The following is the history of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball franchise, a member of the National League charter that began playing at the National Association in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings. The Chicago National League Ball Club is the only franchise that has continued to play in the same city since the formation of the National League in 1876. They are the earliest active professional sports clubs formed in North America. In their history, they are also known as White Stockings, Orphans, Colts, Panamas, Rainmakers, Spuds, Trojans, Microbes, and Zephyrs.
Video History of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts
1870: Chicago White Stockings Base Ball Club
The success and fame was won by Brooklyn Atlantics, organizing the first truly baseball dynasty, and the first Cincinnati Cincinnati (c. 1867-1870) first team openly all professional teams, causing another small explosion of other professional clubs in the late 1860s -an, each with the sole goal of beating the Red Stockings, who have amassed an unmatched 89 game winning streak. It was common at the time for sports writers to refer to teams in their uniform colors, and it happened that the Chicago club, officially known as The Chicago Base Ball Club, was adopted white. On April 29, 1870, Chicago White Stockings played their first game against United St. Louis, and in a voice defeated United 7-1. White Stockings divide their game between their downtown training ground, Ogden Park, and a larger facility set up at Dexter Park where they organize matches that are expected to attract more crowds.
After several individually arranged contests, using most of the same list, Chicago managed to put together a list of 10 players and join a nationally organized league, which now allows entry to professionals. This league, known as the National Bass Players Association , was predominantly dominated by Atlantics and until recently before admitting Red Stocking and White Stockings, mostly consisting of baseball clubs. areas of New York and Washington, DC. Despite the dominance of the East Coast, Chicago won the NABBP championship that year, although the title was disputed by opposing club New York Mutuals.
1871-1875: William Hulbert and National Association
The following season, the time was right for the creation of the first professional league, and thus the National Professional Basketball Association was born, and White Stockings, financed by businessman William Hulbert, became a charter member of the new league. After their experiment with a race track in 1870, White Stockings returned to the city center for 1871, a decision that would prove fate.
The club is set up with a town to build roughly in the northeast corner of a public park then known as the Lake Garden, then named Grant Park. The place was dubbed Union Base-Ball Grounds, and the club was a close competitor for the pennant until the end of the season. On Sunday, October 8, the Great Chicago Fire erupted on the nearby south side and swept north through the city center. The wooden ballpark was right on the path of a fire storm, and the ground and all the equipment and team uniforms consumed.
Despite the disaster, White Stockings played their 1871 season through, on the road, in a borrowed uniform. They managed to finish second, only 2 short games from the title won by Philadelphia. Despite a strong finish, the club was forced to break the league during the city's recovery period until it was finally revived in 1874, and moved to a newly built 23rd Street Grounds on the near south side.
Although the original Red Stocks had disbanded after 1870, many players became members of a new club of the same name, but are now based in Boston. Over the next four seasons, Boston Red Stockings dominated the National Association and hoarded the best stars, even under contract with other teams. Hulbert, president of the White Stockings club, was disgusted by the lack of enforceable contracts (the most famous of the "contract jumpers" or "revolvers" was Davy Force) as well as the Boston club's monopoly and the league's inability to enforce mandatory schedules. Gambling and alcohol are also seen as a serious problem, with the game too often suspected of being "thrown". As a result, Hulbert, pioneered the formation of a stronger and more ethical new organization. During the last years of NA, Hulbert worked behind the scenes, to convince the owners of St. Louis Browns, Hartford Dark Blues, Athletics Philadelphia, and others to join White Stockings in his new league, which will be known as the National League of Professional Base Clubs. The formation of the National League means the final NA, because the remaining clubs are closed or returned to amateur or minor status.
1876-1900: National League
After the 1875 season ended, Hulbert was the main actor in the acquisition of several key players, including Boston podger Albert Spalding and first baseman Adrian Anson of Philadelphia Athletics. The club continues to play its home game on 23rd Street.
With pieces in place, the Chicago National League Ball Club quickly proved itself as one of the top teams of the new National League. Spalding won 47 games that season, and James "Deacon" White and Ross Barnes, also brought by Hulbert, were major contributors as well, as Barnes hit.429 that season and White, one of the last naked catchers, led the league at RBI. The White Stoking drove through the inaugural season of the National League of 1876, winning the league's first championship.
Towards the end of the season, Mutual of New York and Athletic of Philadelphia, who are the remainder of the NA, are out of disagreement and refuse to play the rest of their respective schedules. Hulbert flexed his executive muscles, expelling both franchises from the league.
Despite Hulbert's efforts to make Chicago a strong team that Boston had during the NA years, the next season found Chicago finishing a disappointing 5th in the team's 6th league, behind a resurgent Boston entry (another NA carryover) in the 60-game season. In 1878, the club arranged with the town to build a new ballpark Lake Park basically the same place as the 1871 ballpark. Chicago increased over the next two seasons as the schedule grew to about 75 matches or more.
In 1880, White Stockings won 67 and lost 17, to an all-time NL record.798 victory percentage.
Cap Anson and the Chicago dynasty
Adrian Anson, the team's best player and perhaps the greatest footballer in the early professional baseball era, became a club captain, and so much was identified as a club face he became better known as Cap Anson. After the banner of 1876, which at the time was the main prize of the game, Anson led the team to a great success early in the National League season, winning banners in 1880 and 1881 as well. The length of the season and the long travel time between games at the time was such that most teams made it with two opening opener, and Chicago had two excellent ones at Larry Corcoran and Fred Goldsmith. Corcoran, who won 43 games in 1880, threw three no-hitters early in the decade, a record that would stand until broken by Sandy Koufax in 1965. Goldsmith is one of two pitchers credited with the invention of the curveball. Both are the first true "pitching rotation".
In 1882, Hulbert died suddenly, and Al Spalding, who had retired several years earlier to start Spalding sporting goods, took over the ownership of the club, with Anson acting as the first baseman and manager. That season was also the first for the American Association, a self-proclaimed "beer and whiskey league", which began playing the second "major league". AA offers alcohol and Sunday games, a movement that forces the more traditional NL into a change that would not seem to happen if Hulbert stayed. Chicago plays a 2-game post-match series (unlawful) against the AA champion, Reds Cincinnati. Each team won 1 game and then the series ended.
The White Stockings slipped slightly in 1883, completing 4 games behind Boston. For 1884, the club made the basic rules change in the roughness of their homes. Its dimensions, especially the right field, are very comfortable, perhaps less than 200 feet from the home plate. The flying balls that crashed into the precinct yard were previously ruled doubly, but in 1884 they had to be ruled as home runs. Batters began to shoot the right terrain, and made some dubious home run records that will last for decades until the era of the modern "ball of life" begins. The change is more painful than helpful, as the club finished 22 games from scratch.
For 1885, the city reclaimed the land of the lake, and the club went looking for a new home. They found a lot available on the near west side and started building, eventually opening "West Side Park I" in June. The White Stocking, despite the vagrant for their first two months, played strong and won the NL banner by 2 games over the New York Giants. Meanwhile, St. Louis Browns easily won the first of what proved to be four batches in a row as they dominated the AA.
Chicago appeared ready to back it up in 1885. "Chicago Stone Wall", the largest of the day, was in place, anchored by Anson and Ned Williamson, who hit 27 home runs in 1884 (25 at home, 2 on the road) , a record that will last until it is broken by Babe Ruth in 1919. King Kelly is the best catcher in the league and Corcoran is the main pitcher, but John Clarkson, the product of Anson's scouting journey, will lead Chicago to yet another banner. Much has been written about Hoss Radbourn's record of 60 wins for Providence Grays in 1884, but Clarkson won an incredible 53 matches in 1885, though second to Corcoran in rotation. Anson thinks the '85 -'86 team is the best he manages.
During this period, Anson became the first footballer to get 3,000 hits. The actual number of Anson hits varies depending on the source. MLB itself admits Anson has more than 3,000 hits. His madness in producing the Chicago Tribune leads to propose a new, walking-combated stat. It will take years to become official, but research will reveal that Anson leads N.L. at RBI eight times, still a major league record. Anson's influence on the team is likely to outweigh the influence of other single players on professional sports teams, perhaps only rivaled by what Ruth will eventually become to the New York Yankees three decades later. Anson's sign was so deep that in the mid-1890s the sports writers had dropped the White Stockings name to support the Chicago Colts, or more generally, "Colts Anson."
Anson was also given credit, or blame, for setting the stage for the longest "color line" version that banned African-Americans from main league baseball. In an exhibition match August 10, 1883 against Toledo Blue Stockings, which before the next season joined the American Association, Anson refused to deploy his team during the black-skinned Tolerto Moses Walker, in the march; Anson claims that Walker is not eligible to play, because the rules that apply only allow men to play, and Walker as a black person is unable to meet the definition of "gentlem [a] n." The referee disagreed and threatened both to give the victory to the Blue Stings by losing money and depriving Anson and his team of their share of ticket sales that day unless Anson and his team took the field. Anson relented and the match continued with Walker in the Toledo lineup, but in the 1884 game against Toledo, now affiliated with the AA and playing as Mudhens, Anson held the line and insisted that the arrangements for the game included provisions excluding black players from both teams formations. In the 1897 season, the league adopted an agreement that neither they nor their minor league affiliations would accept black players, building a racial barrier in professional baseball for the next half-century.
The "post-season" World Championship series was held in 1884 between the League champions (Providence) and the Association (Metropolitan), and White Stockings and Browns set to continue a new tradition in 1885. This was the first meeting between Chicago and a franchise St. Louis, who will eventually join NL and known as St. Louis Cardinals, the two clubs remain the eternal rivals.
The 1885 series ended in dispute and without a clear resolution. The two clubs face each other again in 1886, and this time there is no question about the outcome, with Browns winning the Series 4 match to 2. This marks the only AA victory in a 19th century World Series contest.
Things change over time for White Stockings/Colts. After running a major Chicago during the 1880s, the field luck of the Anson Colts shrank during the mid-1890s, despite the emergence of Bill Lange, who set a club record for stealing the 84 in 1897, and was one of the best league hitters for seven seasons. The club had to wait for a revival under a new leadership; however, in 1898, Spalding chose not to renew Anson's contract, and a year later Lange retired to become a professional talent scout.
Transitions
The popularity of baseball in general faded somewhat during the 1890s. In a clear effort to increase attendance, in 1891 the Colts began dividing their schedules between West Side Park and the newly built South Side Park. In 1892 they played their entire schedule on the south side, but decided to move further downtown again. At the start of the 1893 season they opened "West Side Park II", a wooden structure that would be their home for the next 23 seasons.
Anson's departure caused the team's nickname to transition over the next few seasons. With the loss of their "Pop" when Anson became famous, sometimes the media referred to the club as Remnants or Orphans . The name "Colts" continues to circulate through the 1905 season, along with Orphans and Remnants, depending on what newspaper or fan to talk to. The name "Cubs" first appeared in print in 1902 and gained popularity over the next four years, before becoming the only nickname in 1906; The Cub-in-the-C logo first appeared on the uniform in 1908 and the name "Cubs" the following year. The old name, Chicago White Stockings, was adopted in 1900 by a new American League entry on the south side of Chicago, originally as a minor league entry. The AL turned to big in 1901, and the nickname adopted from the south south side was soon shortened by the press to the Chicago White Sox.
Maps History of the Chicago Cubs
Early MLB years (aka era of dead sphere)
1901-1913: The new Cubs dynasty
After the formation of the American League, Al Spalding handed over ownership of the club to concentrate on a country tour to promote sporting goods company, selling the team to John Hart in 1902. Surprisingly, the Spalding team put together before he left was one of his grandest achievements. Joe Tinker (shortstop), Johnny Evers (second baseman), and Frank Chance (first baseman) are three Hall-of-Fame Cubs players who played together from 1903 to 1912. They, along with third baseman Harry Steinfeldt and catcher Johnny Kling, forming an infield on what would become one of the most dominant baseball teams of all time.
In 1905 the Cubs were owned by Charles Murphy, who bought the franchise for $ 125,000. Opportunity took over as manager for the ailing Frank Selee that year, and the Cubs responded by winning four banners and two World Series titles over a span of five years. Their record of 116 wins (in season 154) in 1906 has not been broken, although it was tied up by the Seattle Mariners in 2001 in season 162. The 1906 Cubs still holds the record for the best percentage of victory of the modern era, with a mark of 0.763. However, they lost 1906 World Series to their crosstown rival, White Sox.
The Cubs again relied on dominant pitching during this period, featuring hurlers such as Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jack Taylor, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester and Orval Entire. The Cubs' thrower posted a record for the lowest-earning staff on average running that still stands today. Reulbach threw a one-beater in the 1906 World Series, one of a handful of small twirlers to swim a low-hit game in the post-season. Brown earned a unique and inevitable nickname for losing most of his index finger on a farm machine when he was young. This gives him the ability to do extra-natural rounds on his pitch, which often frustrates the opponent.
In 1907, the Cubs won 107 matches, dominating the National League once again. That year they met Ty Cobb and Detroit Tigers in the World Series, beating them out loudly, 4-1, for the first World Series championship franchise. At the time the tie was repeated the next day from the beginning but counted in the series score, so officially the series was not swept.
On September 23, 1908, the Cubs and the New York Giants, involved in a tight race, were tied at the bottom of the ninth inning in the Polo Grounds. The Giants had first and third runners and two out when Al Bridwell hit the singles field into the middle, scoring Moose McCormick from third with a clear winning run of the Giants, but runner in first base, rookie Fred Merkle, went halfway to second. and then ran into the club after McCormick touched home the plate. When fans stormed the field, Evers picked up the ball and touched both. Because there are two out, forceout is called in second base, ending inning and game. This game goes down in history as "Merkle's Boner". Because of the ties, the Giants and Cubs finally tied for first place. The Giants lost the first one-game playoffs, and the Cubs went to the World Series, where they beat Tiger once more, this time four games into one, for their second World Series championship in a row, this will be their last World Series victory for 108 year.
Tinker to Evers to Opportunities
Some experts believe the Cubs could be in the Series for five straight seasons having Johnny Kling not sitting out the entire 1909 season. Kling temporarily retired to play professional pocket billiards, but the main reason for not playing is most likely a contract dispute. His absence clearly injured the stability of the pitching staff, as when he returned in 1910 the Cubs won another banner, although the veteran club could not defeat the young Philadelphia Athletics in the Fall Classic.
During the 1910 season, the club's infusion stars, Tinkers, Evers, and Chance, got more national praise after turning a critical double game against the New York Giants in the July game. The trio was immortalized in Franklin P. Adams's Baseball's Sad Lexicon, which first appeared on July 18, 1910, the edition of the New York Evening Mail:
- These are the saddest words possible:
- "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
- The trio of bears, and faster than the birds,
- Tinker and Evers and Chance.
- Cruelly pierced our gonfalon bubble,
- Make a Giant double -
- Heavy words with no problems:
- "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
"Gonfalon" is a poetic way to refer to the banner that both clubs are fighting for. The phrase "Tinker to Evers to Chance" is still used today and means "well-oiled routine" or "sure thing."
Tinker and Evers are reportedly unable to stand up to each other and rarely speak off the field. Evers, a tall and argumentative man, suffered a nervous breakdown in 1911 and rarely played that year. Opportunities to experience peanuts that are almost fatal in the same year. All three play together a little after that. In 1913, Chance went on to manage the New York Yankees and Tinker went to Cincinnati to manage the Reds, and that was the end of one of the most important midfielders in baseball. They were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame together in 1946. Tinker and Evers are reported to be friendly in their old age, with a baseball war far behind them.
1914-1924: Lasker , Weeghman, and Double-Bills
The Cubs fell into a long malaise after the departure of their stars. In 1916, advertising executive Albert Lasker and his partner Charles Phelps Taft acquired a large block of shares and immediately acquired majority ownership of the Cubs. In 1916, Taft was bought by Charlie Weeghman, who had Whale Chicago of the short-lived Federal League, and was the owner of a popular lunch counter chain.
Weeghman and Lasker moved the Cubs to Whales's old house, Weeghman Park, in 1916. The club soon played competitive again, and won the NL banner in the short-1918 war season, where they played a part in the curse of another team, the Bambino Curse. In the 1918 World Series, the North Siders, led by Grover Cleveland Alexander pitchers, set a best-ever record of 84-45 years, and faced the Boston Red Sox. Babe Ruth won two games in the series, including a complete game 1-0 shutout in the opening to start what would have been Boston's six-match win. At the time it was considered a "recent" star thrower to hit 29 home runs, Ruth was sold to the Yankees a year later, starting the Red Sox 'story of vanity lasting 86 years. The 1918 series was not much attended and sounded rowdy that it was "improved", but with the energy of America focused on World War I, nothing came of this suspicion.
After the Black 1919 Sox Scandal, which caused another "curse" on the southern side of Chicago, baseball in the city fell into very dark times and Lasker worked to create a new regulatory authority for Major League Baseball that led to Mount Hakim Kenesaw Landis being The first Baseball commissioner. By that time, Weeghman was out of the picture. His lunch counter business fell in difficult times after the war, and he was forced to sell more shares to his friend Lasker, chewing on the huge gumol William Wrigley, Jr. In 1918, Weeghman had sold the rest of his stock to Wrigley. In 1921, Wrigley bought Lasker's controlling shares as well.
1925-1946: The beginning of Wrigley years
Every three years
After purchasing the remaining Lasker shares, Wrigley changed the name of the team's home ballpark to Wrigley Field in 1925 to produce more exposure for his chewing gum. This is one of the earliest examples of corporate sponsorship. Wrigley also obtained the services of an ingenious baseball man, William Veeck, Sr., appointing him as club president. Veeck is a sports writer, and has criticized the management of the Cubs. In an unusual move, Wrigley challenges Veeck to see if he can do better. It proved to be a good move.
With Wrigley's money and Veeck's intelligence, the Cubs are soon back in business in the National League, the front office has built a team that will be a strong contender for the next decade. Hack Wilson, Gabby Hartnett, Billy Herman, Rogers Hornsby, and many other stars wore Cub uniforms during the stretch, and they achieved remarkable achievements to win titles every three years - 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938. Unfortunately, their success did not expand into the post-season, as they fall into their American League rivals every time, often in an embarrassing way. One example is in game 4 of the World Series 1929 when the Cubs, leading 8-0 at the time, produced 10 runs to Philadelphia Athletics in the seventh inning. A key to play in the inning was the center of the fielder, Hack Wilson lost the ball flying in the sun, resulting in a 3-run homer inside the park.
In the 1932 World Series, Babe Ruth once again set fire to North Siders, although this time with his wand, as he led New York in a series where he hit the famous Chicago home run in Game 3. The Yankees then went on to sweep four matches from Northsiders. There are some historic moments for the Cubs as well, because they won 1935 pennants in a thrill mode. Billy Herman achieved the best career of.341 and led the Cubs to a 21-game winning streak in September, which pushed the club into the 1935 World Series where they fell to Hank Greenberg Detroit Tigers in a hard-game series, 6 series.
The 1938 season saw Dizzy Dean lead the team's pitching staff and deliver a historic moment when they won an important game at the end of the season with a walk-off home run by player-manager Gabby Hartnett, known in baseball folklore as "Homer di Gloamin". However, Chicago fell to the Yankees again in the 1938 World Series. By this time, the 'Double Bills' had died, and the front office, now under the PK Wrigley, unable to rekindle the success his father had made, so the team would enter the mediocre first period.
Curse
The Cubs enjoyed another banner, at the close of another World War, led by outsider Andy Pafko and infielder Phil Cavarretta. Due to wartime restrictions, the first three matches were played in Detroit, where the Cubs won two of them, and the last four had to be played at Wrigley. The Cubs won Game 1 9-0 and Claude Passeau threw a batter in Game 3 to give Northside a 2-1 lead when the series shifted to Wrigley Field.
In Game 4, the Billy Goat Curse is laid on top of the Cubs when Philip K. Wrigley takes out Billy Sianis, who comes into the game with two box-holder tickets, one for him and one for his goat. They paraded around for several rounds, but eventually Wrigley demanded the goats leave the park because of complaints about unpleasant odors. After being expelled, an angry Cianist said, "Cubs, they will not win again." , and his family said he later sent a telegram to the owners of the Cubs who said they would never win another World Series. The Cubs lost game 4, and despite a heroic series by Cavarretta, lost in the 1945 World Series in seven games. Although the Cubs sometimes appear in the post-season series since the division game started in 1969, they did not show up on or win the World Series again until 2016.
End of the year Wrigley (1947-1981)
1947-1981: Dark Ages
After the Billy Goat Curse, a few years after the World War II era, astute observers in the game began to suspect that something was wrong with the Cubs franchise, and it might take a long time to recover. After losing the 1945 World Series, the Cubs finished 82-71, both for third place in 1946, but missed out on post-season play. However, in the next few years, the team fell far to the bottom of the National League. In his 1950s World Series and Baseball Spotlight, LaMont Buchanan wrote the following prose alongside photographs of Wrigley (apparently taken during World Series 1945) and the new manager they hire:
"From the noble to the last place!
Wrigley Field, the ivy of his wall is still whispering over the power of the past,
His Cubs watches grew less malignant in '47, '48, '49.
The new doctor smiled Frank Frisch,
Veteran of a previously thoughtful baseball transfusion,
Nice having fans with you. "
Chicago has a great baseball tradition.
Fans remember the glorious days of yesterday as they await a brighter tomorrow.
And finally their Cubs will bite again! "
No one realizes how long "eventually" will turn out to be. The Cubs were one of the worst teams of the National League for an amazing 20 seasons, from 1947 to 1966, with only two Cub teams finishing matches in the first half or better. Many of these teams lost more than 90 games, and in 1962 and 1966 they lost more than 100 matches. All this futility came despite the incredible game of shortstop Ernie Banks, later known as "Mr. Cub" . However, seeking help for the Bank turned out to be a team collapse. Players like Hank Sauer and Ralph Kiner only found a temporary home in Chicago during the early 1950s, and Phil Cavarretta's figures trailed the end of his career. Incidentally, Cavarretta, who played 20 seasons for the Cubs and had a player/manager, was fired during the spring training of 1954 after admitting the team was unlikely to finish above the 5th place (they finished 7).
One of Wrigley's attempts to repair the ship really put the team farther back. In December 1960, he announced the Cubs would no longer have a manager. Instead, eight members of "College of Coaches" will run the club. The eight will rotate all the way through the Cubs organization, so every player from Class D (the equivalent of today's Rookie Leagues) will learn a standard game system. Each coach will serve as the "head coach" of the Cubs during his tenure there.
This approach can be considered visionary as it anticipates the coaching specialization that has evolved in the modern game. However, this experiment proved to be badly executed. There is no real pattern for rotation, and each coach brings different styles of play. Some talents eventually returned to the North Side during this era, in the form of third baseman Ron Santo and outer player Billy Williams (Rookie National League of 1961 of the Year). However, without consistent leadership in the dugout, the Cubs remain buried in the second division. They have only one winning record for four years, never finished higher than 7, and did not get any closer than the first 17 games. This stretch also sees some of the worst teams in the history of the Cubs; The 1962 season, for example, saw the team lose 103 matches - the most in franchise history. There is also a race factor in rotation, because Buck O'Neil is one of the coaches but has never been promoted to the position of "head coach". Wrigley eventually succumbed and named one person as a single "head coach" in 1963, but did not completely ruin the experiment until Leo Durocher took over in 1966 and firmly declared himself a manager, with Wrigley's support.
In the mid-1960s, the Cubs began to show signs of life, triggered by Banks, Williams, and Santo and the emergence of ace pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. In 1967 and 1968 the club garnered a first winning victory since 1945-1946, making fans look forward to a spectacular 1969 season.
Fall '69
In 1969, the Cubs started 11-1, building a substantial lead in the newly created East National League. Chicago soared through an All-Star break, led by a quartet of the Hall of Famers at Banks, Williams, Santo and Jenkins. Jenkins eventually won 21 games; Bill Hands was also 20-game winners, and Ken Holtzman won 17, which included no-hitters on August 19th. Chicago leads the division with the 8 1 / 2 game above St. Louis and with a 9 1 / 2 game above the New York Mets at the end of August, but the Cubs wilted below pressure, lost key games to the Mets, and finished at 92-70, eight games from first. Many superstitious fans consider this collapse as an incident at Shea Stadium on September 9, when a fan releases a black cat onto the pitch, thereby further condemning the club. Others stated that the number of match days that the Cubs had to play contributed to the disaster. Chicago, which is near Lake Michigan, offers a fairly humid summer (an average of 85-90 Â ° F), and playing on this hot day may be bad. From the 14th of August to the end of the season, the Mets, who played most of the night's games, had an incredible 38-11 record, with 100 wins, while second place Cubs slumped in September, just 8-17.
1970-1981 - Team & amp; bad; June Swoon
In the 1970s and through the 1983 season, the Cub people rarely felt little substantial success. After the devastating 1969 campaign, the Cubs fell into mediocrity, completing a little over 0,500 in 1970, 1971 and 1972, while they still had most of the core players of the uniformed 1969 team, including the "Old Guard" of the Saint and Williams. on the field and Jenkins, Holtzman, and Milt Pappas, who threw a no-hitter in 1972, on a mound. (No Cub will again hold no-hitters until Carlos Zambrano on September 15, 2008.) After 1973, however, most of the core players were retired or traded, and the Cubs sank to the base of the National League of East pecking order. Between 1973 and 1983 they were a combined 165 games under 0,500. It was for a decade full of poor baseball that the term "Loveable Losers" became a catch phrase, as fans were still out to see the team despite the appalling quality of the product on the field.
Phil Wrigley died in 1977, leaving the team to his son, William Wrigley III. This year saw the best finish of the Cubs in the 1970s, but even this was a testament to the team's vanity during the "Dark Ages", as all the stars of Bobby Murcer led the blue babies striped club '77 to first place at 47-22 by 28 June, and the team enjoyed an 8½ game lead in the NL East. After entering all the star breaks at 54-35, still impressing 19 games above 0,500, the team began to crack as Philadelphia Phillies took steam, cutting the Cubs division lead to just two games. As the summer progressed, the Cubs spun out of the fight, playing poorly in August and ending the season in a row where they lost 17 of 22 matches, ending at 81-81, 22 shocking matches behind Philadelphia.
Remarkably, the club then had in common, though not overly exaggerated, falling in the next two campaigns, despite the acquisition of slugger player, Dave Kingman. The Cubs had 11 games over 0,500 at '78 and peaked at 13 more on '79, but still finished with a second record loss of the season. This nature competes well into early summer and then falls in the standings to be known as "The June Swoon." Along with Kingman, Cub's list of names in this period features players such as Rick Reuschel, who won 20 matches in the famous '77 season, as well as Bill Madner, Bill Buckner, Keith Moreland, JosÃÆ'Â © Cardenal, and IvÃÆ'¡n DeJesÃÆ'ºs.
Era Tribune - Cool to become a Cub fan again!
1984 and 1989 NL East Champs
William Wrigley's mother died within months after Phil Wrigley, who burdened William with a huge land tax bill. With most of his money tied up at Wrigley Company or Cubs, William was forced to sell Cubs. In 1981, the Tribune Company bought Cubs from the Wrigley family for $ 20.5 million - a very good return on the purchase of William Wrigley, Jr. shares. on the team 65 years earlier - in the middle of the losing season. In 1982, DeJesus, one of the better team players, traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for shortstop Larry Bowa and infielder Ryne Sandberg.
On the opening day of 1981 only 10,672 entered the gate. In 1983, thanks to the exposure of the Chicago Tribune and WGN, Rick Reuschel was in front of a crowd of 18,268, but this will all change dramatically. In mid-1983, manager Lee Elia was dismissed after an insidious rebellion with Cub fans and was replaced by Charlie Fox interimly. In the offseason, the Cubs rebuilt the initial pitching staff through a series of trades by GM Dallas Green, who started by handling Matthews and Matthews's Bobby Dernier and Gary "The Sarge" and pitcher pitching Scott Sanderson to complete what has become a good team , boasting players like third baseman Ron Cey and catcher Jody Davis. Green also hired Jim Frey as their new manager.
1984 NL East Champs
The Cubs opened the 1984 season which will take place 12-8 in April, tied for first place. The race remains tight through the first half of the season, and Green continues to deal with weapons. Bill Buckner was sent to the Boston Red Sox for Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley, and on June 13, Mel Hall and Joe Carter were sent to Indian Cleveland for Rick Sutcliffe's novice. With the rotation set, the northerners found themselves 42-34 at the end of June, tied with the Phillies and 1.5 games ahead of the Mets. In a match against St. Louis, Ryne Sandberg drew the attention of the nation with two home-run games from former Cub Bruce Sutter, and finally was named NL MVP. The second half of the '84 season was all the Cubbies, as the northerners posted a 54-31 record, and the city of Chicago was in turmoil.
The final result was 96 of the best league wins and the NL East Championships, as the team gained a division in Pittsburgh. In the post-season first team appearance since '45, Chicago meets San Diego Padres. The Cubs '96 win gave them a field advantage at home for the series. However, Wrigley Field has no lights yet. CBS television, which broadcasts the series, is pressing the National League to give San Diego the third home game to allow additional prime-time broadcasts. In the first game NLCS the Cubs won 13-0 behind two home runs Gary Matthews, and then led the series 2-0 with a 4-2 win in Game 2. With City of Chicago in turmoil, the series headed west for the last three games, where the Cubs needed only one victory to reach the World Series. After being hit well in Game 3, they lost Game 4 when the All-Star Closer Lee Smith allowed a home run-off to Steve Garvey. Many fans remember Garvey's first round after his winning shot, pumping his fists into the air, as one of the lowest moments in Cubdom. Game 5 is just as bad; The Cubs led 3-0 at the 6th inning with Sutcliffe, winner of the 1984 NL Cy Young Award, on the mound, but a critical error by first baseman Leon Durham helped Padres win the game. The Wrigley Field era is now a "hip" place to become rooted in the club '84's success.
Most publications chose the Cubs to repeat as Division Champs in 1985, especially after adding Dennis Eckersley to the rotation. The Cubs responded by starting out 35-19 on June 11 but fainting again, losing 13th in a row as all four of the club's main pitchers all hit the disabled list, and the Cardinals took the division crown because North Siders ended in a 77 -84 defeat. Shawon Dunston, pick the # 1 overall in the '82 draft coming from minors for good at the end of the season.
During '86 season, Jim Frey was replaced at captain by former Yankee Gene Michael, but the team went through two more years of poor baseball. Outside player Andre Dawson was signed as a free agent before the 1987 season. Dallas Green was initially reluctant to sign Dawson, as they plan to start Brian Dayett on the right but Dawson proved his worth as he struck 49 round-trippers and took home the NL MVP award for the last team. Cub place of the season, the only player to achieve that achievement in the last 20 seasons.
The 1988 team, under new captain Don Zimmer (who was promoted after Frey assumed the position of General Manager), was the first of a new era in Cub history, when lights were installed at Wrigley Field and first used for night games on August 8th. The rain game early in the round, and the first official night match was the next day, when the Cubs defeated the Mets 6-4. The Mets, however, have a winning season of 100, and the Cubs, still anchored by Sutcliffe, "Ryno" Sandberg, and "Hawk" Dawson, finished in fourth place away. This despite having what at the time was a six All-Stars record franchise as Dawson, Dunston, and Sandberg joined Vance Law, Greg Maddux, and Rafael Palmeiro.
In 1989, the club made some noise as they won the East NL once again, finishing the 93 victory season with a six-game lead over the Mets. Some young faces contribute to the '89 success, with Mark Mark 1B leading the team in the sophomore hit and fellow Damon Berryhill providing stability behind the throw for Maddux and other Cub players. Speedy Speedy Dwight Smith finished 2nd in the race for NL Rookie of the Year for fellow Cub midfielder Jerome Walton, who set the club's current record to hit a streak in 30 games. This time, Chicago meets with the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. After dividing the first two games at home, the series heads to the Bay Area. The Cubs is a heavy underdog for the Giants who have stars, who boast players like Matt Williams, Kevin Mitchell, and Will Clark. Although there is a series of caliber MVP from Grace, and although the team leads in each of the three games, they can not overcome the bullpen defeat and managerial mistakes. This eventually led to an early exit from the post season as the Giants eliminated the Cubs in five games (NLCS has grown from best-of-five to best-of-seven series in 1985). The Giants then lost to Oakland A in the famous "Earthquake Series".
1990-2002: Ryno, Gracie, and Sammy
Between 1990 and 1997, the time frame coincided with the sixth dynasty of the Chicago Bulls NBA championship, the Cubs took the place behind in the headlines and also fell back into mediocrity. Most of the seasons in this period were basically passed in early June. Regardless of their promise, Walton and Smith never regained the form they displayed as beginners in '89. Rick Sutcliffe retired and Greg Maddux, who won his first Cy Young Award in a Cub uniform, left for Atlanta via a free agency, which frustrates the fan base. Their replacements came and went when GM Larry Himes struggled to find the right mix. Slugger George Bell was signed in 1991 and after a mediocre season traded to the White Sox for Sammy Sosa. Danny Jackson's pitchers, Jaime Navarro, Randy Myers and Mike Morgan brought faithful hope to faithful faithful Friendly Confines but ultimately did not result in a playoff spot.
Himes was fired and replaced with Ed Lynch in 1995, but the beleaguered club farm system could not help generate any aid on the mounds as small league products like Jim Bullinger, Kevin Foster, Mike Harkey, Jeff Pico, and Frank Castillo were unable to build themselves significantly in the post-strike years. Steve Trachsel, career career, is the only pitcher system generated during this period that has longevity. On the offensive side, things are a little better. Although many hypnotized prospects like Gary Scott and Drew Hall have not finally gone well, there have been some successes. Mark Grace, known for his gloves and his wand, along with SS Shawon Dunston who was armed with a rifle and a reliable catcher Joe Girardi became a fan favorite as Dawson and Sandberg established themselves as an annual starter in the All-Star game with Ryno > eventually became the highest paid player in baseball, retired and then made a comeback of Jordanesque.
Brian McRae, Josà ©  © HernÃÆ'¡ndez and Glenallen Hill all found temporary homes in Chicago during the mid-1990s, (Hill was the only player who ever hit a home run to the roof on Waveland Ave) and Sammy Sosa started building himself as a bat power, scored 36 homer three times, but the team itself was very poor. Over a period of seven years after the '89 season they only had two seasons of victory, the 84-78 mark in 1993 and the 73-71 mark in the 1995 season a brief strike. In 1997, the team signed left-hander Terry Mulholland, but still reached their lowest point, losing their first 14 games to start the season and finishing in last place again with 94 losses. Near the end of the season Dunston traded to Pittsburgh and Sandberg retired (this time forever) at the end of the season, so the most recognizable of 1998 will be another season of angry hopes on the north side of Windy City.
The departure of many fan favorites, combined with what will be the sixth and final run of the Bulls and also the death of WGN's popular announcer Harry Caray before the season dominates most of the media coverage, so the Cubs on-field expectations are not as usual from headlines heading into this season. It changed with the signing of left-winger Henry RodrÃÆ'guez to equip Grace and Sosa in the lineup and put Rod Beck and starter Kevin Tapani to strengthen pitching staff. The team also acquired Mickey's infuser "The Dandy Little Glove Man" Morandini and Jeff Blauser. With a season dedicated to Caray (whose grandson Chip Caray took over his job with Steve Stone at the Cub TV booth) Cubs found themselves involved in an intense Wild Card race with the Giants and Mets. The Cubs became the favorite media once again, accompanied by an amazing Sosa, 66 HR, MVP season, and Kerry Wood who dominated the Rookie of the Year, which included MLB who recorded 20 strikeout games against Houston Astros. On the last day of the season, the Cubs fell 4-3 to Houston after a throwing error by Mulholland, but the team's playoff hopes were saved when Colorado's Neifi PÃÆ'Â © rez hit home runs to beat San Francisco that night, and the Giants and Cubs finished tied for Wild Card. The two teams meet in a one-game playoff in Chicago, where Gary Gaetti, claiming to be free from St. Louis towards the end of the season, hitting a home run that won the game. Next up is Atlanta and Greg Maddux, but the North Siders play poorly, scoring just four runs as they are swept in 3 games.
Many credits made by Sosa-McGwire with "austerity of the ball", both by bringing in younger new fans and bringing back old fans who were crushed by Major League Baseball strikes from 1994 to 1995. After the season, GM Ed Lynch and manager Jim Riggleman unfortunately chose to retain many of the same players who had a career year in '98 for the season '99. Perhaps the most striking mistake was the club's failure to offer contract deals to the three basins of Robin Ventura, whose contract with the White Sox had expired and expressed a desire to remain in Chicago. The Cubs, however, decided to give a position to Gaetti and Ventura signed with Mets. Though the Cubs started well, at one point reaching nine games above.500, the June fainting reappeared when they were swept by the White Sox crosstown rivals at Comiskey Park, which were the origins of other circling epics, resulting in a finishing club in last place. Jim Riggleman was fired after a devastating '99 crash 'campaign, his fifth season in Chicago, and a few months later President Tim Andy MacPhail broke with Lynch as well, taking control as general manager and making Jim Hendry's assistant as GM. MacPhail promises to lead the team toward success in the new century.
McPhail sent Hendry to work fast, and his first step was to trade Terry Adams' passengers to Los Angeles for Eric Young and Ismael Valdez, and hired Don Baylor to replace Riggleman as a Chicago boss. During the forgotten 2000 season, Hendry also sent pitcher Scott Downs to Montreal and acquired Rondell White. This laid the foundation for the 2001 season, which saw North Siders make another drive for the playoffs. They traded in mid-June to acquire All-Star 1B Fred McGriff, although McGriff took over a month debating whether or not to agree on a deal and leave his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays, finally releasing his no-trade clause and allowing him to be handled Chicago on July 27. The Crime Dog hit a respectable 282th with 12 homers in 49 matches with the Cubs, hitting the cleanup behind Sammy Sosa, who was probably his best season, hitting 64 homers with the highest career on average batting (0.328) and RBI (160) for the Don Baylor club. Jon Lieber had 20 seasons of victory, and along with Tapani and Wood made a solid rotation. The Cubs led the Wild Card winning Cardinals by 2.5 games in early September, but Preston Wilson's takeoff from nearby Tom "Flash" Gordon took the wind out of the team screens, failing to make other serious allegations. The Cubs managed to complete 88-74, only 5 games behind both St. Louis and Houston, are tied for the first, but followed this with a 2002 disaster campaign, after Baylor was fired and replaced by another new manager.
2003-2006: The Dusty Baker year
The Cubs won their first NL Central crown in 2003. Team success can be attributed largely to the dominant early rotation, featuring Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Clement, who all won at least 13 games. The overall pitching staff leads the National League in Strikeouts with 1,404. By the middle of the season, the Cubs had overcome the cork bat incident of Sammy Sosa, and found themselves in the middle of the batting race, and sought a replacement for Bill Mueller, who was trading near the end of the '02 campaign. Initially, there was talk of a deal for Marlin 3B's Mike Lowell, who came very close to the result. Eventually, the team reached the paydirt after trading Mark Bellhorn for Jose Hernandez and then trading Hernandez and Bobby Hill to Pirates for Aramis RamÃÆ'rez and center fielder Kenny Lofton in what had proved to be a slant deal in favor of the Cubbies.
Completed August in 69-66, the Cubs cried in September, riding Sammy Sosa, MoisÃÆ'Â © s Alou, and their new teammates as they started the moon by taking four out of five matches in an important series against St. Louis, and won 19 of 27 by the end of the month. Before and Wood both had a good season, but were predominantly dominant after June, and dubbed the "Chicago Heat" by Sports Illustrated, the name attached to the media. Both fireballers and their friends managed to defeat Astros, seize the division on September 27 against Pittsburgh, as it did in 1984. The team went into the playoffs, defeating Greg Maddux and Atlanta in five games in the NLDS, a post-season series win first club since 1908, and moved to face Lowell and eventual champion Florida Marlins in NLCS. After dropping one game, the Cubs went on to take 3 games for 1 lead and it seems North Siders will reach the World Series eventually. Marlins thrower Josh Beckett turned off the Cubs in Game 5, but most fans regarded this as a blessing, just as Prior and Wood's pocket cards are scheduled to start the next two games, the victory seemed convincing, and the team could "break the curse" at home.
Game 6, held on 14 October, is a scene never seen before, as about 200,000 fans shout fighting against the cold weather and packing the streets outside Wrigley Field, and thousands more packed into local bars around the park, in anticipation of seeing the Place sleeping Cubs World Series. The Cubs gave Prior a 3-0 lead that night. The crowd is pumping with more adrenaline when the 7th stretch is sung by comedian Bernie Mac, who replaces the "home team" with "Cubbies", singing "Root, root, root for The Champs." was the eighth inning when the now-famous incident took place where a fan, Steve Bartman, tried to catch a foul ball that was hit by Luis Castillo from Florida that Cub left the Moisà © Å © s Alou fielder also tried catching to record a second exit. Alou is very angry and Castillo ends up walking around. The drama was followed up with a boot ground ball by SS Alex S. Gonzalez, potentially ending the innings through double play. This apparently rocked the team and opened the door to the 8th Florida walk and Marlin victory. Ironically, Gonzalez leads the National League in lowering the percentage among all shortstops for the regular season. The next night, the Cubs rebounded to get two leads in Game 7, with Kerry Wood (who homered in game) on the mound, but lost close, back and forth games, sealed by a winning game shot by Marlin slugger Derrek Lee, and North Siders once again lags behind the World Series.
In 2004, misfortune hit the North Side again. The team welcomes back missing child Greg Maddux to fill fourth place in the rotation behind Wood, Prior, and Carlos Zambrano, giving the Cubs what on paper is considered the strongest rotation in the league. In late July, GM Jim Hendry pulled the blockbuster trade with Boston's eventual champion for Nomar Garciaparra, and the Cubs held the Wild card leading by the game and a half on Sept. 24, but had a late inning comeback from Mets, and then went on to drop 7 of the last 9 games they, five of them in one go, let go of excellence to Houston Astros. The end of the season was a meaningless victory over Braves, a game Captain Sosa's team asked to sit down, but then recorded by a security camera as he left the baseball stadium in the second inning. When asked about the show by the media, Sosa refused to leave Wrigley early. Already a controversial figure in the clubhouse, Sammy alienates many of his fan base (and some members of his well-connected team) with this incident, leaving his place in the Cubs story likely tarnished for years to come.
Although Dusty Baker has led the team to 89 wins in 2004, a one-game increase during the 2003 season near-pegada, higher expectations and the season was considered a failure. This time, the fall is definitely not easy to love. Questions were raised for Baker's ability to handle pitching staff, constant juggling of the Cub lineup, and a large number of costly injuries. Prior to the 2005 campaign, the Cubs eventually succeeded in trading Sosa into the Baltimore Orioles for Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Mike Fontenot. Months later, Sammy was one of a group of players, (including Mark McGwire) who was asked to testify in a nationally televised session before a House Government Reform Committee on the use of steroids in baseball.
Hendry drew another intelligent move in the offseason, acquiring 2003 villain Derrek Lee to Hee-seop Choi, and Lee went on to have his best season, hitting 0.335 with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. Ryan Dempster also had a good season, establishing himself as a team closer to 33 saves in 35 saving chances, but the team finished disappointing in fourth place at 79-83. Many key players are expected to contribute to the success the team missed over time due to injury, including Ramirez, Prior, Wood, and Garciaparra. Although many feel Baker has done a remarkable job leading the team to nearly 0,500 seasons, most media and fan bases started calling Baker's head because of what they saw as an attitude of indifference and failure to hold players accountable. The White Sox crosstown victory in the World Series over his division rival in Houston that year just rubs salt in the wounds of Cubs fans.
The Tribune gave Baker one last chance to turn things around, and Jim Hendry retooled the roster for the 2006 campaign. During the off-season, the Cubs revamped outfield, gaining quick center fielder Juan Pierre from Marlins and free agent ink Jacque Jones to fill the hole on the right. Former blue-chip prospect Corey Patterson, who has shown flashes of brilliance but never the ability to play consistently at high levels, is traded. In addition, veteran aid pitchers Bob Howry and Scott Eyre were brought in to support the bullpen. The North Siders came out of the hot gate in 2006, sweeping St. Louis was on his way to the start of 14-9, but a superstar injury to Derrek Lee sent the team into a further lap. In early May, the team set a franchise record for offensive futility with only 13 runs in 11 games. Rich Hill came from Iowa and showed some flashes of excellence, and Aramis RamÃÆ'rez had a great season, but Pierre, despite stealing 52 bases, failed to meet expectations and Jones criticized the faithful Wrigley for jeering him after his poor start to play. Although Jones refined his ship by parking 27 homers, the team repeatedly failed to score for its pitching staff and ended the season with a miserable 66-96. When rumors of club sales dominated the horizon, Andy MacPhail resigned from his position as team president after this season, and the team chose to let Baker, the "Messiah" contract expire.
2007-2008: Back to Back
After finishing the '06 campaign in the NL Central basement, Boys in Blue went from the worst to the first in 2007. First, Chicago hired veteran captain Lou Piniella after a managerial search that included Joe Girardi's favorite home town. Shortly thereafter, the Tribune Company was sold, but still allowed some important pre-season movements. The team re-signed Aramis RamÃÆ'rez, instead of waiting for Mark Prior to heal, Hendry signed Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis to join the rotation. He also signed a free agent infielder Mark DeRosa and gave Alfonso Soriano the richest contract in the history of the Cubs. The team started slowly, however, trailing behind Milwaukee for eight games. Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett were involved in a break-room fight, Piniella was suspended for kicking the ground at the referee, and the season was in jeopardy in June.
Then things start to change. Barrett traded away, and the club survived injuries and suspensions, triggered by rookie funeral player Carlos MÃÆ'¡rmol, and infielder Ryan Theriot. The Cubs won 19 games in July, and towards the end of the season, Kerry Wood's staff ace returned from the defect list as a reliever. In September, Northsiders won the critical series, kicking a 10-2 stretch that featured a pair of dramatic, late-inning victories against the Reds. In what is called the most exciting Major League Baseball season, the Cubs seized Central on 28 September.
In NLDS, they meet with Arizona Diamondbacks. Carlos Zambrano is dominant in Game 1, but is matched by Brandon Webb's D-Backs because the game is tied to one after six. In a move that has since been under scrutiny, Piniella summoned the ace Carlos MÃÆ'¡rmol to start the seventh, who uncharacteristically surrendered twice. Piniella drew Zambrano because he planned to take him back for a short break for Game 4. The next night, the Cubs jumped out 2-0 at home run by rookie catcher Geovany Soto, but Lilly, who was 9-1 after the Cub lost, was touched for six times. In the home finals, the offense wasted many chances, leaving 12 runners stranded and victimized by four double dramas on the way to the end of a promising season.
Just before Christmas 2007, Sam Zell closed the Tribune's sale and promised the team to be sold before the season (which ultimately did not happen), causing many to question whether the Cubs would be the
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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