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.
A good day for center fielders, several sad passings, and other stories.
Today in baseball history:
- 1915 – The Federal League sues organized baseball, claiming it to be an illegal trust and asking that it be dissolved and all contracts voided. The case is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, before Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He will stall his decision, and peace will be declared at the end of the year, but another suit, brought by the owners of the Baltimore Terrapins franchise, will result in baseball receiving an exemption from antitrust laws. In the meantime, the FL shifts players to strengthen teams in key cities. Benny Kauff, the league’s answer to Ty Cobb, is moved from the Indianapolis Hoosiers to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops. (2)
- 1916 – The National League, happy to be rid of fractious Chicago Cubs owner Charles W. Murphy, allows Charles H. Weeghman*, owner of a restaurant chain and president of the Federal League’s Chicago Whales, to buy the Cubs for $500,000. By putting up $50,000, William Wrigley, Jr. becomes a minority stock holder. Whales manager Joe Tinker succeeds Roger Bresnahan, and the Cubs will play in the Federal League’s newly built ballpark on the North Side, soon to become known as Wrigley Field. (2)
- 1920 – The Yankees announce the purchase of Babe Ruth. The deal had been delayed until Ruth agreed to terms believed to be $40,000 total for two years. Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee defends selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees for cash by calling his former player “one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men ever to put on a baseball uniform”. (1,2,3)
- 1927 – Judge Landis begins a three-day public hearing to investigate the allegation the Detroit Tigers threw a four-game series to the Chicago White Sox in 1917. The White Sox, Swede Risberg contends, returned the favor for two games in 1919. Near the end of the 1917 season, some Chicago players contributed about $45 each to reward Detroit pitchers for winning their last series against the Boston Red Sox, helping Chicago clinch the pennant. No witnesses confirm any part of the story, although Tigers pitcher Bill James denies ever receiving any money, and the others named deny all charges. A week after the hearing opens, Landis clears all the accused, ruling lack of evidence of anything except the practice of players paying another team for winning. (1,2)
- 1931 – Lucille Thomas becomes the first woman to buy a professional baseball team, purchasing the Class-A Topeka Senators of the Western League. (2)
- 1957 – Jackie Robinson retires rather than move across New York City from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Giants, voiding last December’s deal between the two teams. (1,2)
- 1963 – Hall of Fame member Rogers Hornsby dies at age 66 of a heart ailment. His .358 career batting average is the second highest in major league history. (1,2)
- 1975 – Houston Astros pitcher Don Wilson is found dead of monoxide poisoning in his garage in Houston, an apparent suicide victim at age 29. The Astros will retire his uniform number 40. (2)
- 1995 – According to players’ union chief Donald Fehr, all 835 unsigned major league players are free agents since the owners unilaterally changed the uniform contract. (2)
- 2001 – Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who has won seven batting titles in the Pacific League, is signed by the Seattle Mariners to a $14,088,000, three-year contract. (2)
- 2009 – The Chicago Cubs reach a preliminary agreement with free agent Milton Bradley for three years and $30 million. Bradley led the American League in on-base percentage last season (.436) but has not played the outfield regularly for five years. The signing will turn out to be a huge bust. (2)
- 2012 – The Cubs trade P Carlos Zambrano to Miami in return for P Chris Volstad. Zambrano, who walked out on his team after a rough outing on August 12th, is considered a chronic malcontent in spite of his success over the years and the new regime in Chicago did not want to have to put up with his periodic tantrums. The Marlins are glad to take him, however, as new manager Ozzie Guillen is one of the Big Z’s closest friends and is convinced he can keep him focused on playing the game. (2)
- 2014 – Veteran player, manager, broadcaster and World War II and Korean War hero Jerry Coleman passes away at age 89. An infielder for the New York Yankees from 1949 to 1957, he spent 71 years in the game, acting as a broadcaster for the San Diego Padres since 1972 – except for one-year hiatus in 1980 when he managed the Friars. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Bob Caruthers, Zaza Harvey, Chuck Wortman, Riggs Stephenson, Daryl Robertson, Bob Dernier, Henry Cotto, Chris Nabholz,
Rubén Quevedo.
Today in History:
- 1463 – French poet Francois Villon banished from Paris. He was later pardoned.
- 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Swiss Confederacy led by René II decisively defeats the Duchy of Burgundy, 7,000+ killed including the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold.
- 1709 – The Great Frost begins during the night, a sudden cold snap that remains Europe’s coldest ever winter. Thousands are killed across the continent and crops fail in France.
- 1781 – British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia.
- 1834 – Kiowa Indians record this as the night the stars fell.
- 1896 – ”Die Presse” newspaper (Germany) publicly announces Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays and their potential for new methods of medical diagnoses in a front-page article.
- 1914 – Industrialist Henry Ford announces his $5 minimum per-day wage, doubled most workers pay from $2.40/9-hr day to $5.00/8-hr day.
- 1934 – National & American baseball leagues select a uniform ball.
- 1959 – ”Bozo the Clown” live children’s show premieres on TV.
- 1971 – Globetrotters lose 100-99 to NJ Reds, ending 2,495-game winning streak.
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.
