.. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a 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:
- 1953 - The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, block the St. Louis Browns’ attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. Lou Perini, the Braves’ owner, invokes his territorial privilege, stating he has not been offered enough for the rights. By the time the season starts, it is the Braves who will have made Milwaukee their new home. (1,3)
- 1984 - Peter Ueberroth is elected baseball’s sixth commissioner, replacing Bowie Kuhn as the major league’s top executive. The former L.A. Olympic president will take office on October 1 and will receive compensation of $450,000, an amount that is nearly double his predecessor’s salary. (1,3)
- 1987 - Ray Dandridge, a legendary third baseman from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. (2,3)
- 1998 - Larry Doby, the first Black man to play in the American League, is elected to the Hall of Fame along with former AL President Lee MacPhail. Also chosen by the Veterans Committee are Negro League pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan and turn-of-the-century shortstop Gorgeous George Davis. (2,3)
- 1998 - Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Brickhouse undergoes surgery to remove a tumor from the lining of his brain. (3)
- 2015 - Major League Baseball introduces its new pace of play initiatives, designed to make the games shorter in duration, during five exhibition contests played in Arizona and Florida. The new rules, which include having batters keeping one foot in the batter’s box after taking a pitch, and the use of a clock to make innings start more punctually, will be slowly introduced before penalties for the players are implemented. (1)
- 2016 - Experts announce they have verified the legitimacy of seven identical Ty Cobb cards from the printing period of 1909 to 1911, bringing the total number of the rare item known to exist to 22. The treasure, which features a picture of the ‘Georgia Peach’ on the front, with the words ‘Ty Cobb – King of the smoking tobacco world’ on the back, was found in a paper bag mixed in with trash by relatives, who were cleaning the dilapidated house that belonged to their great-grandfather. (1)
Cubs birthdays: Art Bues, Joe Jaeger. Also notable: John Ward HOF, Willie Keeler 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.