Baseball history unpacked, April 29

... as always on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I bring a you 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 as is often found lurking on the interwebs.

“It’s a little bit cheesy, but it’s nicely displayed.” — Frank Zappa

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

Today in baseball history:

• 1913 - Wearing White Sox uniforms, the Reds are defeated by the Cubs, 7-2, at Chicago’s West Side Park. Cincinnati forgot to pack uniforms and had to don those worn by their opponents’ crosstown rivals. (1)
• 1934 - The Pirates and the Phillies become the last two major league franchises allowed to play home games on Sundays when the Bucs beat Cincinnati, 9-5, at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, along with the Phils dropping an 8-7 decision to Brooklyn at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl. Games on the Lord’s Day are no longer prohibited in Pennsylvania because the state modified their blue laws, legislation which formerly prevented such events due to religious concerns. (1)
• 1983 - After a 7-2 loss to L.A. at Wrigley Field, Cubs manager Lee Elia launches into an obscenity-laced tirade, that will become a much-reported media story on the airwaves and in print for days to come. The Chicago skipper’s rant clearly shows his frustration with the team’s fan base, “the (bleepers) don’t even work. That’s why they’re out at the (bleeping) game. They oughtta go out and get a (bleeping) job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a (bleeping) living. Eighty-five percent of the (bleeping) world is working. The other 15 come out here. A (bleeping) playground for the (bleepers). Rip them (bleepers)! Rip them (bleeping) (bleepers) like the (bleeping) players!” (1)

• 1987 - Andre Dawson hits for the cycle in the Cubs’ 8-4 victory over San Francisco at Wrigley Field. The ‘Hawk’, who enjoys a five-hit day, completes the feat with a sixth-inning triple, one of only two he will collect for the entire season. (1)
• 1995 - Unlike yesterday’s Opening Day crowd which was supportive, some of the 28,244 fans at today’s Wrigley Field game show their displeasure with the recent baseball strike by littering the field with souvenir magnetic schedules. The incident, which took place in the eighth inning of the Cubs’ 5-4 victory over Montreal, delayed the contest five minutes. (1)
• 2005 - In the first matchup between 300-game winners in almost 18 years, Greg Maddux outduels Roger Clemens in the Chicago Cubs’ 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The last such showdown occurred in 1987 when Don Sutton of the California Angels defeated Steve Carlton of the Minnesota Twins. Maddux earns his first win of season and 306th of his career, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. (3)
• Cubs birthdays: Frank Hankinson, Freddy Rodriguez, Billy Petrick. Also notable: Luis Aparicio (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.