Baseball history unpacked, February 4

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.

Today in baseball history:

• 1882 - National League players are now responsible for carrying their own bats and uniforms on road trips. They are also required to purchase and keep clean two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties to be worn on the field at all times.
• 1893 - The first recorded version of Casey at the Bat, as recited by Russell Hunting, hits the music charts. DeWolf Hopper’s more famous version will not be released until October 1906.
• 1956 - The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for the outstanding pitcher of the year. At first, there will be one award for both major leagues. Also, the American League says it will test the automatic intentional walk during spring training. However, it will not be adopted in the majors until 2017.
• 1969 - Attorney Bowie Kuhn is named commissioner, succeeding Spike Eckert. Kuhn receives a one-year contract paying him $100,000. Major league owners turned to Kuhn after failing to agree on either of two other candidates, Mike Burke of the New York Yankees and Chub Feeney of the San Francisco Giants. The early favorite, John McHale, took his name out of the running early, as he had accepted the job of President of the expansion Montreal Expos a short time before Eckert was ousted.
• 1976 - Federal Judge John W. Oliver upholds a recent decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz, who had granted free agency to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. Both players had challenged baseball’s reserve clause. Messersmith will sign a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves, while McNally will stay retired.
• 1991 - The 12 members of the board of directors of the Hall of Fame vote unanimously to ban Pete Rose from the ballot. Rose will become eligible again only if the commissioner reinstates him by December, 2005 - which will not happen.

Cubs birthdays: Doc Miller, Dan Plesac

Today in world history:

• 1789 - First US electoral college chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice-President
• 1988 - Panamanian General Manuel Noriega indicted by US federal grand jury for drug trafficking and racketeering
• 1970 - ”Patton,” directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York. It was voted Best Picture in the Academy Awards in 1971.
• 1977 - ”Rumours,” the 11th studio album by Fleetwood Mac is released. It won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• 2004 - Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room

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!