#7 C Jody Davis(Mel via Flickr)

Arguably the best post-war era catcher for the Chicago Cubs and a fan favorite, catcher Jody Davis was a fixture behind home plate for the North Siders from 1981–1988.

After being drafted by the New York Mets in 1976 and traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, Jody Davis was acquired by the Chicago Cubs in the 1980 Rule V Draft.

He made his Cubs debut on April 21st, 1981 in a strike shortened season, at the age of 24. His bat showed promise in those early years but his defense needed help.

In his second full season, 1983, he set a career high when he played in 151 games. His bat justified his starting role and that offensive production was on regular display. He batted .271 that season while hitting 24 round trippers and knocking in 84. He finished 21st in MVP voting following that year. But he also committed 13 errors and allowed 21 passed balls.

1984 All-Star C Jody Davis(Nova Scotia Postal History via Flickr)

By 1984 he was firmly entrenched behind the plate as he played in 150 games and played a key role in the Cubs first division title since 1945. He made his first all-star appearance that year as well as finishing 10th in the MVP voting. His slash line for the ’84 campaign was .256/.315/.421. He also set a career high with 94 RBI as well as hitting 19 home runs. In the NLCS against the San Diego Padres, the Cubs jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the series and then dropped three straight. In his lone post season Davis hit .389 with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI’s, and a .833 slugging percentage against the Padres.

By 1985 he had improved his defense drastically thanks to the coaching of Johnny Oates. His errors and passed balls both decreased.

Davis executing rundown(Larry Irvin via Flickr)

In 1986 he was again voted to the all-star game. He led all National League catchers that year in assists, putouts, and base runners caught stealing and finished second to Bob Brenly in fielding percentage. As a result of breaking the 100 assist barrier he joined Johnny Bench, Tony Pena, Jim Sundberg, and Gary Carter as the only catchers to have more than 100 assists in a season since the second world war. As a result of his strong defense he was awarded his only golden glove.

In 1987 his offensive numbers began to drop off.

But on April 15, 1987, Davis hit the 4,000th home run in the history of Wrigley Field.

In 1988 he was replaced by Damon Berryhill and with three games left in that season he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. His final season of major league baseball was 1990 with Atlanta.

His Cubs career slash line was .251/.313/.416. He hit 122 home runs and knocked in 467 runs while helping the Cubs to a division title in 1984.

In a ten-year Major League Baseball career, Davis played in 1,082 games, accumulating 877 hits in 3,585 at bats for a .245 career batting average along with 127 home runs and 490 RBI’s. He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage as a catcher.

Jody Davis stayed in baseball when his playing career ended. He currently is the hitting coach for the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds AAA affiliate.

Jody Davis was and still is a Cubs fan favorite. He regularly participates in Cubs conventions and the Randy Hundley’s fantasy baseball camp in Arizona.

So many Cubs fans have inherited their love of the team and players from previous generations. One such fan is a good friend of mine who inherited his love for the Cubbies from his Grandparents. His name is Jay Nelson. His favorite Cubs player when he was growing up was Jody Davis. I would like to share his story with you in his own words and the photos that he shared along with it.

I’ve had the good fortune of being a Cubs fan for all 41 years of my time on this earth.

Some of the earliest memories I have are of my beloved Grandma singing the old Jody Davis song as he would round the bases after he hit a home run. Many fans will have no idea what I’m talking about. Harry Caray used to sing a song to the tune of the Davey Crockett t.v. show theme song.

I was a skinny seven and eight year old during the 1983 and 84 seasons. My Grandma Margaret Keller loved her grand kids, Jody Davis, and her Cubs!

Jay and Grandpa Keller at Wrigley

Every summer my Grandpa Keller would take my brother and I on a bus trip to see the Cubs play. It must have been a daunting task keeping two young and wild Cubs fans within arms reach as they explored the Friendly Confines. Hot dogs, malt cups, pretzels with mustard smothered on them, and of course the chance to buy an authentic Cubs souvenir. We were in Cubby heaven.

Time passed, we grew up, and eventually my beloved Grandparents’ lives on this earth came to an end. My Grandpa lived 22 years longer than my Grandma and I was fortunate to have so much time to spend with him, talking and living Cubs baseball. As a result of my closeness to them and our mutual love of the Cubs, stepping into Wrigley Field is a spiritual experience for me. It evokes so many wonderful memories of a great man that spent 94 years cheering on the ‘Lovable Losers’. He didn’t live long enough to see the Cubs finally win the World Series last year. But when they did, I knew where I needed to go.

Parker and Keller telling Grandma and Grandpa the Cubs broke the curse!!!

I have two boys of my own now. The oldest is four and his name is Keller, named after my Grandparents. He has a little brother named Parker who is 2. On November 12th, just a few days after the Cubs won the championship my boys and I went to see Grandpa and Grandma so we could leave some Cubs memorabilia and tell them about the best game in the history of the World Series.

Since my Grandfather has passed, my Mom has taken an increased interest in the Cubs. I think it might help her feel close to him again as she knows how much my Grandpa loved the Cubs. She has even taken the pilgrimage to Wrigley Field with her friends.

A couple days after the boys and I visited Grandma and Grandpa, my Mom called me. All she would say is she needed me to go somewhere with her at 7:00 p.m. I agreed in spite of finding it a bit strange. My Mom arrived and we headed off to some unknown destination. On the way, we talked about the recent World Series win. Before long we arrived at a house about a ten minute ride from my home. All my Mom said was, “Follow me inside.” I had no idea what was going to happen.

We walked through the garage, into the laundry room, and around a corner into the kitchen. Right there, standing in front of me was Jody Davis! I could barely contain my emotions. My eyes filled with tears, my heart raced, and the memory of my Grandma singing that home run song came rushing back. As they asked me if I knew who this was, I tried to mask my excitement as I blurted out, “Jody Davis.” One of my all time favorite Cubs was standing in the same room as me!

For Love of the Cubs….and Grandpa and Grandma

Jody and I spent an hour talking about baseball, hunting, and about his current job as a hitting coach in the Reds organization. Jody and my Mom’s friend’s husband had met at a fantasy camp and they discovered a shared love for hunting. Ron invited Jody to Iowa to his farm to hunt whitetail deer. Jody has made the trip numerous times and always stays with Ron and his wife.

After an hour I had to get home. Jody posed for numerous photos that my Mom insisted on taking. I’m glad she did. You can see the sheer joy in my face in those pictures. He signed numerous baseball cards and photos for me. My Cubs story had come full circle.

As I think back on that night, meeting #7 and hearing some of his stories, I can’t help but think back to my Grandparents, my brother, and my childhood. Looking at the photos that I sent along for this story I can’t help but see the smiles on all of the faces in those pictures. All because of a mutual love for the Cubs. I’ve definitely been fortunate these past 41 years. — Jay Nelson

This is just one of so many stories Cubs fans have about the mutual love we all have for this team and it’s players that connect us to the past and to multiple generations. I hope sharing Jay’s story brings back your memories of your family and the Cubs of the past.

Doug Preszler is the type of person who can be a Cubs fan and an Iowa fan while living in South Dakota. He is a man who cares not for regional loyalty. He can be found on Twitter @PreszlerDoug, telling tales of the Dakotan Cubs fan’s existence.