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Chicago
Cubs Baseball Team History |
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Founded in 1870
as an independent professional club, later joining the National Association
in 1871 and becoming a charter member of the National League in 1876.
The Great Chicago Fire destroyed the club's ballpark, uniforms and
records toward the end of the 1871 season. The club completed its
schedule, finishing second in the National Association that year,
but was forced to drop out of the league for the next two seasons
as a result. In 1875, Chicago acquired several key players from the
Boston Red Stockings, including pitcher Al Spalding and first baseman
Cap Anson, who would later become the team leader and manager for
almost twenty seasons. Anson was arguably the best player in baseball
in his day, though he is chiefly remembered today for his role in
establishing baseball's color line than for his playing and managerial
skill. The team played its first game in the history of the Chicago
National League Ball Club on April 25. The first run for the team
was scored by center fielder Paul Hines. In September 1876 the team
won their first NL pennant. The team changed its name in 1890 and
was now known as Chicago Colts for the next eight years. The team
moved to a new home in 1893 and played there for the next 18 years.
The team began playing at West Side Grounds. In 1898 the manager of
the team Cap Anson retired. The team was once again renamed and for
the next two years was known as the Chicago Orphans. During this time
the fans also nicknamed the team as the "Cubbies." In 1900,
disaster struck the team and a few players left the team. In 1902
manager Frank Selee joined the team and he built the team with a new
set of players and the team was renamed as Chicago Cubs. In the first
decade of the new century the Cubs was the best team in baseball.
The team won a record of 116 games in 1906, 107 games in 1907, 99
games in 1908, and 104 games in 1909 and 1910. In the last five seasons
the team also won National League pennants, garnering World Titles
in 1907 and 1908. The next decade saw a mix response, the team changed
six managers but they all failed to show good results. The team’s
fate changed when the owner of a chewing gum company William Wrigley
bought the team. In 1945, the team made its last appearance to the
World Series. The 1970s brought continued disappointment. The 70s
lineup consisted of Bill Madlock, Manny Trillo, Rick Reuschel, Bill
Buckner, and Dave Kingman. The best player on the Cubs in the 1980s
was Ryne Sandberg, a slick second baseman who won the 1984 MVP award
and plugged the middle infield spot for Chicago for 15 seasons. In
1984, the organization won their first NL Eastern Division championship,
and return to post-season play for the first time since 1945. The
Chicago Cubs have the longest dry spell between championships in all
of professional sports, having failed to win a World Series since
1908. The Cubs haven't even been in a World Series since 1945, and
finished in the second division, or bottom half, of the National League
for 20 consecutive years beginning in 1947. They didn't win any playoff
series between 1908 and 2003, when they beat the Atlanta Braves in
the National League Division Series (NLDS). Despite having their first
back to back winning seasons since 1973 in 2003 and 2004, the cubs
are still perennially in the top 10 in league attendance. The Cubs'
home ballpark, Wrigley Field, played host to only day games until
1988 because the stadium owner donated the lights to the war effort
in the 1940s, and it then became tradition. The first night game was
scheduled to be played August 8, 1988, versus Philadelphia, but it
was rained out after 3 1/2 innings. The first official night game
thus occurred the following evening, August 9, 1988; the Cubs defeated
the New York Mets, 6-4. While night games are now possible at Wrigley,
the Cubs still play more day games at home than any other Major League
team. The Chicago Cubs have retired the following numbers; #14 worn
by Ernie Banks, #26 belonging to Billy Williams, #10 worn by Ron Santo
and #42 belonging to Jackie Robinson which has also been retired throughout
baseball. The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based
in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs are in the Central Division of the
National League. The uniform color of the team is red and blue and
the logo design is a red C on a blue field.
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Chicago Cubs Baseball Site |
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