Baseball history unpacked, February 16

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.

Today in baseball history:

• 1930 - Judge Landis rules that the Cards cannot farm out C Gus Mancuso to the Rochester Red Wings. Forced to keep him by the commissioner’s edict, the Cardinals finds it pays off when regular C Jimmie Wilson is injured and Mancuso bats .366 in 76 games. (2)
• 1952 - Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pirates and the number 33 he wore as a coach will be the first to be retired in Pittsburgh. (1,2)
• 1956 - Major League owners announce that the players’ pension fund will receive 60 percent of World Series and All-Star Game radio and TV revenues. (2)
• 2012 - Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter dies of brain cancer in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. After becoming a perennial All-Star with the Montreal Expos, Carter led the New York Mets to a World Series title in 1986. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Carl Lundgren, Ed Schorr, Ray Harrell, Don Eaddy, Don Landrum, Bobby Darwin, Barry Foote, Mike Hubbard, Eduardo Sanchez.

Today in world history:

• 374 - Ninth recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
• 600 - Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying “God bless You” is the correct response to a sneeze.
• 1659 - First known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey.
• 1852 - Studebaker Brothers wagon company established - precursor of the automobile manufacturer.
• 1861 - Abraham Lincoln stops his train at Westfield on his way to Washington to thank 11-year old Grace Bedell in person for her advice to grow a beard to gain more votes.
• 1923 - Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb and finds the sarcophagus.
• 1959 - Fidel Castro becomes the 16th Prime Minister of Cuba after overthrowing Fulgencio Batista.

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!