Baseball history unpacked, November 26

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. Don’t be afraid to click the links for ‘inside baseball’ on the entries, which change from year to year as we re-examine the subjects.

Today in baseball history:

• 1948 - National League president Ford Frick steps in and pays $350 for funeral services, including the cost of a coffin, for the unclaimed body of Hack Wilson. The former slugger, who had died probably of alcohol abuse a few days earlier in a Baltimore hospital, is identified only as a white male. (2)
• 1961 - The Professional Baseball Rules Committee votes 8-1 against legalizing the spitball. Only National League supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard votes in favor. (1,2)
• 1996 - Less than three weeks after major league owners voted 18-12 against ratification of baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement, owners vote again and this time approve it by a vote of 26-4. The landmark agreement brings interleague play to the regular season for the first time, as well as revenue sharing among owners and a payroll tax on players. (1,2)
• 1999 - Arbitrator Alan Symonette rejects the owners’ attempt to dismiss the umpires’ grievance, giving the 22 umps booted as a result of last season’s disastrous mass resignation strategy a chance to get their jobs back. Symonette will hear the grievance beginning December 13th. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Hugh Duffy HOF, Jim Canavan, John Churry, Richie Hebner, Larry Gura, Jay Howell, Ron Meridith, Matt Garza. Also notable: Lefty Gomez HOF.

Today in world history:

• 1789 - 1st national Thanksgiving in America.
• 1868 - 1st baseball game played in enclosed field in San Francisco, at 25th & Folsom.
• 1917 - NHL forms with Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators & Quebec Bulldogs; National Hockey Association disbands.
• 1922 - English archaeologist Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun’s virtually intact tomb in Egypt.
• 1969 - Cream’s final concert (Royal Albert Hall).
• 2003 - Supersonic airplane the Concorde makes its last ever flight, returning to Bristol, England.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• For world history.

There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please be aware that we are trying to make the historical record as represented by our main sources coherent and as accurate as is possible. No item is posted here without corroboration. Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources, so that we can address them to the originators. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.

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