“Them’a Cubs…they ain’t ‘a gonna’ winna’ no more! They are now and a’ forever cursed! –Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, while being escorted out of Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series…
Hack Wilson Sets RBI Record 94 years ago Today!
“Hung over, yes, many times…drunk, no.” -Hack Wilson, when asked if he ever played drunk.
“He was built like a beer keg…and was not unfamiliar with its contents!” -Unknown sportswriter, describing Hack Wilson’s physique…
The 116th Anniversary of the “Merkle Game”: The Day Fred Merkle’s Life Changed Forever
I think all fair-minded baseball fans would never want to see anyone’s life negatively altered by what happens in a baseball game (think: Steve Bartman). Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to a young 19-year-old rookie named Fred Merkle 116 years ago today…
How Bad Can a Baseball Season Get? White Sox Challenge Post-1900 Record of 1916 Philadelphia A’s For Futility
Here in Chicago, we’re in the midst of a stunningly bad baseball season…
We Know Andre Dawson Was A Great Player, But Did You Know That…
“I always thought that Andre was a renaissance man, but this is taking it to a different level!” – Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson
Norman Rockwell and Baseball, Part II: “The Dugout”
Three weeks ago, I posted an essay featuring Norman Rockwell’s iconic painting, “The Three Umpires.” Today, I’ll repost an essay I wrote four years ago about another classic Rockwell baseball painting and a companion to the “Three Umpires”: “The Dugout.”…
Baseball’s Forgotten Stars: The “Mayor of Wrigley Field,” Hank Sauer!
In doing a recent search through the content on my Baseball History Comes Alive website, I realized that I had never even mentioned one of the true stars of the early 1950s, Hank Sauer…
Joe Pepitone, Rest In Peace
There may have been more troubled souls in baseball’s long history than Joe Pepitone, but you’d be hard-pressed to name one…
We’re Contacted By Son of Former 1930s Cub Star, Stan Hack!
As I’ve mentioned many times, we always love it when we’re contacted by a relative of a former major leaguer. It makes no difference if the player was a star or a sub…
Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker End 33-Year Feud!
With the opening of Spring training this week, here’s something that will warm your heart—and may even bring a tear to your eye!…
Frank Chance Takes the Yankees’ Managerial Helm, January 8, 1913
“There is one thing I will never believe, and that is that the Sox are better than the Cubs” -Frank Chance, after the Cubs lost to the “HItless Wonder” White Sox in the 1906 World Series…
The Sad Demise of Hack Wilson
“Hung over, yes, many times…drunk, no.” -Hack Wilson’s response when asked if he ever played drunk…
Reflections on Chicago Baseball in the 1950s
To those of us who cut our baseball “teeth” in the 1950s in Chicago, we initially had very little awareness that we were living in the Golden Age of baseball—The Fifties—and that New York, with its great three teams was the center of the baseball universe…
The Original Mr. Cub: “Jolly Cholly” Grimm
Today we welcome back to the fold Michael Keedy with an interesting essay covering the long career of Charlie Grimm, calling him the original “Mr. Cub.”…
Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins Gets His Statue!
Here’s one we can file under: Most Lopsided Trades of All Time! It doesn’t get much worse than this!
Another Edition of Lopsided Trades: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown Goes to the Cubs!
Brock for Broglio? Yeah, that wasn’t a bad deal…But how about getting Mordecai “Three Finger ” Brown almost for free?? Now that’s a deal!…
Let’s Revisit the 1910 World Series: Cubs vs. A’s!
The 1910 Fall Classic featured the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago Cubs, with the Athletics winning in five games…
Baseball “Goats,” Part Three: Heine Zimmerman and the 1917 World Series
“Who the hell was I supposed to throw to, Bill Klem?”…
The Merkle Tragedy, Part Two: The Warren Gill Game
The game isn’t over until that man touches second base! Why don’t you wait until the game is over, you big fathead!…
Another Edition of Baseball’s Forgotten Stars! Bill “Swish” Nicholson!
Let’s shine the spotlight on Bill “Swish” Nicholson…and remember the unusual “gift” he received in 1944…
Another Baseball “Babe”: Babe Herman!
Dubbed “The Headless Horseman of Ebbets Field” by Dazzy Vance for his various base running misadventures, Herman was one of the great power hitters of the 1930s..
The Cubs’ Recent “Combined No-Hitter” Calls to Mind 1917!
I’m sure most of you heard that the Cubs recently threw a combined no-hitter. When I heard about it, my baseball history antenna immediately went off…
“SCIENCE” AND BASEBALL
All baseball history fans, especially old Cub fans like me who suffered through decades of mismanagement during the P.K. Wrigley years, will enjoy Paul Doyle’s interesting essay today…
Ballplayers and Their Children, Part Three: Hack Wilson and Son Bobby.
The diminutive Hack Wilson was one of the most accomplished power hitters in the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s…
The Original Wrigley Field Scoreboard, October 4, 1935
The featured photo above was taken during the 1935 World Series between the Tigers and Cubs.
Ballplayers and Their Children, Part I
Today, I’m reintroducing a series I started a few years ago, which at the time I called Ballplayers and their Children.
1932 New York Yankees
Check out this great team photo of the 1932 World Series Champion Yankees, beautifully restored/colorized by the very talented artist, Chris Whitehead of Mancave photos…
Cubs Park Raided! May 24, 1920
“Today, Cubs management talks of welcoming gamblers to Wrigley Field. A century ago, it was calling the cops on them.”…
Tribute To Lou Brock, RIP
The entire baseball world was saddened to learn yesterday of the passing of the great Hall-of-Famer, Lou Brock…
Baseball Shootings, Part Two: Eddie Waitkus Shot by an Obsessed “Femme Fatale”
“If I can’t have you, nobody else can either!” –Ruth Ann Steinhagen to the object of her obsession, Eddie Waitkus, just before shooting him…
Cub Players Shot by Scorned Lovers, Part I: “The Showgirl and the Shortstop!”
“Billy Jurges was one in a hundred thousand. I met him at a party…and I fell hard.
“Hippo” Vaughn and Baseball’s Rarest of Feats: The “Double No Hitter”
What are the odds of a double no-hitter? Well, I read somewhere the odds of a no-hitter in any game are 13,000-to-one…
“Shufflin’ Phil” Douglas and the 1918 Pennant-Winning Cubs
I always used to designate 1918 as the most dysfunctional year in baseball history, but I’m afraid this year, 2020, will now hold that dubious distinction…
Glenn Beckert, RIP
“Glenn Beckert was a wonderful person who also happened to be an excellent ballplayer.” –Statement from the Chicago Cubs upon the passing of Glenn Beckert…
Cubs Spring Training on Catalina Island!
How many baseball fans are aware that for 30 years the Cubs held Spring training on their own private paradise?…
Spring Training, Part I: Let’s Play Ball!
If this photo won’t put you in the mood for baseball, nothing will!…
The Iconic Norman Rockwell Painting: “The Dugout”!
In a recent photo of the Cubs at spring training, one of our readers noted that the Cub players in the bullpen wore uniforms similar to the Cub batboy in the iconic Norman Rockwell painting, “The Dugout.”…
Another Edition of “Baseball’s Forgotten Stars!”: Phil Cavarretta!
I think there’s a real good chance the former 1930s-’40’s baseball star Phil Cavarretta saw the classic 1992 movie A Few Good Men sometime during his long life…
Another Edition of Baseball’s Forgotten Stars: Dolph Camilli
“Dolph Camilli was a quiet, gentle man but he was as strong as an ox. Nobody knew how well Dolph could fight because, quite frankly, nobody had ever wanted to find out” –Dodger Manager Leo Durocher…
What’s Unique About this 1929 Cubs’ Team Photo??
Check out this neat photo of the 1929 National League pennant-winning Cubs. There’s a lot of familiar names in there…