Chicago Cubs: Looking back at some awkward homecomings

Chicago Cubs: The mishandling of Greg Maddux is one of the biggest blunders in franchise history

It was Opening Day, 1993 at Wrigley Field against the Atlanta Braves. Before the season had started, Cubs fans were already heartbroken after former ace and 1992 NL Cy Young winner Greg Maddux signed a five-year, $28 million deal with the Braves in the offseason. To pour salt into the wound, it would be Maddux to face the Cubs at Wrigley on Opening Day.

Wrigley greeted their former ace with a spat of boos and hisses. They had felt betrayed that someone who did so much for them and loved Chicago would just bolt to Atlanta. Signs around the ballpark made by fans would read, “Greg Who?”

It even got so ridiculous that a fan who snagged a foul ball off Maddux’s bat immediately threw it back on the field and was cheered loudly for doing so. Seemed fitting, Maddux would shutout the Cubs as the Braves went on to win 1-0.

The crowd did not faze Maddux, and he would go on and pitch to a 2.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 2.95 FIP in 363 starts (11 seasons) as an Atlanta Brave before returning to the Cubs in 2004.

It is sad because Maddux got the heat for the Cubs mishandling of re-signing the future Hall of Famer. The Cubs had an “okay” offer for him, and Atlanta swooped in with a better one, and the Cubs did not counter. When they finally did get him back in 2004, he was nearly 40. His best years were behind him.

Today, the name and number of Greg Maddux hangs on the Wrigley Field flag pole, and it is nearly impossible to find a Cubs fan who does not love Maddux. He gave the Cubs many good seasons and always expressed his love for the city and fans. Hard feelings, as they should be, are long gone.

Chicago Cubs: One of the most important players of the 2000s barely got anything when he returned to Wrigley Field

From 2003-2011 the hot corner for the Cubs was manned by two-time All-Star slugger Aramis Ramirez. As a Cub, he hit .294/.356/.531 with 239 homers, .887 OPS, and was consistently in the 120-140 wRC+ range per season. He was primarily known for his clutch walk-off homers he hit over his Cubs tenure.

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After his contract ended in 2011 and Theo Epstein took over, Ramirez inked a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. It was pretty much expected that he would be leaving in free agency, so it did not seem as though there were any hard feelings among fans. There were plenty of thank yous and YouTube tributes given to Ramirez when the news hit he was officially leaving Chicago.

Fast forward to April 9, 2012. It would be the “big return” for Ramirez to the Friendly Confines as the Brewers took on the Cubs in game one of a four-game set. In the first inning, Ramirez came to the plate and was greeted with very little.

There were some scattered cheers and a few claps with a boo here or there, but overall there was almost nothing. No standing ovation or even loud cheering. It was very odd to see a man who owns the sixth-highest spot in the franchise home run record book get so little of a reaction.

Ramirez, since retiring in 2015, has come back to Cubs conventions and games and has gotten warm greetings on those occasions. Fans still seem to remember him for the good he did; it just did not get recognized that one time. Was it lack of enthusiasm the fans had in general during that 101-loss season in 2012 rubbing off on occasion like that? Who knows.

Chicago Cubs: Hard feelings all around for a guy who was vital in the Cubs 2016 World Series win

After hitting the unbelievable grand slam in the NLCS and driving in the final winning run in the World Series clincher, Miguel Montero’s tenure as a Cub all fell apart the following season. The drama began to form between him and his teammates, which escalated with him calling out Jake Arrieta’s performance and Anthony Rizzo calling his act “selfish” on ESPN 1000. Montero would be DFAed and then get dealt with the Toronto Blue Jays for cash in early July.

This was not the end of this story. On August 18 the Cubs would begin a three-game set with the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field with Montero returning to his former home. In the first inning, after the Jays scored a run, Montero came to the plate, and boos began to come down on the former World Series hero. Some could argue a few of those boos from Cubs fans were directed at the thousands of Jays fans chanting “Let’s go Blue Jays!” after they had just scored, but certainly a chunk of that was directed at Montero.

It was such a sour ending to his story in Chicago, which he frankly did not help himself out with, but seeing as he was such a big part of that great run, it was still tough to hear the boos. Even after he was rid of by the team, Montero again thanked the Cubs and fans for his time in Chicago.

Luckily today, it seems the hard feelings have been overall mended between his former teammates and the fans as he has been welcomed back at Cubs Convention. Let it be water under the bridge.

There are likely other occasions former players returning to Wrigley were greeting no-so-nicely, but these stand out. This kind of story could make one wonder what it would have been like if the 2005 Orioles came to Wrigley Field with Sammy Sosa. We will never know.