubs that off season (Danny Jackson and Dave Smith were the other two).

When the Cubs signed him he was 31 years old. He had a decent year with the North Siders, slamming 25 home runs and driving in 86 runs. But the team finished under .500, the other two big money players were busts, and GM Jim Frey was fired after the season. Former Sox GM Larry Himes was hired to run the Cubs.

Bowman 1991, George doesn't like to wear his hat



1991 Fleer Ultra, warming up before a game




1991 Upper Deck, Bell wore #11 with the Cubs, a number the team has typically given to infielders (Don Kessinger, Ivan DeJesus).



1991 Stadium Club, finishing up his swing




In the spring of 1992, Himes made a deal with his former team. There was a player he had traded for while with the Sox that Himes was still very high on. He wanted that player for the Cubs, so the new GM sent Bell to the South Side in exchange for pitcher Ken Patterson and his main target, a raw outfielder named Sammy Sosa.

Bell had a decent year with the Sox in 1992, knocking out 25 homers along with 112 RBI's. It looked at the time like the Sox got the better of the deal. But in 1993, slowed by knee injuries, Bell played in only 102 games. His home run total dropped to 13. After the season he announced his retirement and that was it. His career was finished.

1992 Topps Trades, again, George doesn't like to wear his hat



1992 Stadium Club, hatless again



1993 Topps, taking a hack with the Sox



The guy the Cubs in the Bell trade got seem to improve a bit and went on to have some decent years with the Cubs. But I'll save his story for another day.

North Side - South Side: Don Kessinger

Most people who know of Don Kessinger know of him as an all star shortstop for the Cubs in the late '60's and early '70's. But Don also had a short, interesting stay on the south side.

Kessinger had a brief minor league career after being named an All American at Ole Miss. After 77 games in the Texas League in 1964, he had a cup of coffee with the Cubs at the end of the season. Following 46 more games in the minors in 1965, he was brought back to the Cubs for good and played in 106 games with the big boys. He hit only .201, but it was his glove that the Cubs wanted.


Kessinger's first card, 1966



He was converted to a switch hitter in 1966 and his average improved. He became the Cubs lead-off man and was their only real stolen base threat. By 1968 he was named to his first all-star team, something that would happen six times in his career. He also won gold gloves in 1969 and 1970.

Topps 1968



All Star Card, 1969, with a picture of a Pittsburgh Pirate in the background



Growing up, I had two different ways to imitate Don Kessinger. As a hitter, it was to stand with one foot in the batters box and move around the batting helmet. He always seemed to wiggle his helmet before getting set in the box. The fielding Kessinger move was more fun. You would go far to your right for a ball, pick it up then turn, leap, and throw the ball all at once. It was Kessingers signature move and we all could do it.

Topps 1972 - always looking for a good excuse to show these beauties!



Kessinger's last card as a Cub, 1975



As the Cubs of 1969 aged, the team was broken up. Kessinger stuck around the longest, finally being traded to the Cardinals before the 1976 season. He didn't hit much for the Cardinals and in 1977 he lost the starting job to a much younger Garry Templeton. The Cardinals sent him back to Chicago in August of 1977, although to the south side with the White Sox. He played in 131 games for the Sox in 1978 and was the surprise choice of owner Bill Veeck to be manager of the team in 1979. He was one of the last player/managers in MLB history.

As a member of the White Sox, 1978. He just looks out of place in that strange Sox uniform instead of in Cubs pinstripes



Topps 1979 White Sox team card with manager Don Kessinger



With the Cubs, Leo Durocher was always on Kessinger to be more vocal, be more of a leader on the field. But that just didn't seem to be him. It's ironic that of the Cubs of 1969, Kess was the only star of the team to become a big league manager. But maybe Durocher was right, and Kessinger just wasn't the manager type. He led the Sox for only 106 games and then resigned as mananger and retired as a player. The Sox named an unknown coach as their new leader, some guy named Tony LaRussa.

Don returned to his alma mater and was the baseball coach at Ole Miss for ten years. He retired as coach in 2000 and now is in real estate.

North Side - South Side: Steve Stone

I plan to make this an occasional series that looks at the cards of players who saw action on both the North and South Side of Chicago.

Steve Stone had an unusual Chicago career in that he has flipped between the two franchises several times, as both a player and an announcer.

Stone started in Chicago in 1973, joining the White Sox from the Giants in a trade for Tom Bradley. He went 6-11 for the Sox, which meant he was ready to join the Cubs.

Topps 1974 Steve Stone



1974 Topps Traded - Stone wearing a Giants uniform and an airbrushed hat


Topps 1975 Cubs - an interesting angle



Topps 1976


He came to the north side in December of 1974 as part of one of the biggest trades between the two teams, the Ron Santo trade. Stone was one of four players the Cubs received for their All-Star third baseman. His best year with the Cubs was 1975, when he posted a 12-8 record. He hurt his arm in 1976 and made only 17 appearances. He was granted free agency in November of 1976, the Cubs letting him go because of his arm troubles.


On the South Side this was the era of Bill Veeck's rent-a-player (trade for a big name player who is a year away from free agency - and not have to give up too much, ie Richie Zisk and Oscar Gamble) and the signing of low risk free agents, players who had some injury risk and weren't getting many offers (ie Eric Soderholm, Ron Bloomberg). Steve Stone was another low risk signing.

Topps 1977 - bad airbrushing strikes again. The collars on the Sox uniforms gave the Topps artists real fits. It looks like this picture was taken the same time as the picture on the 1976 card, at Candlestick Park



Topps 1978 - dig the disco hair and chains





Stone had a nice comeback in 1977, going 15-12 for the Sox. He went 12-12 in 1978 and was again granted free agency. Proving himself healed of arm trouble, he had priced himself out of Bill Veeck's budget and he left Chicago as a player for good, signing with the Orioles.

His sell your soul to the devil season was 1980, when he went 25-7 with Baltimore, winning the AL Cy Young Award. His success was due in part to his heavier reliance on the curveball, which ruined his arm. He slumped to 4-7 in 1981 and was finished as a player.

In 1983 Stone returned to Chicago, joining Harry Caray in the WGN TV booth as the color man. He spent from 18 years in the booth and was extremely popular. Health issues forced off the air after the 2000 season. He returned in 2003 and 2004, but ran into some controversy with several players who thought he was too critical. The 2004 was a season of great expectations for the Cubs, coming off their near-miss of the pennant in 2003. Greg Maddux was added to the rotation and Nomar Garciaparra was added at mid-season. But the team underperfomed and Stone called them out on it. They players whinned to management and the this ticked Stone off. He resigned after the 2004 season.

After working three years with a sports talk radio station in Chicago, Stone headed over to the south side as a radio color man for the Sox. In 2009 he will move into the TV booth and join Ken Harrelson, provided there is enough room in the booth for both of their enormous egos to fit.

North side and south side as both a player and a media personality, Stone has spent the better part of 35 years in Chicago.