Strange Tales Of Former Cubs

By Benjy Lipsman in Miscellaneous on Sep 18, 2009 2:40PM

A pair of former Cubs have made the news recently. Here are their strange tales

Mark Grace's Road Beef

In the circles we travel, it's not uncommon to have stickers of our alma maters across our cars' back windows to show off where we've gone. In other circles, apparently they tattoo their backs with the names of people they've done.

Hugging Harold Reynolds shares a correspondence they've had with a reader, who learned the story of former Cubs star Mark Grace and his road beef. Apparently, there's a St. Louis bar tender who sports a tramp stamp bearing Gracie's name, so that "every guy who (literally) 'does her from the back' [knows] who she really (figuratively?) belongs to, Mark Grace."

Sounds a bit far fetched, doesn't it? And yet they reader backs up his claims with an email confirmation from Barry Axelrod, Grace's agent who confirms the story with his client, passing along that Grace wanted him "to be sure to let you guys know that he does not recall asking her to marry him ... but upon further inquiry he admitted that he could have." She surely would've made a classy Mrs. Mark Grace.

Dunston Sends Letter Objecting To Cubs Sale But Doesn't Really Mean It
As the Tribune's sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family winds its way through bankruptcy court, an interesting creditor has popped up to contest the proceeding. In a hand-written letter, former Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston is objecting to the decision to place the team in bankruptcy, because he claims the team owes him money to cover his college education.

More after the jump.

In his letter, Dunston wrote that he was "entitled to college scholarship funds" from the Cubs that were part of his original contract. A standard practice for top players signing deals out of high school, such a clause in Dunston's original 1982 contract would have amounted to about $8,000 to $10,000 worth of tuition. Because he never attended college, he was never given the money. He admits he has no plans to go to college at this point in his life, either.

"It was just a formality," Dunston said. "When I signed the contract [in 1982], they said they'd pay for my college tuition if I ever went. It was part of my signing bonus, but I never used it. My adviser asked me about it, and told me to send a letter by the 16th [of September], so that's what I did. I have nothing against the Cubs."

So he's now blaming his financial advisor for making him send the letter requesting chump change from the Trib. "In fact, I missed two years with a back injury and they paid me well. I love the Cubs and I'll always be a Cub. If anything, I owe them something."