Baseball history unpacked, March 4

Baseball history marches forth ... as always on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I bring 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. The embedded links often point to articles that I’ve chosen as illustrative of the scenes, from The Society for American Baseball Research, reproductions of period newspapers, images, and other such material. It’s all lightly unpacked and folded neatly, just for you.

You might learn something, but mostly, it’s for fun!

Today in baseball history:

• 1884 - National League owners agree to provide two separate team benches to minimize fraternizing among opposing players during games. (3)
• 1886 - The National League meets and adopts the stolen base and the four foot by seven foot pitcher’s box. But the NL retains seven balls for a walk and rejects the American Association’s rule giving a batter first base on a hit by pitch. (3)
• 1912 - Ground is broken on a new ballpark in Brooklyn, New York. The $650,000 ballpark is scheduled to be called “Washington Park”, but will be renamed for Brooklyn Dodgers president Charles Ebbets. Ebbets Field will open officially on April 9, 1913 and will serve as the Dodgers’ home until 1957. (3)
• 2004 - Commissioner Bud Selig announces major league baseball will celebrate “Jackie Robinson Day” in every ballpark on April 15, the anniversary of the debut of the first black player in the major leagues. Jackie’s number (42) was retired for all time in a ceremony at Shea Stadium in April of 1997 to mark the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s achievement. (1)
• 2012 - A swarm of bees, that moved down the right field line and settled near the Giants’ dugout behind first base, causes two sections of fans to be evacuated, resulting in a 41-minute delay of the Giants’ split squad game against the Diamondbacks. The Salt River Fields grounds crew uses a combination of lemonade and cotton candy obtained from the concession stand to lure the buzzing insects away from fans and players. (1)
• Cubs birthdays: Jim Korwan, Red Murray, Earl Tyree, Clyde McCullough, Dave Stevens. Also notable: Dazzy Vance (HoF)

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. #Cubsnews