Baseball history unpacked, December 12

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

Today in baseball history:

• 1887 - A baseball reporters association is organized. It pledges to work to standardize scoring practices, especially in the gray area of stolen bases. (2)
• 1902 - Harry Pulliam is elected president of the National League. (2)
• 1903 - During the post-season City Series in Chicago, Cubs veteran Jack Taylor is chided for losing three games to the White Stockings and Cubs president Jim Hart is convinced that gambling was involved. Taylor is traded to the St. Louis Cardinals with rookie C Larry McLean for pitcher Mike O’Neill and a righthander who was 9-13 in his first season, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown. (2)
• 1913 - The Cubs fire Johnny Evers as manager, but expect him to continue as a player. He declines. (2)
• 1930 - The Rules Committee of baseball issues a greatly revised code, reducing the number of rules by combining many. Not only is the sacrifice rule abolished but also the rule awarding a home run when the ball bounces into the stands. “Bounce homers” will now be doubles. This had already been in effect in the American League but not the National League. (2)
• 1949 - By a 7-1 vote, the American League rejects a proposal to bring back the legal spitball. The rules committee also alters the strike zone to the space between the armpits and the top of the knees. The new rule eliminates the batter’s shoulders being within the strike zone. (1,2)
• 1950 - The owners vote to drop the bonus and high school rule which was designed to prevent the wealthier clubs from buying up all of the available talent. The rule required that all “bonus players” had to stay on the major league roster after one season in the minors. (1,2)
• 1997 - The Cubs obtain OF Henry Rodriguez* from the Expos in exchange for P Miguel Batista. (2)
• 1999 - The Cubs obtain P Ismael Valdes (9-14) and 2B Eric Young from the Dodgers for pitchers Terry Adams and Chad Ricketts, and a player to be named. Despite missing 40 games, Young swiped 51 bases in 1999. (2)
• 2019 - Major League Baseball and the Players Association agree to amend the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program to include testing for opioids. The purpose is not to punish players caught, but to offer them treatment in order to prevent another tragedy like that which cost the life of P Tyler Skaggs last summer. In addition, cannabis will no longer be tested for, reflecting the fact the substance is now legal in Canada and in a growing number of jurisdictions in the United States, and does not have performance-enhancing effects. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Tom Daly, Bob Carpenter.

Today in history:

• 1408 - Order of the Dragon: The Order of the Dragon was first created on December 12, 1408 by Emperor Sigismund, then King of Hungary, and his wife Queen Barbara of Celje following the battle for possession of Bosnia.
• 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi sends the first transatlantic radio signal, from Poldhu in Cornwall to Newfoundland, Canada.
• 1957 - Willem J Kolff and his team at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic removed the heart from a dog and replaced it with a pneumatic pump which kept the dog alive for 90 minutes, proving the viability of the artificial heart.
• 1965 - Bears halfback Gale Sayers ties the NFL record for most touchdowns in a game with six in a 61–20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Wrigley Field.

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.

*pictured.

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.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.