Baseball history unpacked, March 1

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:

• 1903 - Baseball Rules Committee chairman Tom Loftus of the Washington Senators proclaims that the pitcher’s mound must not be more than 15 inches higher than the baselines or home plate. (2)
• 1947 - In anticipation of the signing of the team’s first black players, Bill Veeck, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, sets up a spring training camp there for the Cleveland Indians. Arizona is chosen because of its relatively tolerant racial climate. During the season, Veeck will sign the American League’s first black player, Larry Doby, who will train at the camp. The New York Giants also set up camp in Arizona, while the Brooklyn Dodgers move their training camp from Florida to Havana, Cuba. (1,2)
• 1949 - The St. Louis Browns, owners of Sportsman’s Park, move to evict the St. Louis Cardinals in order to gain a rent increase. (1,2)
• 1967 - Commissioner William Eckert approves the Baseball Writers Association of America’s plan to select a Cy Young Award recipient from both the National and American Leagues. The honor, which was initiated in 1956, had been given to just one pitcher in the major leagues each season, a position strongly supported by former commissioner Ford Frick. (2)
• 1976 - Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck opens training camp in Sarasota, Florida, but participation is limited to non-roster players because of the ongoing lockout. (2)
• 2005 - Construction for an additional 1,790 bleacher seats at Wrigley Field will begin after the season and will be completed in time for Opening Day 2006. An deal is reached for expansion as the Chicago Cubs agree to pay the city $3.1 million prior to the start of work and by contributing funds for a local school park and a $400,000 traffic signal system near the ballpark. (2)
• 2016 - Commissioner Rob Manfred sends a strong message on the issue of domestic violence as he issues a thirty-game suspension to Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in response to an incident on October 30th. The suspension comes even though police declined to file charges in the case because of inconsistent evidence, however MLB goes ahead based on the severity of the allegations. Chapman announces that he will not appeal. (2)
• 2022 - For the first time since 1995, regular season major league games will be cancelled as a result of a labor dispute as the two sides negotiating a solution to the 2021-2022 lockout fail to come to an agreement before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. The issue of the luxury tax, which the Players Association contends acts as a de facto luxury tax, is the biggest issue that prevents a deal. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Paul Hines, Hank Wyse, Bob Usher, Doug Creek, Micah Hoffpauir, Adbert Alzolay*.

Today in history:

• 752 BC - Romulus, first king of Rome, celebrates the first Roman triumph after his victory over the Caeninenses, following the Rape of the Sabine Women.
• 1260 - Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis, conquers Damascus.
• 1565 - Portuguese soldier Estácio de Sá founds the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• 1692 - Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, & Tituba arrested for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
• 1803 - Ohio becomes 17th state of the Union.
• 1867 - Most of Nebraska becomes 37th US state (expanded later)
• 1872 - Yellowstone becomes the world’s first national park.
• 1941 - Captain America created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby is first published by Timely Comics (premiere issue released on December 20, 1940).
• 2020 - First known COVID-19 case in New York state, a health care worker returning from Iran.

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.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid, so that we can address that to the originators and provide clarity if not ‘truth’. Nothing is posted here without at least one instance of corroboration (this also includes the history bullets). Thanks for reading, and thanks also for your cooperation.