Cubs of Yore: Mickey Morandini

Nicknames: The Crippler, Dandy Little Glove Man

Played for The Cub: '98 and '99

Random Write-up: Moran-fuckin-dini was pretty much money during his short stint with the Cubs. He came over in '98 in a trade with Philly for Doug Glanville. He was the type of player that the current Cubs are in such dire need of - a guy who does all the little things. He got on base, bunted, fielded well (hence the nickname brandished by Stoney), had a mini-mullet, wore a WT goatee, always looked pissed. A few memorable moments come to mind when I think back to The Crippler's tenure. The first thing was that he always carried the legacy of turning an unassisted triple play back in his Phillie years. It was inevitable during a nationally televised game that the announcer would mention it. Before you joke, this was 1998, playoff team, Sosa doing 'roids and "saving" baseball. Secondly, the guy had a remarkable resemblance to Chris Benoit of the WWE. For the record, my brother gave him the nickname of The Crippler since it's the same as Benoit's, no one else has ever called him The Crippler to my recollection. Lastly, and most importantly, I vividly remember a game in '99 when DLGM got hit on the back of the arm by a pitch. He took a deep breath, scowled, yelled "FUCK" at the top of his lungs, and then ran to first. All of this was done while the camera was zoomed in on him. God that was funny.

What the hell?: Even though he wasn't an All-Star for The Cubs (he was a '95 All-Star for Philly), he inexplicably received an MVP vote in 1998. What? Somebody clearly hated Sammy Sosa.

Also of Note: He's tied with Ryno for the highest fielding percentage ever by a second baseman. Mickey opted out of the 1987 MLB Draft so he could play baseball for the USA in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea where he and his teammates took home the gold medal. The DLGM now lends his baseball wisdom to Valparaiso High School in Indiana, where he is the head baseball coach. And perhaps just to prove that baseball isn't the only thing that defines Mickey Morandini, he and his wife run their own stationary store. Aww!

You May Remember Him From: that time that TMS visited The Cubs Media Social

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