Baseball history unpacked, December 29

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:

• 1917 - The Philadelphia Phillies keep swapping with the Chicago Cubs, this month sending OF Dode Paskert, a seven-year veteran, to Chicago for slugger Cy Williams. Williams will flourish in the Baker Bowl, and will hit 222 home runs for the Phillies over the next 13 years. Paskert will not enjoy the same success at Wrigley Field. (2)
• 1933 - New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert refuses to release Babe Ruth from his contract, thus preventing him from becoming the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Ruth will never receive a chance to manage a major league team. (1,2)
• 1977 - Melissa Ludtke, female Sports Illustrated sports writer, files suit against Major League Baseball, the Yankees and New York City officials for denying her access to the locker room to interview players during the 1977 World Series. (2)

Cubs birthdays: John Upham, Ken Rudolph.

Today in world history:

• 1170 - English Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket assassinated before the high altar of Canterbury Cathedral by four knights.
• 1778 - British troops occupy Savannah, Georgia.
• 1837 - Steam-powered threshing machine patented in Winthrop, Maine.
• 1845 - Texas admitted as 28th state of the Union.
• 1862 - Bowling ball invented. (This was the old wooden model. The plastic model was introduced later).
• 1940 - Third NFL All Star Game: Chicago Bears beats NFL All-Stars, 28-14.
• 1963 - National Football League Championship, Wrigley Field, Chicago: Chicago Bears beat New York Giants, 14-10; Giants third consecutive championship defeat; played in temperatures under 10 °F (−12 °C).
• 1967 - Star Trek’s “Trouble With Tribbles” first airs.

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.

Thank you for your cooperation. And thanks for reading!