Editing Dave Kingman (section)

===Chicago Cubs (1978–1980)===
Kingman signed as a free agent with the [[1978 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]] on November 30, 1977.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/01/archives/cubs-sign-kingman-mets-hire-maddox-in-fiveyear-contracts-kingman.html|last=Chass|first=Murray|title=Cubs Sign Kingman, Mets Hire Maddox in Five-Year Contracts|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 1, 1977|accessdate=January 20, 2023|authorlink=Murray Chass}}</ref> He wanted to stay with the Yankees, who denied his request for a [[Trade (sports)|no-trade clause]] and offered him $1,250,000 with the expectation that no other team would pay him more money. Kingman's five-year $1,375,000 contract included a $225,000 annual salary, a $250,000 bonus and an additional $50,000 in any year that the Cubs reached the 1.6 million mark in home attendance.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/04/archives/paul-leaves-a-trail-of-skillful-trades-with-yankees.html|last=Chass|first=Murray|title=Paul Leaves a Trail of Skillful Trades With Yankees|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 4, 1977|accessdate=January 20, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Dave Kong Kingman.JPG|thumb|Kingman in 1979 with the Chicago Cubs]]
In 1978, Kingman hit .266 with 28 home runs and 78 RBI in 119 games with the Cubs.<ref name="baseball-reference.com3"/>

Kingman had an excellent performance in Los Angeles on May 14, {{Baseball year|1978}}, when he hit three home runs against the Dodgers, including a three-run shot in the top of the 15th inning that gave the Cubs a 10–7 victory. Eight of the Cubs' ten runs were driven in by Kingman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1978/B05140LAN1978.htm|title=Chicago Cubs 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 7|access-date=2009-10-25 |work=Retrosheet|date=1978-05-14}}</ref> Following the game, radio reporter [[Paul Olden]] asked Dodgers' manager [[Tommy Lasorda]] his opinion of Kingman's performance that day, inspiring an oft-replayed (and censored) obscenity-laced tirade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-20-sp-crowe20-story.html|title=Olden Can Still Hear the Answer to One Question|first=Jerry|last=Crowe|date=July 20, 2009|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jfkrush.com/davekingman/lasorda.wav |title=Sound File:Lasorda interview on Kingman |access-date=2016-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226055815/http://www.jfkrush.com/davekingman/lasorda.wav |archive-date=2016-12-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In {{Baseball year|1979}}, Kingman batted .288 with a National League-leading 48 homers, as well as 115 [[runs batted in]] (second to San Diego's [[Dave Winfield]]'s 118) and 97 runs scored. He hit three home runs in a game twice that season, both coming in Cubs losses. The first was a slugging duel with [[Mike Schmidt]] on May 17 at [[Wrigley Field]]; Kingman hit three home runs and drove in six while Schmidt hit two in the game, with Schmidt delivering his second in the top of the tenth inning to give the Phillies a 23–22 victory. Kingman's third home run during this game is likely the longest home run of his career, and believed to be the longest in the history of Wrigley Field. There is a street called Kenmore Avenue that T's into Waveland Avenue behind left-center field. Kenmore is lined with houses, and the ball Kingman launched landed on the third porch roof on the east side of Kenmore, a shot estimated at 550 feet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B05170CHN1979.htm|title=Philadelphia Phillies 23, Chicago Cubs 22|access-date=2009-10-25 |work=Retrosheet|date=1979-05-17}}</ref>

The second three-homer game for Kingman that year came against his former team on July 28 at [[Shea Stadium]] in a 6–4 loss to the Mets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B07280NYN1979.htm|title=New York Mets 6, Chicago Cubs 4|access-date=2009-10-25 |work=Retrosheet|date=1979-07-28}}</ref>

His .613 [[slugging percentage]] in 1979 was almost 50 points higher than that of his next closest National League competitor,  Schmidt. Kingman finished eleventh in NL MVP balloting that year and led the league in strikeouts for the first time in his career (131).

In {{Baseball year|1980}}, Kingman (whose personality former Mets teammate [[John Stearns]] had once compared to a tree trunk)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=stearjo01|title=John Stearns Stats|access-date=2009-10-25 |work=Baseball Almanac}}</ref> dumped a bucket of ice water on ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]'' reporter Don Friske's head late in [[spring training]].<ref>Leavy, Jane [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/06/15/dave-kingman/53a33723-207f-44af-b587-013ed9f1d2cd/ "Dave Kingman"] ''The Washington Post'', Sunday, June 15, 1980</ref> Kingman regularly insisted he was misquoted, and he began appearing regularly in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', as the nominal author of a column [[ghostwriter|ghostwritten]] by [[Chicago Park District]] employee Gerald Pfeiffer.<ref>Royko, Mike [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19800422&id=WOBUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2341,3127203&hl=en "Words packaged with deceit"] ''Chicago Sun-Times'', Tuesday, April 22, 1980</ref> [[Mike Royko]], then writing for the rival ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', parodied Kingman's column with a series using the byline "Dave Dingdong."<ref>Wulf, Steve [http://olympics.si.com/vault/1980/04/21/106775026/scorecard "Scorecard: Cub Reporter"] ''Sports Illustrated'', April 21, 1980</ref>

The Cubs held a Dave Kingman T-shirt Day promotion in conjunction with its game with the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] on August 7, but Kingman instead spent the afternoon at [[Navy Pier]] promoting [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine|Kawasaki]] [[Jet Ski]]s at [[ChicagoFest]].<ref>Smith, Sam & Duffy, Tom [http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1980/08/08/page/57/article/kingman-shows-at-chicagofest "Kingman shows – at ChicagoFest"] ''Chicago Tribune'', Friday, August 8, 1980</ref>

Kingman was injured in 1980, playing in 81 games, hitting .278 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI.<ref name="baseball-reference.com3"/>

Overall, in his three seasons with the Cubs, Kingman hit .278 with 94 home runs and 251 RBI and a .907 OPS in 345 games.<ref name="baseball-reference.com3"/>