Episode 111: “EveryCubEver” with Rick Kaempfer

Posted on by Victoria

Wynne and I had the best time EVER talking to author and publisher Rick Kaempfer about his latest book, “EveryCubEver” – available now, exclusively from Eckhartz Press.

The 7th edition of Rick’s comprehensive book is about “every single player who ever played for the Chicago Cubs between the beginning of the 1871 season and the end of the 2024 season...”. This, baseball fans, was an absolute labor of love for Rick – a die-hard Cubs fan since 1968.

“EveryCubEver” – At a Glance:

The Updated 7th Edition has over 500 new entries and more than 200 new photographs. This is the last update until the Cubs win the World Series again, so it’s the perfect evergreen addition to your bookshelf.

What will you find in the pages of EveryCubEver?

*Mini-bios of every player who ever wore the uniform between 1871-2023 plus bonus bios of Cubs managers, owners, broadcasters and more.

*Stories about Cubs who served in every war since the Civil War.

*Notes about players who were wearing the Cubs uniform on days of historical significance.

*Stories of Cubs who achieved greatness and heroism off the field, including those who became movie stars, titans of industry, life savers, and even a few who served in political office.

*Stories of those who received unwanted notoriety, including shooting victims, murderers, kidnappers, racists, burglars, thieves, and political criminals.

*Tragic tales, uplifting tales, and hilarious baseball stories.

*Spotlights on everyone from Hall of Famers to the guys who made it to the big leagues for just one cup of coffee.

You won’t want to miss this episode as Rick shares some of his favorite anecdotes from the book. Wynne and I are baseball fans, too, but beyond that…we were wowed by the number of fun facts and historical elements Rick uncovered about players on the Cubs’ roster. Baseball cuts through so many elements in our society and learning about the lives of those who played…absolutely fascinating. Tune in and then let us know what tidbit captured your attention!

Last but not least, we learned that Rick will be attending the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this summer, thanks to the invitation from the family of soon-to-be-hall-of-famer Dick Allen who played for the Chicago White Sox in 1972 and is the subject of “Chili Dog MVP“, published by Rick and his partner at Eckhartz Press.

Thanks to Rick for joining us. There’s something hopeful about baseball returning – especially this year. Listen up…tune in…let’s play ball!

-Vicki and Wynne 😊

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 111: EveryCubEver with Rick Kaempfer

Episode 111 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this episode:

EveryCubEver–7th Edition (2025)
Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The 1972 White Sox and A Transforming Chicago

Other episodes with Rick Kaempfer: The Loop Files

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/

22 thoughts on “Episode 111: “EveryCubEver” with Rick Kaempfer”

  1. Pingback: The Sports Story – Surprised By Joy

  2. Holy Cow! It’s the go-to encyclopedia for Cubs history. Amazing. I wasn’t able to score tickets for the World Series, but I flew up to be outside on Addison and Clark for the Game 5 win. What a moment; and what a great interview here, Vicki and Wynne! Like you, I also like the fact that there are life stories in it – what did the retiring Cub end up doing? So good. Congrats to Rick, and I am thinking about my son’s birthday in June. 😊 Lastly, you were referencing spring and baseball, and I have always loved watching the brown ivy in April green up and look fabulous on the wall by sometime in June – a tradition!

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  4. Since I root for an another unnamed National League team, I have to throw in a “boo, boo, boo, boo,” here for the Cubbies. Ha, ha, saying that though, I love all the stories that Rick has. I can only imagine the amount of work he had to do to include mini bios of every Cubs player who’s ever played. I might root for one of those other teams, but I remember fondly rooting for them in 1984 in the playoffs. I remember names like Rick Sutcliffe, Leon Durham, Larry Bowa, and Ryne Sandberg. Since WGN was on our cable package, I felt like a regular Cubs fan. Ha, ha.

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  5. wow, rick really does have an encyclopedic knowledge of the cubs, the perfect person to write this book. great that it takes a historical and cultural angle on the team and baseball’s role in the city and the country, really. on to the world series, I dare you, cubs! well done, rick!

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  6. Every Cub?!🤯🤯 I’d read the book just to honor his thoroughness! A book like that has to be excellent just because of all the personal stories- can’t wait to hear you all talk about- and read for myself 😎

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  8. Wonderful conversation and love all the metaphors that come with baseballs and the start of a new season. 😊

    What an effort it must’ve been to do all the research – I too remember what microfiches are – and uncovering how baseball cuts across all time, culture and even throats! Yikes. 😆

    As a Toronto Maples Leafs and Blue Jays follower, I can relate to hanging onto hope but always losing each season. Maybe this is the summer we take T to his first ball game!

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    1. Oh yes! Please let us know if you and the hubs take T to his first game! Can’t wait to hear about it. Thank you so much for your deep listen, as always, Ab. I’m with you — so much research wrapped up in Rick’s book and I love learning about the lives of players outside of baseball. Super cool. Xo! 🥰

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  9. Two points. First, Rick has a terrific voice. Second he did miss one player: “Rain or Shine” Milt Stein, who was so nicknamed because he was indefatigable, being able to pitch almost every day — rain or shine. Unfortunately, all the records of this great player’s career were mysteriously lost. To the good, he was a wonderful and creative story teller — my dad.

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