Baseball history unpacked, February 14

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. We also add a bit of world history, for perspective’s sake.

The cover photo is from a game in Havana, 11/29/1910. The home team beat Cobb and the Tigers 3-0.

Today in baseball history:

• 1887 - The Chicago White Stockings National League club sells King Kelly to the Boston Beaneaters for the unheard-of sum of $10,000. With the contract and bonus, Kelly is dubbed a “$15,000 Beauty.” Kelly, who is often credited with popularizing the hit-and-run, will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1945. (1,2)
• 1911 - The Philadelphia Phillies come up with an idea for a new style of uniform - white flannels with thin vertical stripes -, an innovation that predates the famed New York Yankees pinstripes by four years. (2)
• 1911 - A cork-centered ball is introduced, and the number of .300 hitters will jump from eight in 1910 to 27 this season in the American League. The league’s earned run average will go from from 2.53 to 3.34. (2)
• 1917 - Dave Fultz, president of the Players Fraternity, calls off a strike set to begin within the week. One of demands of the union is to abolish the ten-day clause, in which a team ceases to pay an injured player after he has been out of action for ten days. Organized Baseball officially severs relations with the union, leaving the players without representation. (2)
• 1948 - Right-handed pitcher Mordecai Brown dies in Terre Haute, Indiana, at the age of 71. Despite losing part of two fingers on his right hand in a childhoods farm accident, Brown won 239 games during a 14-year Hall of Fame career. (2)
• 2018 - One of the worst school shootings in U.S. history takes place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, resulting in the deaths of 16 persons and numerous others, wounded. One of the school’s most famous alumni, 1B Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, rushes to his alma mater to attempt to provide comfort to survivors. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Ace Stewart, Mike Hechinger, Uel Eubanks, Len Gabrielson, Daniel Garibay.

Today in world history:

• 1747 - Astronomer James Bradley presents his discovery of the wobbling motion of the Earth on its axis to the Royal Society, London.
• 1859 - Oregon admitted as 33rd state of the Union.
• 1870 - Esther Morris appointed US’ first female in Justice of the Peace in South Pass City, Wyoming, after previous justice, R.S. Barr, resigned to protest passage of Wyoming Territory’s women’s suffrage amendment in 1869.
• 1899 - US Congress begins using voting machines.
• 1912 - Arizona admitted to the Union as the 48th state.
• 1920 - League of Women Voters forms in Chicago.
• 1978 - First “micro on a chip” patented by Texas Instruments.

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.

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. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.

Also please remember that this is supposed to be fun.

Thank you for your cooperation. And thanks for reading!