A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, gathered from reputable sources. Some notable Cubs were born, a couple of Hall-of-Famers pass, and other stories for the discerning reader.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly.
Today in baseball history:
- 1881 – The Providence Grays round out their roster by signing pitcher Charley Radbourn, who missed most of last season with a bad arm. (2)
- 1899 – Under a joint ownership arrangement, several Baltimore Orioles players are shifted to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and that club transfers several to the Orioles. Manager Ned Hanlon takes Willie Keeler, Joe Kelley, Hughie Jennings, and others with him to Brooklyn, while John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson remain in Baltimore to stay close to their businesses there. The powerful new Brooklyn team is now sometimes called the “Superbas”, after a stage show in New York called “Superba” that is produced by the Hanlon brothers (unrelated to Ned Hanlon). (2)
- 1916 – The Federal League’s year-old suit charging antitrust violations by organized baseball is dismissed by mutual consent in U.S. District Court in Chicago by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. No appellate decision is written and it will not be until 1922 when the courts rule on antitrust, in another suit stemming from the Federal League. (2)
- 1949 – Joe DiMaggio signs with the Yankees for $100,000, the first six-figure contract in the major leagues. (2)
- 1959 – Chicago White Sox president Mrs. Dorothy Rigney agrees to sell the team to Bill Veeck for a reported $2.7 million. Chicago insurance broker Charles O. Finley allows that he can match the price. Charles Comiskey, Dorothy’s brother, will try to stop Veeck from buying the Sox, but will be unsuccessful. (1,2)
- 1959 – Nap Lajoie dies of pneumonia at the age of 84. Lajoie, who also managed the Cleveland Naps from 1905 to 1909, hit for a .338 batting average over a 21-year career and gained election to the Hall of Fame in 1937. (2)
- 1994 – Former National Basketball Association star Michael Jordan signs a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan will report to spring training before being assigned to the Class AA Birmingham Barons. After one season in the minors, Jordan will return to the NBA. (2)
- 2019 – Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, a member of the 500 Home Run Club, a Triple Crown winner, the first player to win the MVP Award in both leagues, and the first African-American manager in major league history, passes away in hospice care in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 83. He was also a senior executive for Major League Baseball and was still serving as the honorary President of the American League. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Ted Kennedy, Tom Daly, Pat Moran, Danny Lynch, Juan Pizarro, Burt Hooton, Jon Leicester, Scott Feldman, Zach Davies, Kervin Castro.
Today in History:
- 1569 – King Philip II forms Inquisition in South America.
- 1795 – 11th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, affirms power of states
- 1845 – The Portland Vase (7), thought to date to the first century BC, is shattered into more than 80 pieces by a drunken visitor to the British Museum.
- 1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed by 12 countries from the European Community (EC) to create the European Union (EU).
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.
- For world history.
*pictured.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid. We are trying to set the record as straight as possible. But it isn’t brain surgery.
Also, the ‘history’ segment is highly edited for space and interest. Of course a great many other things happened on those days. We try to follow up on the interesting or unfamiliar ones.
Thanks for reading.