Baseball history unpacked, November 12

A wildly popular Cubs-centric look at baseball’s past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along as we review select scenes from the rich tapestry of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.

Not much happening today, and nothing that deserves lengthy unpacking. Let’s instead observe the spirit of the occasion and have a moment of silence.

Today in baseball history:

• 1920 - Major League Baseball hires U.S. District Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to be the game’s first commissioner. The selection of the tough-minded jurist is seen as a move by the owners to restore the public’s faith in the national pastime after being tarnished by the 1919 World Series scandal, a transgression that involved eight White Sox players who were paid off by professional gamblers to throw the Fall Classic against Cincinnati. (1)
• 2008 - Manager of the Year honors go to Joe Maddon of the Rays and Lou Piniella of the Cubs. Maddon led Tampa not just to the first winning record in franchise history, but also to the World Series. Piniella guided Chicago to the best record in the National League. It is Piniella’s third time winning the honor, having been honored in 1995 and 2001 while in the American League. (3)
• Cubs Birthdays: Fred Raymer, Gene Lillard, Jody Davis, Jeff Reed, Dave Otto, Sammy Sosa, Aaron Heilman,

Sources:

• (1) — The National Pastime.
• (2) — Today in Baseball History.
• (3) — Baseball Reference.
• (4) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (5) — Baseball Hall of Fame.

Thanks for reading.