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... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a lighthearted 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*.
Today in baseball history:
- 1943 - Commissioner Landis suspends William D. Cox indefinitely after the Phillies owner acknowledges making some “sentimental” bets on his team, not knowing it was against the rules. The gambling allegations first surfaced in July, when the club’s recently fired manager, Bucky Harris, revealed he had evidence that his former boss was wagering on Philadelphia’s games. Landis rules that Cox is permanently ineligible to hold office or be employed in baseball. The Carpenter family of Delaware will buy the Philadelphia club and Bob Carpenter, age 28, will become president.(1,2,3)
- 1990 - Former Phillies and Reds catcher Bo Diaz, 37, is crushed to death when a rooftop satellite dish topples over at his home in Venezuela. (3)
- 2005 - Relief pitcher Bobby Howry agrees to a $12 million, three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, joining fellow reliever Scott Eyre, who spent last season with the San Francisco Giants. Like Eyre, Howry once pitched for the cross-town White Sox. (3)
- 2016 - Ralph Branca, most famous for giving up the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” to Bobby Thomson while pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1951 three-game playoff, passes away in Rye, NY at the age of 90. Branca was an All-Star in his own right, and a twenty-game winner, but observers usually reduced his career to one unfortunate moment. (3)
- Cubs birthdays: Jimmy Sheckard, Jesse Petty, Claude Jonnard, Herman Reich, Billy Ott. Also notable: Bubber Jonnard, Dale Sveum.
Common sources:
- (1) — The National Pastime.
- (2) — Today in Baseball History.
- (3) — Baseball Reference.
- (4) — Society for American Baseball Research.
- (5) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
- (6) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
*We vet each item as much as time allows. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source. Thanks for reading!