Baseball history unpacked, November 9

... 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:

• 1912 - Frank Chance is sold by the Chicago Cubs to the Cincinnati Reds. When all National League clubs waive claims to him in December, the Reds free Chance to manage the Yankees. (3)
• 1925 - Rabbit Maranville is waived to the Brooklyn Robins from the Chicago Cubs. (3)
• 1953 - In a case involving Yankee minor leaguer George Toolson, who refused his demotion from Triple-A to Double-A, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirms its earlier position, voting 7-2, that baseball is a sport and not a business. This decision exempts baseball from antitrust laws, which are a collection of federal and state government laws, regulating the conduct and organization of corporations, generally to promote fair competition. (1)
• 1976 - The Oakland Athletics give future Hall of Famer Billy Williams his unconditional release, ending his 18-year major league career. Williams, who spent all but two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, retires with 426 home runs, 1,475 RBI, 2,711 hits, and a .290 batting average. (2,3)
• 1998 - Chicago pitcher Kerry Wood was voted the National League Rookie of the Year after going 13-6 with a 3.40 ERA and helping the Cubs to the playoffs. (2)
• 2002 - Dusty Baker signs a four-year deal to pilot the Cubs, leaving the Giants after guiding the club to a pennant this season. The three-time National League Manager of the Year compiled an 840-715 record during his ten-year tenure with San Francisco. (1)
• 2004 - “You want the truth. You can’t handle the truth. The truth of this situation is an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look and kind of make excuses for what happened. At the end of the day, boys, don’t tell me how rough the water is, you bring in the ship.” - Steve Stone, Cubs veteran broadcaster criticizing the team for making excuses, during an October interview on WGN radio.

Hoping to fill the void created by Steve Stone’s resignation, the Chicago Cubs hire former Arizona Diamondbacks manager and current FOX TV analyst Bob Brenly to broadcast games on WGN. After spending twenty years in the broadcast booth, Stone left Chicago after his on-air comments concerning the team’s swoon in the wild card race angered manager Dusty Baker and some of the players. (2.3)

• Cubs birthdays: Harvey Hendrick, Walt Lanfranconi, Tony Barnette, Rowan Wick. Also notable: Whitey Herzog HOF, Bob Gibson HOF.

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!