Chicago Cubs: Difference between revisions
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The Cubs are currently managed by [[Lou Piniella]], and their [[general manager]] is [[Jim Hendry]]. In December, 2007, [[Sam Zell]] completed his purchase of the club's parent company, [[Tribune Company]], and intends to sell the team.<ref>ESPN.com, [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2821964&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines Prominent names mentioned as possible Cubs' buyers] Retrieved on [[April 2]], [[2007]]</ref> |
The Cubs are currently managed by [[Lou Piniella]], and their [[general manager]] is [[Jim Hendry]]. In December, 2007, [[Sam Zell]] completed his purchase of the club's parent company, [[Tribune Company]], and intends to sell the team.<ref>ESPN.com, [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2821964&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines Prominent names mentioned as possible Cubs' buyers] Retrieved on [[April 2]], [[2007]]</ref> |
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==Early franchise history== |
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yo mama rocks |
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{{main|History of the Chicago Cubs}} |
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====White Stockings/Colts==== |
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The success and fame of the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869, baseball's first openly all-[[professional]] team, led to an increase of other professional teams. Chicago adopted the name White Stockings, a variant of Cincinnati's team. On April 29, 1870, the team played their first game against the [[St. Louis]] Unions, winning 47-1.<ref>{{cite news | title = Opening of the Base Ball Campaign at St. Louis | work = Chicago Tribune | date = 1870-04-30 | accessdate = 2007-08-11}}</ref> |
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The White Stockings joined the [[National Association of Professional Base Ball Players|National Association]], the first professional baseball league in 1871. They played at [[Union Base-Ball Grounds]], however the stadium was destroyed later in the year by the [[Great Chicago Fire]]. They finished 2nd in the N.A. The club was considering dropping out of the league until 1874 when they started playing at the [[23rd Street Grounds]]. After the 1875 season, Chicago acquired their first future [[Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Famers]], pitcher [[Albert Spalding]] and first baseman / manager [[Cap Anson|Adrian "Cap" Anson]]. Anson was the first player ever credited with reaching 3,000 hits. |
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The club's president, [[William Hulbert]] contributed to the formation of the [[National League]]. In 1880, they finished 67-17, for an all-time record .798 winning percentage. Early teams played only 84 contests with long travel times between series, thus only needing two starting pitchers. [[Larry Corcoran]], [[Fred Goldsmith]] and later [[John Clarkson]] were some of the starting pitchers during this time. |
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In 1882, the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]], a second major league, was founded. The White Stockings faced the [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Browns]] twice in early World Series championship play in 1885 and 1886. The first series between the two ended in a dispute with no resolution, and the Browns won the second meeting the following year. The Browns would eventually join the National League and be renamed the Cardinals, and the two clubs' rivalry continues to the present day. |
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By 1890, the print media had pretty much abandoned "White Stockings" as a nickname, and the name "Colts" (as in "Anson's Colts"), which had been in some use already, became standard. (Eddie Gold and Art Ahrens, ''The Golden Era Cubs: 1876-1940'', Bonus Books, 1985) Dubbed the "Orphans" in 1898, when Anson's contract was not renewed, the "Colts" name remained in circulation through the 1905 season. The name "Cubs" first appeared in print in 1902, and gained popularity over the next four years, before becoming the sole nickname in 1906. (Art Ahrens, ''Chicago Cubs: Tinker to Evers to Chance'', Arcadia, 2007) |
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The old name, Chicago White Stockings, was adopted in 1900 by the new [[American League]] entry on Chicago's south side, and was soon shortened to [[Chicago White Sox]]. |
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====Golden years - a Cub dynasty==== |
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[[Image:1906 cubs.gif|thumb|left|220px|right|The 1906 Cubs won a record 116 games in a 154 game season. The club then won back to back World Series titles in 1907-08]] [[Joe Tinker]] ([[shortstop]]), [[Johnny Evers]] ([[second baseman]]), and [[Frank Chance]] ([[first baseman]]) were three Cubs [[infielder]]s who played together at Chicago's [[West Side Park]] from 1903 to 1912. They were made famous as a double-play combination by [[Franklin P. Adams]]' poem ''[[Baseball's Sad Lexicon]]'', which first appeared in the [[July 18]], [[1910]], edition of the ''[[New York Evening Mail]]''. [[Mordecai Brown|Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown]], [[Jack Taylor (20th century baseball player)|Jack Taylor]], [[Ed Reulbach]], [[Jack Pfiester]] and [[Orval Overall]] were several key pitchers for the cubs during this time period. With Chance as player-manager, the Cubs won four pennants and two World Series titles over a five-year span. Although they fell to the White Sox in the [[1906 World Series]], The Cubs recorded a record 116 victories and the [[List of best MLB season records|best winning percentage]] (.763) of the modern era. With this roster, Chicago won back to back World Series championships in [[1907 World Series|1907]] and [[1908 World Series|1908]]. Veteran catcher [[Johnny Kling]] sat out the 1909 season to become a [[pocket billiards]] player. He was replaced by [[Jimmy Archer]]. Some historians think Kling's absence was significant enough to prevent the Cubs from also winning the pennant in 1909. They finished 6 games out of first place. <ref>''Three Finger'', Cindy Thomson & Scott Brown, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0-8032-4448-7, p.88-89</ref> When Kling returned the next year, the Cubs won the [[pennant]] again, but lost to the Philadelphia Athletics in the [[1910 World Series]]. |
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====Every three years==== |
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{{main|History of the Chicago Cubs}} |
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[[Image:hack-wilson.jpg|thumb|left|150px|right|Hack Wilson hit .356 with 56 homers & 191 RBI in 1930.]]With owner [[William Wrigley]]'s money and [[William Veeck, Sr.|William Veeck]]'s front-office savvy, the Cubs were soon back in business in the National League, having built a team that would be strong contenders for the next decade. [[Hack Wilson]], [[Gabby Hartnett]], [[Rogers Hornsby]], and many other stars donned Cub uniforms during this period, and they achieved the unusual accomplishment of winning a pennant every three years - [[1929 World Series|1929]], [[1932 World Series|1932]], [[1935 World Series|1935]] and [[1938 World Series|1938]]. Unfortunately, their success did not extend to the post-season, as they fell to their [[American League|AL]] rivals each time. The '32 series featured Babe Ruth's "[[Babe Ruth's called shot|called shot]]." There were some historic moments for the Cubs as well - they won the '35 pennant in thrilling fashion, winning a record 21 games in a row in September. The '38 club saw [[Dizzy Dean]] lead the team's pitching staff and provided a historic moment when they won a late-season game with a [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/chc/y2007/m07/d20/c2099223.jsp "walk-off" homer] by Gabby Hartnett, which became known in baseball [[lore]] as "[[The Homer in the Gloamin']]." By 1939, the 'double-Bills' (Wrigley and Veeck) had both passed away, and the front office, now under [[P.K. Wrigley]] found itself unable to rekindle the kind of success that P.K.'s father had created, and so the team slipped into a few years of mediocrity. |
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====The Curse==== |
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{{main|The Curse of the Billy Goat}} |
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{{main|Chicago Cubs futility theories}} |
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The Cubs enjoyed one more pennant at the close of [[World War II]]. Due to the [[wartime]] travel restrictions, the first three games were played in [[Detroit]], where the Cubs won two games, including a one-hitter by [[Claude Passeau]], and the [[final four]] were played at Wrigley. In game 4 of the [[1945 World Series]], the [[Curse of the Billy Goat]] was allegedly laid upon the Cubs when P.K. Wrigley ejected [[Billy Sianis]], who had come to game 4 with two box seat tickets, one for him and one for his goat. They paraded around for a few innings, but Wrigley demanded the goat leave the park due to its unpleasant odor. Upon his ejection, Mr. Sianis uttered, ''"the Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more."'' The Cubs lost game 4, lost the [[1945 World Series]], and have not been back since. It has also been said by many that Sianis put a "curse" on the Cubs, apparently preventing the team from making it back to (but not actually winning) the World Series. After losing the 1945 World Series, the Cubs finished with winning seasons the next two years, but those teams did not enter post-season play. |
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==Recent history== |
==Recent history== |
Revision as of 21:48, 28 April 2008
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2008) |
For current information on this topic, see 2008 Chicago Cubs season. |
Chicago Cubs | |||||
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2024 Chicago Cubs season | |||||
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Major league affiliations | |||||
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Current uniform | |||||
Retired numbers | 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 | ||||
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Other nicknames | |||||
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Ballpark | |||||
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Major league titles | |||||
World Series titles (2) | 1908 • 1907 | ||||
NL Pennants (16) | 1945 • 1938 • 1935 • 1932 1929 • 1918 • 1910 • 1908 1907 • 1906 • 1886 • 1885 1882 • 1881 • 1880 • 1876 | ||||
Central Division titles (2) | 2007 • 2003 | ||||
East Division titles (2) | 1989 • 1984 | ||||
Wild card berths (1) | 1998 | ||||
Front office | |||||
Principal owner(s) | Sam Zell | ||||
General manager | Jim Hendry | ||||
Manager | Lou Piniella |
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs are members and defending champions of the Central Division of Major League Baseball’s National League. The club has played their home games at historic Wrigley Field since 1916. The Cubs are one of two Major League clubs in Chicago, the other being the Chicago White Sox, and are one of the only two remaining charter members left in the NL, the other being the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs have a strong, ongoing rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals. The franchise won its 10,000th game on April 23rd, 2008, an MLB record for a team in a single city.
The Cubs are often referred to by fans and media as The North Siders, since Wrigley is in Chicago's north side Lakeview community, or simply as The Cubbies.
The Cubs are currently managed by Lou Piniella, and their general manager is Jim Hendry. In December, 2007, Sam Zell completed his purchase of the club's parent company, Tribune Company, and intends to sell the team.[1]
Early franchise history
White Stockings/Colts
The success and fame of the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869, baseball's first openly all-professional team, led to an increase of other professional teams. Chicago adopted the name White Stockings, a variant of Cincinnati's team. On April 29, 1870, the team played their first game against the St. Louis Unions, winning 47-1.[2]
The White Stockings joined the National Association, the first professional baseball league in 1871. They played at Union Base-Ball Grounds, however the stadium was destroyed later in the year by the Great Chicago Fire. They finished 2nd in the N.A. The club was considering dropping out of the league until 1874 when they started playing at the 23rd Street Grounds. After the 1875 season, Chicago acquired their first future Hall of Famers, pitcher Albert Spalding and first baseman / manager Adrian "Cap" Anson. Anson was the first player ever credited with reaching 3,000 hits.
The club's president, William Hulbert contributed to the formation of the National League. In 1880, they finished 67-17, for an all-time record .798 winning percentage. Early teams played only 84 contests with long travel times between series, thus only needing two starting pitchers. Larry Corcoran, Fred Goldsmith and later John Clarkson were some of the starting pitchers during this time.
In 1882, the American Association, a second major league, was founded. The White Stockings faced the St. Louis Browns twice in early World Series championship play in 1885 and 1886. The first series between the two ended in a dispute with no resolution, and the Browns won the second meeting the following year. The Browns would eventually join the National League and be renamed the Cardinals, and the two clubs' rivalry continues to the present day.
By 1890, the print media had pretty much abandoned "White Stockings" as a nickname, and the name "Colts" (as in "Anson's Colts"), which had been in some use already, became standard. (Eddie Gold and Art Ahrens, The Golden Era Cubs: 1876-1940, Bonus Books, 1985) Dubbed the "Orphans" in 1898, when Anson's contract was not renewed, the "Colts" name remained in circulation through the 1905 season. The name "Cubs" first appeared in print in 1902, and gained popularity over the next four years, before becoming the sole nickname in 1906. (Art Ahrens, Chicago Cubs: Tinker to Evers to Chance, Arcadia, 2007)
The old name, Chicago White Stockings, was adopted in 1900 by the new American League entry on Chicago's south side, and was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox.
Golden years - a Cub dynasty
Joe Tinker (shortstop), Johnny Evers (second baseman), and Frank Chance (first baseman) were three Cubs infielders who played together at Chicago's West Side Park from 1903 to 1912. They were made famous as a double-play combination by Franklin P. Adams' poem Baseball's Sad Lexicon, which first appeared in the July 18, 1910, edition of the New York Evening Mail. Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jack Taylor, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester and Orval Overall were several key pitchers for the cubs during this time period. With Chance as player-manager, the Cubs won four pennants and two World Series titles over a five-year span. Although they fell to the White Sox in the 1906 World Series, The Cubs recorded a record 116 victories and the best winning percentage (.763) of the modern era. With this roster, Chicago won back to back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908. Veteran catcher Johnny Kling sat out the 1909 season to become a pocket billiards player. He was replaced by Jimmy Archer. Some historians think Kling's absence was significant enough to prevent the Cubs from also winning the pennant in 1909. They finished 6 games out of first place. [3] When Kling returned the next year, the Cubs won the pennant again, but lost to the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1910 World Series.
Every three years
With owner William Wrigley's money and William Veeck's front-office savvy, the Cubs were soon back in business in the National League, having built a team that would be strong contenders for the next decade. Hack Wilson, Gabby Hartnett, Rogers Hornsby, and many other stars donned Cub uniforms during this period, and they achieved the unusual accomplishment of winning a pennant every three years - 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938. Unfortunately, their success did not extend to the post-season, as they fell to their AL rivals each time. The '32 series featured Babe Ruth's "called shot." There were some historic moments for the Cubs as well - they won the '35 pennant in thrilling fashion, winning a record 21 games in a row in September. The '38 club saw Dizzy Dean lead the team's pitching staff and provided a historic moment when they won a late-season game with a "walk-off" homer by Gabby Hartnett, which became known in baseball lore as "The Homer in the Gloamin'." By 1939, the 'double-Bills' (Wrigley and Veeck) had both passed away, and the front office, now under P.K. Wrigley found itself unable to rekindle the kind of success that P.K.'s father had created, and so the team slipped into a few years of mediocrity.
The Curse
The Cubs enjoyed one more pennant at the close of World War II. Due to the wartime travel restrictions, the first three games were played in Detroit, where the Cubs won two games, including a one-hitter by Claude Passeau, and the final four were played at Wrigley. In game 4 of the 1945 World Series, the Curse of the Billy Goat was allegedly laid upon the Cubs when P.K. Wrigley ejected Billy Sianis, who had come to game 4 with two box seat tickets, one for him and one for his goat. They paraded around for a few innings, but Wrigley demanded the goat leave the park due to its unpleasant odor. Upon his ejection, Mr. Sianis uttered, "the Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." The Cubs lost game 4, lost the 1945 World Series, and have not been back since. It has also been said by many that Sianis put a "curse" on the Cubs, apparently preventing the team from making it back to (but not actually winning) the World Series. After losing the 1945 World Series, the Cubs finished with winning seasons the next two years, but those teams did not enter post-season play.
Recent history
Fall of 1969
After over twenty years of futility, things were finally looking up in 1969, as skipper Leo Durocher's Cubs had built a substantial lead in the newly created National League East in August. They were led by All Star Ron Santo and eventual Hall Of Famers Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Billy Williams. Ken Holtzman pitched a no-hitter on August 19, and the division lead was 8½ games over the Cardinals and 9½ games over the New York Mets, but the Cubs played erratic baseball and lost key games against the Mets, ultimately losing the lead. Many superstitious fans attribute this collapse to an incident at Shea Stadium when a fan released a black cat onto the field, thereby further cursing the club. Others have stated the sheer number of day games that the Cubs had to play contributed to the disaster. (Lights for night games were not installed in Wrigley Field until 1988.) Chicago's summers are quite humid (85-90 degrees Fahrenheit on average), and playing in this heat day after day might have taken its toll[4]). From August 14 through the end of the season, the Mets had an amazing 39-11 record, finishing with 100 wins and an 8 game lead over the second place Cubs, who slumped in September, going only 8-17 and finishing 92-70.
1984 heartbreak
After more than a dozen more subpar seasons, the 1984 Cubs made a midseason deal to acquire ace pitcher Rick Sutcliffe from Cleveland, who joined Scott Sanderson, Ron Cey and NL MVP Ryne Sandberg on a squad that ultimately tallied an NL best 96 victories, winning the NL East. In the NLCS the Cubbies won the first two games at Wrigley Field against the San Diego Padres. The Cubs needed to win only one game of the next three in San Diego to make it back to the World Series. After being beaten in game 3, the Cubs lost when dependable closer Lee Smith allowed a game-winning home run to Steve Garvey in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4. In Game 5 the Cubs took a 3-0 lead to the 6th inning, and a 3-2 lead into the 7th with Sutcliffe (who won the Cy Young Award that year) still on the mound, but he tired, and a critical error by Leon Durham, who watched a routine grounder go through his legs helped San Diego win the game and kept Chicago out of the 1984 World Series.
1989 NL East champions
In 1989, the first full season with night baseball at Wrigley Field, the Cubs were led by a core group of veterans in Sandberg, Sutcliffe and Andre Dawson, who were boosted by a crop of youngsters such as Mark Grace, Shawon Dunston, Greg Maddux and Rookie of the Year Jerome Walton. The Cubbies won the NL East once again that season winning 93 games. This time the Northsiders met the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. After splitting the first two games at home, the Cubs headed to the Bay Area, where despite holding a lead at some point in each of the next three games, bullpen meltdowns and managerial blunders ultimately led to three straight losses. The Giants lost to "The Bash Brothers" and the Oakland A's in the famous "Earthquake Series".
1998 wild card
After the retirement of Sandberg and the trading of Dunston, the team needed to look elsewhere for help. In 1998 the Cubs signed outfielder Henry Rodriguez while Sammy Sosa responded with a 66 home run season. This effort, coupled with a Rookie of the Year season by Kerry Wood, won a down-to-the-wire Wild Card chase over San Francisco, culminating with the Cubs beating the Giants in a one game playoff at Wrigley in which Gary Gaetti hit a game winning homer and propelled the Cubs into the postseason once again. They scored only six runs en route to being swept by Atlanta. The home run chase between Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Ken Griffey, Jr. generated a great deal of media coverage, and helped to bring in a new crop of fans as well as bringing back some fans who had been disillusioned by the 1994 strike.
2001 playoff push
Sosa had 64 homers and Jon Lieber won 20 games, while the club made a midseason deal for Fred McGriff (which was drawn out for nearly a month as McGriff debated waiving his no-trade clause) as the Northsiders led the wild card race by 2.5 games in early September, but the run died when Preston Wilson hit a three run walk off homer off of closer Tom "Flash" Gordon, which killed the team's momentum, and they failed to make another serious charge. The Cubs finished only 5 games behind both St. Louis and Houston.
2003 comeback
The Cubs had high expectations in 2002, but the squad played poorly, and the club responded by hiring Dusty Baker and by making some major moves in '03. Most notably, they traded with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Aramis Ramirez, finally filling a gaping hole at third base, and rode dominant pitching as the Northsiders won their first division title in 14 years, and their NLDS victory over the Atlanta Braves was the team's first postseason series win since 1908. The Cubs then took a 3 games to 1 lead over the Florida Marlins in the NLDS. After dropping Game 5, Mark Prior and the Cubs took a 3-0 lead to the 8th inning of Game 6, when a now-infamous incident took place. A fan, Steve Bartman, attempted to catch a foul ball off the bat of Luis Castillo, disrupting a potential catch for the second out by Moises Alou. Interference was not called on the play, as the ball was on the spectator side of the wall. Alou was unable to make the catch. Two batters later, Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez misplayed a potential inning ending double play, loading the bases and leading to eight Florida runs and a Marlin victory. Despite sending Kerry Wood to the mound and holding a lead twice, the Cubs also dropped Game 7, and once again were left on the outside of the World Series looking in.
2004 letdown
In 2004, despite the return of Greg Maddux and a midseason deal for Nomar Garciaparra, misfortune struck the Cubs again. They led the Wild Card by 1.5 games on September 25, but LaTroy Hawkins blew a save to the Mets, and the Cubs proceeded to drop 7 of their last 9 games and relinquished their lead to the Astros. Despite winning 89 games, this fallout was decidedly unlovable, as the Cubs traded superstar Sammy Sosa after he had left the season's final game early and then lied about it publicly. Sosa, already a controversial figure in the clubhouse after his corked-bat incident, alienated much of his fan base, the few teammates still on good terms with him, and possibly tarnished his place in Cubs' lore for years to come. The disappointing season also saw fans become frustrated with the constant injuries to ace pitchers Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, and finally led to the departure of popular commentator Steve Stone, who had become increasingly critical of management and was verbally attacked by reliever Kent Mercker.
2007: Worst to first
After finishing with only 66 wins and 17.5 games out of first in 2006, the Northsiders re-tooled for 2007, signing Alfonso Soriano to the richest contract in Cub history and replacing skipper Dusty Baker with Lou Piniella. After a rough start, which included a brawl between Michael Barrett and Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs overcame the Milwaukee Brewers, who had led the division for most of the season, with winning streaks in June and July, ultimately clinching the NL Central with 85 victories. They met Arizona in the NLDS, but controversy followed as Piniella, in a move which has since come under scrutiny,pulled Carlos Zambrano after the sixth inning of a pitchers duel with D-Backs ace Brandon Webb, to "Save Zambrano for (a potential) Game 4." The Cubs, however, were unable to come through, losing Game 1 and eventually stranding over 30 baserunners in a three game Arizona sweep.
Radio and television
As of 2007, the Cubs' flagship radio station was WGN, 720AM. With the recent end of the Pittsburgh Pirates' run on KDKA, this may now be the longest team-to-station relationship in MLB. Pat Hughes is the play-by-play announcer, along with color commentator Ron Santo and pre- and post-game host Cory Provus. Santo, a former Cubs star and a fan of the team, and who is introduced as "Cub legend" on a daily basis by Pat Hughes, is known for his emotional highs and lows during games. One example of a "low" was his "Nooo! Nooo!" when Brant Brown dropped a fly ball in a key game in 1998. A "high" for Santo was upon the retirement of his number on the last day of the 2003 season, in which he declared his #10 flag to be "my Hall of Fame".
The Chicago Cubs Radio Network consists of 45 stations in eleven states.
Cubs telecasts are split three ways: WGN (both the local station and the superstation), WCIU (a local independent station), and Comcast SportsNet. Len Kasper is the play-by-play announcer, and Bob Brenly, a former major league catcher and Arizona Diamondbacks manager, is the color commentator for the games. WGN also produces the games shown on WCIU; for those games, the score bug changes to "CubsNet." WGN and Comcast Sports Net each show an even number of Cubs and Sox games, while WCIU averages about 8 games per season per team. Occasionally, the Cubs are shown on the cable channel Comcast Sports Net+, when the usual CSN channel has a scheduling conflict. CSN+ is just the CSN game broadcast on a different cable channel from regular CSN, with the channel depending on the region (commonly CLTV). In addition, the club also produces its own print media, in the form of the Cubs' official magazine Vineline, which has eight annual issues and is in its third decade.
Jack and Harry
Two broadcasters have made their mark on the team. Jack Brickhouse manned the Cubs radio and especially the TV booth for parts of five decades, covering the games with a level of enthusiasm that often seemed unjustified by the team's poor performance on the field for many of those years. His trademark call "Hey Hey!" usually followed a home run or other spectacular play. That expression is spelled out in large letters vertically on both foul pole screens at Wrigley Field. "Whoo-boy!" and "Wheeee!" and "Oh, brother!" were among his other pet expressions. When he approached retirement age, he personally recommended his successor.
Harry Caray's stamp on the team is perhaps even deeper than that of Brickhouse, though his tenure was half as long. First, Caray had already become a well-known Chicago figure by broadcasting White Sox games for a decade, after having been a Cardinals icon for 25 years. Caray also had the benefit of being in the booth during the NL East title run in 1984, which was widely seen due to WGN's status as a cable-TV superstation. His trademark call of "Holy Cow!" and his enthusiastic singing of "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch (as he had done with the White Sox) made Caray a fan favorite both locally and nationally. Harry occasionally had problems pronouncing names, to comic effect, such as his attempt at saying "Hector Villanueva" which was capture on WGN's memorial CD to Harry. He also continued his long-standing bit (dating back to the Cardinals years) of pronouncing names backwards. Caray had lively discussions with commentator Steve Stone, who was hand-picked by Harry himself, and producer Arne Harris. Caray often playfully quarreled with Stone over Stone's cigar and why Stone was single, while Stone would counter with poking fun at Harry being "under the influence." Stone disclosed in his book "Where's Harry" that most of this "arguing" was staged, and usually a ploy developed by Harry himself to add flavor to the broadcast. Additionally, Harry once did a commercial for Budweiser, dressed as a "Blues Brother" and parodying "Soul Man", singing "I'm a Cub fan, I'm a Bud man," while dancing with models dressed as ballgirls.
The Cubs still have a live singer, usually a celebrity, during the 7th inning stretch to honor Caray's memory. The quality of their renditions varies widely. Chicago icons often return annually, such as former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who tends to sing the song very fast and possibly on key. Caray is also honored with a statue located at the corner of Sheffield and Addison streets, and during the 1998 season, a patch with Caray's caricature and Brickhouse's trademark "Hey Hey" were worn on the players sleeves to honor the passing of both commentators within a span of a few months. Harry's popularity also led to his grandson Chip Caray joining the broadcast team in winter of 1997, shortly before Harry's death. Chip Caray worked the Cubs games alongside Stone until events that unfolded in 2004, when Stone became increasingly critical of management and players toward season's end. At one point, reliever Kent Mercker phoned the booth during a game and told Stone to "keep out of team business." Stone left the team, taking a position with Chicago-based WSCR. Chip Caray also left, joining his father Skip Caray on TBS, providing play-by-play for the Braves.
Miscellaneous
Championship drought
The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series championship since 1908 and have not appeared in a Series since 1945, although they have a number of post-season appearances since the multi-tiered playoff system was developed. It is the longest title drought in all five of the major American professional sports leagues, which includes the NFL, the NBA, the MLS/MISL and the NHL, as well as, of course, Major League Baseball. Playful theories try to blame the team's futility on alleged supernatural intervention, such as the Curse of the Billy Goat from 1945, citing the Leon Durham error of 1984 and the Bartman incident in 2003 as "evidence" of a curse. More practical theories include the too-cozy dimensions of Wrigley Field; the physical toll from the summer heat discussed in the 1977 book Stuck on the Cubs; and evidenced by the plentiful late season collapses, most notably '69 and 2004, as well as 1977, 1979, 1985, and 1999, among others. Finally, the most obvious candidate for this happenstance is the club's poor front office decisions.
Since the other two "cursed" teams, the Red Sox and the crosstown White Sox, broke their lengthy World Series droughts in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and with the Cubs now at the 100th anniversary of their last Series win, special attention has been drawn to the 2008 season.
10,000th win
On April 23, 2008, against the Colorado Rockies, the Cubs recorded the 10,000th regular-season win in their franchise's history [1] dating back to the beginning of the National League in 1876. The Cubs reached the milestone with an overall National League record of 10,000 wins and 9,465 losses. Chicago is only the second club in Major League Baseball history to attain this milestone, the first having been the San Francisco Giants in mid-season 2005. The Cubs, however, hold the mark for victories for a team in a single city. The Philadelphia Phillies are the only team with 10,000 losses. The Chicago club's 77-77 record in the National Association (1871, 1874-1875) are not included in MLB record keeping. Post-season series are also not included in the totals. To honor the milestone, the Cubs flew an extra white flag displaying "10,000" in blue, along with the customary "W" flag.
Record for runs scored
In an afternoon game at Wrigley Field against the Philadelphia Phillies, 45 runs were scored, in a 23-22 Phillies win. This fell just a few short of the Major League record, set by the Cubs and Phillies on August 25, 1922, when the Cubs outlasted the Phillies 26-23 at Wrigley Field.
Spring training
The Cubs spring training facuility is located in Mesa, Arizona, where they play in the Cactus League. The club plays its games at HoHoKam Park, the name of which, ironically, is literally translated from Native American as "those who vanished". The park seats just under 13,000, and The Cubs annually sell out most of their games both at home and on the road. The Northsiders have called Mesa their spring home for most seasons since 1952. In addition to Mesa, the club has held spring training in a variety of places, including Scottsdale, Arizona, The University of Illinois, Indiana State University, The University of South Florida in Tampa, Las Vegas, and Catalina Island, which is a small island off the coast of Los Angeles which was purchased by the Wrigley family in 1919 as a "paradise resort."
Wrigley Field and Wrigleyville
The Cubs have played their home games at Wrigley Field, also known as "The Friendly Confines" since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales. The Cubs also shared the park with the Chicago Bears of the NFL for many years. The ballpark includes a manual scoreboard, ivy-covered brick walls, and relatively small dimensions.
Located in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, Wrigley Field sits on an irregular block bounded by Clark and Addison Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. The area surrounding the ballpark is typically referred to as Wrigleyville. There is a dense collection of bars and nightclubs in the area, most with baseball inspired themes, including Harry Caray's, Murphy's Bleachers, and Sluggers. On gamedays, many residents rent out their yards and driveways during games to people looking for a parking spot. Though many Wrigleyville homeowners have seen their property values skyrocket, most, along with Mayor Richard M. Daley (a die-hard White Sox fan), still oppose the teams quest to play more night games and stadium expansion. Average attendance at games has also skyrocketed, as annual ticket sales have more than doubled, with attendance rising from 1.4 million in 1983 to nearly 3.2 million in 2004.
"White flag time at Wrigley!"
The term "White flag time at Wrigley!" means the Cubs have won.
Beginning in the days of P.K. Wrigley and the 1937 bleacher/scoreboard reconstruction, and prior to modern media saturation, a flag with either a "W" or an "L" has flown from atop the scoreboard masthead, indicating the day's result(s) when baseball was played at Wrigley. In case of a doubleheader that results in a split, both the "win" and "loss" flags are flown.
Past Cubs media guides show that originally the flags were blue with a white "W" and white with a blue "L", the latter coincidentally suggesting "surrender". In 1978, consistent with the dominant colors of the flags, blue and white lights were mounted atop the scoreboard, denoting "win" and "loss" respectively for the benefit of nighttime passers-by.
The flags were replaced by 1990, the first year in which the Cubs media guide reports the switch to the now familar colors of the flags: White with blue "W" and blue with white "L". In addition to needing to replace the worn-out flags, by then the retired numbers of Banks and Williams were flying on the foul poles, as white with blue numbers; so the "good" flag was switched to match that scheme.
This long-established tradition has evolved to fans carrying the white-with-blue-W flags to both home and away games, and displaying them after a Cub win. The flags have become more and more popular each season since 1998, and are now even sold at the ballpark.
Bleacher Bums
The "Bleacher Bums" is a name given to fans, many of whom spend much of the day heckling, who sit in the bleacher section at Wrigley Field. Initially, the group was called "bums" because it referred to a group of fans who were at most games, and since those games were all day games, it was assumed they did not work. Many of those fans were, and are still, students at Chicago colleges, such as DePaul University, Loyola, and Illinois-Chicago. A Broadway play, starring Joe Mantegna, Dennis Farina, Dennis Franz, and Jim Belushi ran for years and was based on a group of Cub fans who frequented the club's games. The group was started in the 1970s by Mike Murphy, who is currently a radio host on Chicago-based WSCR.[citation needed] The current group is headed by Derek Schaul. In 2005, Bud Light bought naming rights to the bleacher section, dubbing them the Bud Light Bleachers.
Mascots
The official Cub mascot is a young bear cub, which has gone through various transformations thru the years. The Cubs have no official physical mascot, though a man in a 'polar bear' looking outfit, called "The Beeman" (or Bearman, B-man), which was not very popular with the fans, was employed by the club briefly in the early 1990s. However, the Cubs' un-official mascot is a formerly homeless man named Ronnie Wickers, who goes by the nickname of "Ronnie Woo Woo."[5] Wickers is not employed by the team, but is seen daily at games and outside the park, dressed in full uniform, usually with a hula hoop or jump rope. Wickers is the second fan to reach this status, the first being "Gary The Drunk" in the 1980s through mid 90s, and was featured in Steve Stone's book "Where's Harry?" Wickers, however, is much more popular. He is known for his trademark yelling, for example "Mark.... Wooo! Grace.... Wooo!," and has been adopted by fans as a part of the culture at Wrigley Field. Wickers has gained national fame, and has appeared on the Howard Stern and Mancow radio programs.
See also
- History of the Chicago Cubs
- Chicago Cubs futility theories
- Chicago Cubs team records
- Chicago Tribune
- WGN TV Channel 9 / Superstation WGN
- WGN Radio 720 AM
- Sam Zell
- Curse of the Billy Goat
- Steve Bartman
- Major League Baseball franchise post-season droughts
- Grant DePorter
- Lee Elia
- Major North American professional sports teams
Current roster
40-man roster | Non-roster invitees | Coaches/Other | ||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
40 active, 0 inactive, 0 non-roster invitees 7-, 10-, or 15-day injured list |
Retired numbers
The Chicago Cubs retired numbers are commemorated on pinstriped flags flying from the foul poles at Wrigley Field:
Ron Santo 3B: 1960-1973 CHC
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Ernie Banks SS/1B: 1953-1971 CHC
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Ryne Sandberg 2B: 1982-1997 CHC
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Billy Williams OF: 1959-1974 CHC
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Number Reserved N/A: 2007 CHC
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Jackie Robinson Retired by MLB
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- Upon signing with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season, Ted Lilly agreed to wear uniform number 30 rather than his usual 31 due to its imminent retirement. It is unannounced if 31 would be retired in the name of Ferguson Jenkins, Greg Maddux, or both.
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Iowa Cubs, Pacific Coast League
- AA: Tennessee Smokies, Southern League
- Advanced A: Daytona Cubs, Florida State League
- A: Peoria Chiefs, Midwest League
- Short A: Boise Hawks, Northwest League
- Rookie: AZL Cubs, Arizona League
- Rookie: VSL Cubbies, Venezuelan Summer League
Season-by-season results
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Cubs. For the full season-by-season history, see Chicago Cubs seasons.
For updates on current season, see 2008 Chicago Cubs season.
Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Post-Season | ||||
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Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | |||||
2003 | 2003 | NL | Central | 1st | 88 | 74 | .543 | - | Won NLDS vs Atlanta Braves, 3–2 Lost NLCS to Florida Marlins, 3–4 |
2004 | 2004 | NL | Central | 3rd | 89 | 73 | .549 | 16 | |
2005 | 2005 | NL | Central | 4th | 79 | 83 | .488 | 21 | |
2006 | 2006 | NL | Central | 6th | 66 | 96 | .407 | 17.5 | |
2007 | 2007 | NL | Central | 1st | 85 | 77 | .525 | - | Lost NLDS to Arizona Diamondbacks, 0–3 |
Championships
Notes
- ^ ESPN.com, Prominent names mentioned as possible Cubs' buyers Retrieved on April 2, 2007
- ^ "Opening of the Base Ball Campaign at St. Louis". Chicago Tribune. 1870-04-30.
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(help) - ^ Three Finger, Cindy Thomson & Scott Brown, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0-8032-4448-7, p.88-89
- ^ "Chicago Summer Temperature Rankings", NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, September 7, 2006.
- ^ "Woo Who", Dave Hoekstra, Chicago Sun-Times, April 1, 2005.
External links
Further reading
- Murphy, Cait (2007). "Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History." New York, NY: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-0-06-088937-1
- Wright, Marshall (2000). The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0779-4
Template:MLB Chicago Cubs franchise
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