A M-W-F digest, replete with #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB content, gathered from reputable sources. The last lockout ends, Veeck buys darned Sox, Cactus League fun, and a syzygy. Happy birthday, Donnie Murphy!*
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:
- 1857 – The National Association of Base Ball Players is formed at a meeting in New York City. Twenty-two teams are represented, and William Van Cott of the Gothams is elected president. (2)
- 1904 – New York Giants players leave Mobile, AL ahead of the law after a local judge issues a warrant for their arrest for beating a local umpire unconscious during an exhibition game. The players were goaded by manager John McGraw. (2)
- 1951 – F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover reports that he has declined the post of baseball commissioner. California Governor Earl Warren had earlier turned down the post.
- 1959 – Dorothy Comiskey Rigney, granddaughter of the Old Roman, Charles Comiskey, sells her 54 percent ownership in the White Sox to Bill Veeck’s syndicate for $2.7 million. Brother Chuck fails in his attempt to match or improve the bid. Comiskey control of the franchise ends after 60 years. (1,2,3)
- 1982 – Shortstop Travis Jackson and former commissioner Happy Chandler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Jackson played 15 years for the New York Giants, batting .291 for his career. Chandler served as baseball’s leader for six years and oversaw the end of the color line in 1947, when Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers. (1,2)
- 1993 – Sherry Davis becomes the first woman major league public address announcer when she is hired by the San Francisco Giants to work at Candlestick Park. (2)
- 2004 – When asked by Senator John McCain to renegotiate the Major League Baseball contract in regard to the use of controlled substances, Major League Players Association head Donald Fehr refuses to comply. Although the union boss condemns the use of steroids, he believes the players oppose random drug testing as a violation of privacy, an argument countered by the Arizona Republican as unacceptable; McCain promises congressional action if the status quo is maintained. (2)
- 2015 – In a Cactus League game, three of the Cubs’ bright young prospects give fans what they hope is a glimpse of the future when they connect for back-to-to-back-to-back homers in the fourth inning against the Indians. OF Jorge Soler starts things off with a monster shot to left field off Trevor Bauer, and two pitches later, 2B Javier Baez drives the ball to the same spot. The next man up, 3B Kris Bryant, completes the trifecta with a huge blast to the opposite field. Of the trio, Baez has the most big league experience with half a season under his belt. (2)
- 2016 – Fans attending a Cactus League game between the White Sox and Royals at Camelback Ranch are treated to two rare occurrences, and both involve Sox LF Jason Coats. In the fifth inning, Kansas City’s Tony Cruz lines a ball to Coats, who catches it and throws to SS Jimmy Rollins to double off Reymond Fuentes for the second out; Rollins in turn relays to 1B Mike Olt before Dusty Coleman can return to the bag for a rare 7-6-3 triple play. Then, in the seventh, Drew Butera hits a line drive to left, but this time, the ball tips off Coats’s glove and the play ends as an inside-the-park homer. (2)
- 2022 – One day after Commissioner Rob Manfred had announced the cancellation of another week’s worth of games because of the lack of progress in resolving the lockout now approaching its 100th day, the two sides reach an agreement. The season will start on April 7th, but will include a full schedule of 162 games per team. To reach an agreement, the two sides agree to push aside the contentious issue of an international draft, allowing discussions to continue on the side until the end of July. (2)
Cubs birthdays: Dad Lytle, Gene DeMontreville, Bill Heath, Joe Campbell, Darcy Fast, Donnie Murphy*.
Today in History:
- 241 BC – Battle of the Aegates Islands: Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet, ending the First Punic War.
- 1198 – The Giralda minaret (now the Bell Tower for Seville’s cathedral), designed by architect Ben Ahmad for the Almohad mosque in Seville is completed.
- 1861 – West African political leader El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bambara Empire of Mali.
- 1876 – First telephone call: Alexander Graham Bell says, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you” to his assistant Thomas Watson.
- 1982 – Sygyzy: all nine planets aligned on same side of Sun.
- 2000 – NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.
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.