What is the story about?
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
Ernie in the Hall, The Penguin comes to Chicago, Dexter Fowler* arrives, and other stories for the discerning reader. RIP Don Sutton.
Today in baseball history:
- 1934 – Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson’s appeal for reinstatement. (1,2)
- 1956 – In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Fields in Jersey City. (1,2)
- 1959 – The Players Association orders their International League members not to sign a pact unless it includes their pension plan. (2)
- 1972 – The New York Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17th. (2)
- 1977 – The BBWAA elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a 19-season career, Banks hit 512 home runs, had 11 All-Star selections, and won back-to-back National League MVP Awards, (1,2)
- 1983 – Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey is sent to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Vance Lovelace and Dan Cataline. Cey will play 518 games at third for the Cubs, the most since Ron Santo.
- 2013 – Two all-time greats pass away today, as long-time Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver dies at 82 and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial is a victim of Alzheimer’s disease at 92 later in the day. Both were members of the Hall of Fame. (2)
- 2015 – The Astros trade OF Dexter Fowler* to the Cubs for 3B Luis Valbuena and P Dan Straily. The deal opens the way for top prospect Kris Bryant to start at third base for the Cubs. (2)
- 2016 – In settling a class action lawsuit filed by fans, Major League Baseball announces changes to its policy regarding the streaming of live games over the internet on MLB.TV. Fans will now be able to buy a package that covers their favorite team and that allows them to circumvent local blackouts, while the cost of the league-wide full package will be reduced by 15 percent. However, the settlement does not cover certain regional networks not owned by DirecTV, MLB’s principal broadcasting partner. The suit was filed because, while MLB.TV promised subscribers that they could watch all MLB games lives, local blackouts meant that in reality, fans who bought the package were often unable to follow the games of their local teams, a frustrating situation in markets where the local cable sports network is either not made available by every provider or is part of an expensive premium package. (2)
- 2021 – Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a 300-game winner, passes away at age 75. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Ollie Hanson, Ken Frailing, Kevin Coffman, Anthony
Young, Phil Nevin, Chris Stynes, Amaury Telemaco, Nick Burdi.
Today in History:
- 1363 – English King Edward III introduces his Sumptuary Laws, restricting what people ate and wore to preserve social status (largely ignored).
- 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
- 1955 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first-ever televised presidential press conference.
- 1977 – Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.
Common sources:
- (1) — Today in Baseball History.
- (2) — Baseball Reference.
- (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
- (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
- (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
- (6) — Wikipedia.
- (7) — The British Museum
- (8) — For world history.
*pictured.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
