Baseball history unpacked, April 16

... 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 snapshots from the big picture of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.

Today in baseball history:

• 1895 - The name Detroit Creams, inspired by owner George Vanderbeck who boasted the Western League team would be the “cream of the league,” lasts only a season. The club becomes known as the Tigers after Detroit Cost-free Press editor Philip Reid headlines a story, Strouthers’ Tigers Showed Up Very Nicely. (1)
• 1928 - Boston Braves pitcher Charlie Robertson has his glove removed from the game by umpire Charlie Moran after the Brooklyn Robins complain the ball is acting strangely. The Boston hurler still manages to win, 3-2. (1,3)
• 1938 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade pitcher Dizzy Dean to the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Curt Davis and Clyde Shoun and $200,000. (3)
• 1948 - The superstation WGN-TV televises a major league baseball game for the first time. With Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play, the White Sox beat the Cubs, 4-1, in the first game of the Windy City Classic played at Wrigley Field. (1,3)
• 1972 - On the second day of the season, 22-year-old Burt Hooton, making his fourth career start, no-hits the Phillies at Wrigley Field, 4-0. The Cubs right-hander, who pitched 21.1 innings for the team last season, becomes the 12th rookie to throw a no-hitter. He had allowed just eight hits in 30 innings with his knuckle-curve. (1,3)
• 1987 - Hall of Fame umpire Jocko Conlan dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 89. Conlan served as an American League arbiter from 1941 to 1965 after a brief major league playing career with the Chicago White Sox. He also umpired in five World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974. (3)
• 1997 - The Chicago Cubs set the mark for worst start in National League history, making three more errors as they extend their losing streak to 12 with a 4-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Chicago broke the modern NL record of 0-10 set by the 1988 Atlanta Braves and the overall record of 0-11 by the 1884 Detroit Wolverines. (1,3)

Cubs birthdays: Tommy Sewell, Babe Phelps, Ed Winceniak, Frank Fernandez, Antonio Alfonseca, Albert Almora. Also notable: Paul Waner 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.

There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please let us know (nicely) if you feel that an item is in error and we will address that issue to the originator(s), if at all possible.

Thanks for reading!