Baseball history unpacked, December 21

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:

• 1935 - The Pittsburgh Pirates send pitcher Claude Passeau and catcher Earl Grace to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Al Todd. Passeau will have three decent seasons in Philadelphia before blossoming with the Cubs. (2)
• 1940 - Chicago writers name Cleveland Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau as the outstanding rookie in the major leagues. Boudreau will be honored at the annual January banquet. The Rookie of the Year Award won’t be created until 1947, however. (2)
• 1960 - Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley announces the club will not have a manager for the next season, but will instead use a college of coaches, who will take turns managing the ballclub. The original eight coaches include Charlie Grimm, Ripper Collins and Rube Walker. Before the season is over, Vedie Himsl, Harry Craft, El Tappe and Lou Klein will have taken turns leading the team. The results will be disastrous for the Cubs, who will finish the season 35 games out of first place, but the experiment will be repeated in 1962 before being shelved for good. (2)
• 2011 - The Reds continue to acquire players in preparation for a run at what appears to be a wide-open NL Central division in 2012. Today, they get lefty reliever Sean Marshall from the Cubs in return for P Travis Wood and two players to be named, who turn out to be OF Dave Sappelt and IF Ronald Torreyes. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Bill Traffley, Dell Darling, Jim Doyle, Cy Williams, Pete Scott, Bob Rush, Dave Kingman, LaTroy Hawkins, Taylor Teagarden, Brian Schlitter*. Also notable: Josh Gibson HOF.

Today in history:

• 1582 - Flanders adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days making the next day Jan 1, 1583.
• 1784 - John Jay becomes acting US Secretary of State (1789-90).
• 1891 - 1st game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith, played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• 1898 - Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium.
• 1941 - National Football League Championship, Wrigley Field, Chicago: Chicago Bears beat New York Giants, 37-9; first team in NFL championship game era (since 1933) to win consecutive titles; Bears fifth title overall.
• 1978 - Police in Des Plaines, Illinois, arrest John Wayne Gacy for murder.

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.