Baseball history unpacked, February 15

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a lighthearted, information-rich, 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:

• 1905 - Accused of throwing games, St. Louis Cardinals righthander Jack Taylor is acquitted by the National League Board of Directors in New York, but he is found guilty of bad conduct and fined $300. (3)
• 1910 - Both major leagues adopt resolutions banning syndicate baseball, which allowed owners to have financial interests in more than one team. The National League votes for a 154-game schedule to open on April 12th, which the American League has already adopted. Other rules: umpires must announce all team changes to spectators; batting orders must be delivered to the umpire at home plate before the game; a batter is out if he crosses the plate from one batter’s box to the other while the pitcher is in position to pitch; a baserunner is out if he passes another runner before the latter has been put out. (3)
• 1946 - The Phillies hire the first female major league scout when the sign Edith Houghton, who will ink fifteen players, mostly from Philadelphia high schools, to contracts. The North Philadelphia native will continue to scour the Philly area for local talent until 1952, before returning to the Navy to serve her country during the Korean and Vietnam wars. (1)

• 1964 - Cubs second baseman Ken Hubbs, twenty-two, is found dead in his private plane which crashed on February 13, 1964, near Provo, Utah, while en route to Colton, California. As a rookie in 1962, Hubbs had played in 78 consecutive games without making an error. (2)
• 1990 - With the issue of the implementation of salary cap unresolved, a thirty-two-day lockout begins when major league owners refuse to open spring training camp without reaching a new Basic Agreement with the players. The season will be delayed one week due to baseball’s seventh work stoppage and will need to be extended for three days to accommodate the 162-game schedule. (1)
• 2002 - San Diego Padres OF Mike Darr is killed in an early-morning accident when his car rolls over in Phoenix near the team’s spring training camp. Surviving is pitcher Ben Howard, who was sitting in the back seat wearing a seatbelt. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Charlie Irwin, Chuck Estrada, Ron Cey, Rolando Roomes, Nate Schierholtz. Also notable: Billy Hamilton 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.