Baseball history unpacked, February 21

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:

• 1903 - Tom Yawkey is born in Detroit, Michigan. Born under the name Thomas Austin, Yawkey will own and operate the Boston Red Sox for 44 years. He will gain Hall of Fame election in 1980. (2)
• 1957 - Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs. Brooklyn gives up its Ft. Worth club (Texas League) in return for the Los Angeles Angels (Pacific Coast League). In a year’s time, Brooklyn will be without a team and Los Angeles will be a major league city. (2)
• 1968 - Major League Baseball owners and the Players Association sign the first “Basic Agreement” in the game’s history. The agreement will serve as a working contract between players and owners, dictating the working relationship between the two sides along with financial rules and parameters. (2)
• 1989 - Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to discuss his gambling habits. (2)
• 2012 - The Cubs and Red Sox finally agree on compensation for the Cubs’ hiring of Boston GM Theo Epstein to be their team President while Epstein was still under contract earlier this off-season. The Cubs agree to send pitcher Chris Carpenter to the BoSox, and the two teams will also exchange players to be named later to complete the deal. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Joe Hughes, Ted Savage, Tsuyoshi Wada, Adam Greenberg*, Ian Miller. Also notable: Alan Trammell HOF.

*pictured.

Today in history:

• 1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
• 1804 - 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick’s, runs for the 1st time, along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
• 1931 - Alka Seltzer introduced.
• 1937 - Initial flight of the first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman’s Arrowbile.

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!