On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is happy to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of lore and deep dives into various narratives we can observe as we go. they grow. of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you keep track. We’re also including Cubs player birthdays and a bit of world history, for context. Perfectly useful information, much of it unread. Enjoy! Today in Baseball History: 1908 – Henry Chadwick dies at age 83 in Brooklyn, New York. A sportswriter and historian, Chadwick was a major driving force behind the rise of baseball until its unprecedented popularity at the turn of the 20th century. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on Veterans Affairs in 1938. (2) 1910 – Addie Joss of the Cleveland Naps throws her second career no-hitter. A busy Joss helps himself by recording 10 assists in the 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. (1,2) 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at the new Federal League Weeghman Park, which would be renamed “Wrigley Field” in 1926. The stadium, minus the upper deck added later, had 14,000 seats , but 20,000 fans turn up. JOA, a bear cub owned by Cubs (partial) owner J. Ogden Armour, greets fans on the Addison Street side. Everyone goes home happy as Vic Saier’s sacrificial fly in the 11th inning gives the Cubs a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds. (1,2) 1941 – The Brooklyn Dodgers become the first major league team to wear hard hats. Each player’s cap has a special plastic liner designed to repel the effects of beanballs. It’s a cautious response to the many beanball wars of 1940 that hospitalized Joe Medwick and Billy Jurges, among others. Cap liners are thin enough to be barely noticeable, but most major league players disdain protection. (2) 1943 – Casey Stengel, coach of the struggling Boston Braves, is hit by a taxi, breaks his leg and will miss much of the season. The taxi driver was named Boston Sportsman of the Year by a local newspaper for putting Stengel out of action for most of the season, tired of Stengel’s humor in the face of the Braves’ pitiful record. (2) 1946 – In their home opener at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs are shut out by Harry Brecheen of the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0. The game was the first in Cubs history to be televised, as Bert Wilson made play-by-play for WBKB. (2) 1967 – Tom Seaver of the New York Mets records his first major league victory with a 6-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs. Seaver went 7⅔ innings and gave up eight hits and a run. (2) 1986 – At Wrigley Field, the Pirates and Cubs go 13 innings and finish 8-8 as darkness calls the game. It will be completed on August 11. (2) 1997 – The Chicago Cubs end their season-opening losing streak at 14 games, rallying in the 6th inning to beat the New York Mets, 4-3, in Game 2 of a program double. The Mets won Game 1 8-2. Chicago’s 0-14 start sets a National League record and is second-worst behind the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who started 0-21. (2) Cub Birthdays: Charlie Smith, Willie Prall, Preston Gomez, Milt Wilcox, Mike O’Berry, Todd Hollandsworth. Also of note: Dave Bancroft HOF. Today in World History: 1611 – First known performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth at the Globe Theater in London, recorded by Simon Forman. 1862 – First pasteurization test carried out by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard. 1902 – Marie and Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive compound radium chloride. 1971 – US Supreme Court upholds use of buses to achieve racial desegregation. 1999 Columbine High School Massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School, Colorado. Common Sources: And thanks to JohnW53 and our other reader for more wisdom. There is a very active historic baseball community and there are many facets to their views. We long for clarity. Please note that we attempt to make the historical record as represented by our primary sources consistent and as accurate as possible. Nothing is posted here without corroboration. Some of these elements have spread from site to site without being verified. This is exactly why we ask for reliable sources, so that we can refer them to the authors. The BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are the SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed National Hobbies from our provisioning list as there have been numerous complaints about their content and they are unresponsive to communication attempts. Also, remember that it’s supposed to be fun. Thank you for your collaboration. And thanks for reading!
