The 1959 Cubs weren’t a bad team. They finished 10 games under .500 — their best showing since 1952. They had two-time N.L. MVP Ernie Banks in the prime of his career. So they entered 1960 with some hope for improvement.
Clunk.
Charlie Grimm, who was 62 years old and hadn’t managed at all since 1956 and not with the Cubs since 1949, had taken over for Bob Scheffing, inexplicably let go after ‘59. The season did not start well, and with the Cubs 6-11, management executed the peculiar swap of Grimm for Lou Boudreau, who was then in the Cubs WGN radio booth.