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.
So long, Bill*, hello, Bobby, and other stories.
Today in baseball history:
- 1911 – The Chicago Cubs acquire second baseman Dave Shean from the Boston Rustlers for third baseman Scotty Ingerton and pitcher Big Jeff Pfeffer. This is the second time that Boston has traded with the Cubs for Big Jeff. (2)
- 1914 – Declining to remain with the Chicago Cubs as a player after being fired as manager, second baseman Johnny Evers is traded to the Boston Braves for second baseman Bill Sweeney and cash considerations. Evers will have one good season left, leading the “Miracle Braves” to the National League pennant and winning the Chalmers Award for Most Valuable Player. Meanwhile, Sweeney will sour in Chicago.
- 1962 – Before the start of spring training, Don Zimmer and right-hander Bob Miller, both who reside in the St. Pete area, become the first players to don a Mets jersey when they model the club’s away uniform tops for a photo shoot at Huggins Field. The expansion team’s inaugural third baseman, who will be traded to the Reds in May for southpaw Bob Miller, poses with his nine year-old son Tommy on his shoulders.
- 1974 – Forty-eight major-league players invoke the new arbitration procedure established to settle contract differences. Pitcher Dick Woodson (seeking a contract for $29,000) and the Twins (offering $23,000) are the first to present their respective cases to Detroit lawyer and labor arbitrator Harry H. Platt, who must decide on one of the monetary amounts presented. Woodson wins. (2)
- 1977 – The Chicago Cubs trade two-time National League batting champion Bill Madlock* and infielder Rob Sperring to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bobby Murcer, third baseman Steve Ontiveros, and a minor league pitcher. In 1976, Madlock led the NL with a .339 mark, while Murcer hit 23 home runs and 90 RBI. Madlock leaves Chicago having hit .336 for them, which ties him with Riggs Stephenson for the top career average in team history. (3)
- 2006 – Avoiding an arbitration hearing, starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.26) and the Cubs agree to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. After earning $3.76 million last season, the emotional right-hander had asked for $7.2 million, with Chicago offering $6 million. (1)
- 2015 – Little League International decides to strip the Jackie Robinson West team of Chicago, IL of its United States Championship won at the 2014 Little League World Series because it used players from outside its territory and manipulated district boundaries in order to field a stronger team. Various officials from the district are also suspended for their actions. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: Jimmy Ryan, Red Shannon, Hal Rice, Chris Kitsos, Willie Smith, Tom Veryzer, Dave Swartzbaugh, Brian Matusz.
Today in History:
- 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome, clearing the way for Nero to become Emperor.
- 385 – Siricius, bishop of Tarragona, elected as Bishop of Rome; first to style himself Pope.
- 1809 – American inventor Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.
- 1907 – Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, off Rhode Island, 322 die.
- 1938 – World’s first science fiction TV program is a broadcast of the play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.
- 1990 – Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa.
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.
