'Cubs Forever' documentary now a book

Here's a link to a video of Cubs announcer Harry Caray explaining where he does his baseball research: in bars. (You may be able to just view it in the player at the end of this post.) It's one of the interviews, apparently from a two-hour WGN-TV special, now out in book form. The book includes a DVD of the television special. This is a description of the book from WGN:

"Broadcasting the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV is a tradition that goes back to the station’s founding itself. It was on April 16, 1948 that WGN Sports carried its first Chicago Cubs game. Sixty years of the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV is the longest consecutive airing in television history. In classic style, the Cubs lost that first televised game. Bob Vorwald, Executive Producer of WGN Sports, compiled interviews and vintage photos in a book, Cubs Forever: Memories from the Men Who Lived Them.

The book is available from Tower books for under $18.

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The man who never invented baseball

My son visited the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania recently and was surprised to see that signage there honoring Union Gen. Abner Doubleday specifically notes that Doubleday did NOT invent the game of baseball. It is pretty commonly accepted now that no one person invented the game. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Gen. Doubleday:

"The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 was once widely promoted and widely believed. There was and is no evidence for this claim, except for the testimony of one man decades after the fact, and there is more persuasive counter-evidence.

"Doubleday himself never made such a claim; he left many letters and papers, but they contain no description of baseball or even a suggestion that he considered himself a prominent person in the history of the game. His New York Times obituary makes no mention of baseball at all, nor does an encyclopedia article about Doubleday published in 1911.

"Contrary to popular belief, Doubleday was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, although a large oil portrait of him was on display at the Hall of Fame building for many years. The myth of Doubleday’s invention of baseball was itself baseball's invention, in the sense that Al Spalding, a former star pitcher, then club executive, who had become the leading American sporting goods entrepreneur and sports publisher, was largely responsible.

"Debate on baseball origins had raged for decades, heating up in the first years of the 20th Century. To end argument, speculation and innuendo, Spalding organized a panel in 1905. The panelists included his friend Abraham G. Mills, a former National League president.

"Its research methods were, at best, dubious. The Mills Commission concluded that baseball had been invented by Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York in 1839; that Doubleday had invented the word baseball, designed the diamond, indicated fielder positions, and had written down the rules and the field regulations. However, no written records from 1839 or the 1840s have ever been found to corroborate these claims; nor could Doubleday be interviewed (he had died in 1893).

"Further, Doubleday was not in Cooperstown in 1839 and may never have visited the town. He was enrolled at West Point and there is no record of any leave time. Mills, a lifelong friend of Doubleday, had never heard him mention baseball.

"The principal source for the story was one letter from elderly Abner Graves, who was a five-year-old resident of Cooperstown in 1839. But Graves never mentioned a diamond, positions or the writing of rules. Graves' reliability as a witness has also been questioned because he was later convicted of murdering his wife and spent his final days in an asylum for the criminally insane."

At Gettysburg, my son learned that Doubleday was a war hero. His command may have saved the Union Army in the early fighting, but he ended up being unfairly blamed because his outnumbered soldiers had to retreat.

Doubleday was an inventive man: later in his life he took out a patent on a cable car system, still employed in San Francisco.

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Researchers help Library of Congress

They're identified only as "Chicago players."

Members of the Pictorial History Committee of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) are pitching in to help the U.S. Library of Congress identify old time baseball players in its photo collection.

The Library of Congress has begun uploading photos from the early 20th Century Harris & Ewing Photo Collection to its web site. So far, it has about 3,600 photos from that collection on the web. Search on the keyword "baseball" and you will find 295 photos.

Trouble is, most of the people in the pictures are identified only as "baseball players." Putting names to faces is a huge undertaking. The Library of Congress possesses tens of thousands of photos from the Harris & Ewing Collection. It will upload additional batches of photos gradually, and hopes eventually to have the entire collection on-line.

Photographers Harris & Ewing, Inc. photographed people, events, and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C., during the period 1905-1945. Harris & Ewing gave its collection of negatives to the Library of Congress in 1955.

SABR researchers previously worked to improve the captions of the Bain Collection of photos on the Library of Congress web site.

Was this the mascot, or the lawn mower?

What baseball researchers talk about

Reporter Peter Holehan of the Forum Publishing Group in Florida attended the Oct. 23 meeting of the Society of American Baseball Research South Florida Chapter in Tamarac, Florida. He wrote an interesting story that neatly captures the appeal of the hobby. His story appears on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel web site. Here are a few excerpts:

"Local author Paul Proia, tells the real-life experiences of Rube Waddell, the player who had a learning disability and matured only one year for every three of the average person's life.
And then Proia speaks of how Waddell rose to become one of the game's best pitchers and held the single-season and single-game strikeout records from the early 1900s until 1973 when Nolan Ryan set the bar a few pegs higher.

"Guys in the group such as Raymond Gonzalez have followed the history of baseball so closely and so precisely that record books have been re-written. In one instance, old-time Chicago Cubs slugger Hack Wilson was found to have an extra RBI that was left off the records. Instead of 190 runs batted in, it was revealed that Wilson actually had 191.

"People come in to bring baseball memorabilia such as old-dated cards, autographs and photos. People can even pick up and swing a bat that is over 80 years old. It's all a part of the meeting among a room filled with baseball aficionados. There are stories that are so rarely told and others that remain timeless.

"Founded in 1971, the Society of American Baseball Research has nearly 7,000 members worldwide. SABR representatives include anybody who loves and is interested in the history of the baseball."

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Cleveland Indians history

A history of the Cleveland Indians baseball team from the authoritative SportsEncyclopedia site:

1889-1899: Professional baseball in Cleveland pre-dates the founding of the American League. Cleveland had teams in the National Association, early National League, and American Association before the Cleveland Spiders joined the NL in 1889. The Spiders struggled at the start but became a true contender in the NL when they signed Cy Young out of the minors. Young would go on to become the winningest pitcher in baseball history. Despite Cy Young the Indians never manage to win the Pennant and after the 1898 season their owner Frank Robinson buys the Cardinals and ships all the stars, including Cy Young, with him to St. Louis. The remaining Spiders team is so bad no one shows up to watch them play and the team is forced to play every game on the road for a few months. The Spiders finish with an embarrassing 20-134 record, which still remains the worst in baseball history. After the season the Spiders are one of 4 teams the NL disbands leaving Cleveland without a Big League Ballclub.

1901: During the winter of 1900 Ban Johnson, president of the Western Baseball League decided the country was large enough for two major leagues. Johnson decided to make his league a major league, changing the name from the Western League to the American League. Feeling strongly that a team in Cleveland would help boost the league's reputation as a major league, he moved the Grand Rapids franchise to the shores of Lake Erie. However, their first season would not be a success as the Blues finished in 7th Place with a 55-82 record.1902: Now using the name Bronchos, Cleveland's AL team experiences its first winning season with a 69-67 record good enough for 5th Place.1903: The Bronchos continue to improve finishing in 3rd place with a solid 77-63. However they would still finish 15 games out of 1st place. 1904: The Bronchos continue to raise their win total despite finishing in 4th place posting a solid 86-65 record while coming with in 7 and half games of first.1905: The team undergoes another name change this time becoming the Naps, in honor of their best player Napoleon Lajoie, who was called Nap for short. The Naps would not find much success finishing in 5th Place with a 76-78 record.1906: The Naps get their first taste of pennant fever finishing 5 games back in 3rd Place in a 3-team race with a solid 89-64 record.1907: The Naps continue to put together solid seasons finishing in 4th place with an 85-67 while finishing 8 games out of first.1908: The Naps, who posted a record of 90-64, lose what was the closest pennant race in baseball history, being defeated by the Detroit Tigers by only a half a game for the American League pennant. The Naps had played one more game then the Tigers, who failed to make up a rained out game and it, was a loss. Following that season, a new rule was instituted requiring teams to make up any rained out games that might affect the pennant race. The highlight of the failed charge for the pennant comes on October 2nd when Addie Joss tosses a Perfect Game, while throwing just 74 pitches.1909: After barely missing a trip to the World Series the Naps struggle all season finishing with a disappointing record of 71-82.

1910: Cleveland Spiders great Cy Young who returned to Cleveland in 1909 to pitch for the Naps, wins his 500th Career game cementing his record for career wins, which he would end up at 511. However, the Naps would not fare as well finishing in 5th Place with a 71-81 record. However, the story of the season was the strangest race for the batting crown in Baseball history. The race saw Cleveland's hero Nap Lajoie battle Ty Cobb until the final day of the season. What added spice to the race was that the Chalmers Automobile Co. had pledged to give one of its cars to the winner. In early October, thinking he had the car already won, Cobb skipped the Tigers final two contests to protect his average, claiming an eye ailment. However, driving away his new Chalmers would not be as simple as Cobb expected. On October 9th the Naps played a double header in St. Louis against the Browns. Jack O'Connor Manager of the Browns had his infielder play back and told his pitchers to give Lajoie hittable pitches so he could beat Ty Cobb who was universally hated through out the AL. In the 2 games Lajoie gets 8 hits in 9 ABS the only blemish is when he reaches base on an error. When the official averages were announced, The Sporting News cleared the controversy by naming Cobb the winner with a .3850687 average to Lajoie's .3840947. In a great public relations move, Chalmers made both Cobb and Lajoie fans happy by awarding each player a car.

1911: Tragedy strikes the Naps when Addie Joss contracts tubercular meningitis and passes away prior to the start of the season. In a forerunner of today's All-Star Game, stars gathered at League Park for an exhibition against the Naps to benefit the Joss' family on July 24th. The All-Stars cruise to a 5-3 victory, but the goal of the event is accomplished, as $12,932 is raised for the Joss family. The Naps would go on to have a solid season finishing in 3rd place with a respectable 80-73 record.1912: The Naps struggle all season as first year Manager Harry Davis is fired late in the season with a 54-71 record. Under his replacement J.L. Birmingham the Naps would close out the season in strong fission winning 21 of 28 games to finish in 5th place with a 75-78 record.1913: The Naps play solid baseball all season finishing in 3rd place with a respectable record of 86-66.1914: On September 27th Nap Lajoie becomes the first player to reach the exclusive 3,000 hit mark in a Cleveland uniform. However, it would be Lajoie's last season with Naps, after the team finishes in last place with a 51-102 record, and decides to rebuild with youth.

1915: With the departure of Nap Lajoie, the team needed a new name, so it decided to revive a name the old 1890's NL team had once use, Indians in honor of Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian, who played for the team in 1897. In their first season known as the Indians the club finishes in 7th Place with a 57-97 record.1916: The Indians rebound off 2 terrible seasons by climbing back to the .500 mark at 77-77 while finishing in 6th place.1917: The Indians continue to improve finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 88-66, climbing to with in 12 games of the AL Pennant.1918: The Indians drive of the pennant is short-circuited by a reduced schedule, as the team finishes in 2nd Place with a solid 73-54 record. However, at 2 and half game out the Indians were left to ponder if they could have caught the Champion Boston Red Sox under a full schedule.1919: The Indians fight their way into the pennant race again, but fall just short with a solid 84-55 record.

1920: The Indians experienced possibly the worst tragedy in baseball history on August 16th. In the 5th inning of the game against the New York Yankees, pitcher Carl Mays hit Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in the head with a pitch. Chapman got up, walked to first, and then collapsed. He was taken to the hospital but never regained consciousness and died the next day. This is the only time in Major League Baseball that a player has died from an incident on the playing field. To replace Chapman the Indians called up Joe Sewell from their New Orleans farm club. Sewell who said he played that season with Chapman's spirit would go to have a Hall of Fame career. The rest of the Indians must have played with Chapman's spirit too, as the Indians beat out the Chicago White Sox, and Yankees to capture their first ever AL Pennant with a 98-56 record. That year the World Series was a best 5 out of 9 affair and the Indians faced the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Tribe won the first games of the series 3-1 as pitcher Stan Coveleski threw a 5-hitter. However, Brooklyn would bounce back by winning the next 2. The series went back to Cleveland with the Indians trailing 2 games to 1, as Coveleski had Brooklyn's number again as he won Game 4 to tie the series up, setting up a crucial Game 5 that was a memorable contest. Elmer Smith hit the 1st World Series grand slam, and Jim Bagby hit the 1st homer by a pitcher in the World Series. However, Bill Wambsganss outdid those performances by making the only unassisted triple play in World Series history. With 2 runners on, "Wamby" caught a line drive, stepped on 2nd base for the 2nd out, and then tagged the runner from 1st base to end the inning. Cleveland went on to win the game 8-1., and would go on to win Games 6 and 7 with Shutouts to win their first ever World Championship.1921: The Indians follow up their Championship, by challenging for the AL Pennant again. However, they would fall 4 and half games short of a return trip to the Fall Classic with a 94-60 record.1922: The Indians struggle with mediocrity all season finishing in 4th place with a 78-76 record. 1923: The Indians finish in 3rd place with a respectable 82-71 record.

1924: The Indians struggle all season as suffering their first losing season in 9 years while finishing in 6th place with a poor record of 67-86.1925: On May 17th Indians player-manager Tris Speaker collects his 3000th career hit at League Park. Speaker would end his career with 3,516 hits, and would be part of the second group selected for the Hall of Fame in 1937. However, the season was not as successful for the Tribe as the team finished in 6th Place with a 70-84 record.1926: The Indians would battle the New York Yankees down to the wire, for the AL Pennant before finishing 3 games back with a solid 88-66 record.1927: After coming with in 3 games of first place the Indians suffer a horrible season and finish more then 43 games out, posting a record of 66-87 while placing 6th.1928: The Indians struggle all year and narrowly avoid finishing in last place with a disappointing 62-92 record.1929: The Indians rebound nicely, and finish with a solid 81-71 record, but finish in a distant 3rd Place.1930: The Indians drop a spot to 4th place while posting a similar 81-73 record. 1931: The Indians hover around .500 all season finishing in 4th place with a record of 78-76.1932: The 1st game at the new Cleveland Municipal Stadium was one of Cleveland's great sporting events with a reported total attendance of 80,184. Initially, Municipal Stadium split time with League Park as home to the Indians, but it took over full time duties in the 1947 season. It would remain the home of the Tribe until 1993. However in its final years bad Indian teams, and small crowds would earn the park the nickname of the "Mistake by the Lake." However, a good Indian team took the field in the stadiums first year, finishing with a solid 87-65 record, while finishing 4th in a competitive AL.

1933: The Indians unveil a new logo created by a local newspaper columnist. The logo is named Chief Wahoo, although the Chief has changed his appearance since, but it is still the name of the smiling Indian on the Tribe's hats and logo. The Tribe would go on to finish in 4th place with a disappointing 75-76 record in their first year with Chief Wahoo at their side.1934: The Indians climb to 3rd place posting a solid record of 85-69 along the way.1935: The Indians finish in 3rd place for the 2nd straight season over coming a slow start as Manager Walter Johnson is replace by Steve O'Neal to post a record of 82-71.1936: Bob Feller makes his Major League debut as the Indians finish in 5th Place with an 80-74 record.1937: The Indians continue to reside in the middle of the pack as they post a record of 83-71 while finishing in 4th place.1938: The Indians put together a solid but unrewarding 86-66 season finishing in 3rd place, but a distant 20 games back of the New York Yankees.1939: Despite posting a solid record of 87-67 the Indians finish more the 20 games out of first while landing in 3rd place.1940: Bob Feller who was all ready established as one of the era's most dominate pitchers kicks off the season in style by no hitting the White Sox in Chicago on Opening Day. It is the first and still remains the only No Hitter tossed on Opening Day. The Indians would battle the Detroit Tigers all season for the pennant but would fall 1 game short with an 89-65 record.1941: Indians pitching combines to end Joe DiMaggio streak on July 17th. However, the Indians would struggle down the stretch posting a disappointing record of 75-79 while finishing in 4th place.1942: With many key players departing for service in World War II, including Bob Feller the Indians struggle and finish in 4th Place with a disappointing 75-79 record.

1943: The Indians post an 82-71 record while finishing in 3rd place. 1944: The Indians struggle all season finishing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 72-82.1945: With the war wrapping up Bob Feller returns, but the Indians can only muster a 5th Place 73-72 record.1946: The Indians struggle all season finishing 36 games out of first place while landing in 6th place with a record of 68-86.1947: In July, only a few months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and became the first black player in the Majors in 60 years, Larry Doby becomes the first black player to play in the American League. Doby who had previously made a name for himself with the legendary Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues would go on to have a Hall of Fame Career with the Indians. In Doby's first season the Tribe would finish in 4th Place with an 80-74 record.1948: The Indians battle the Boston Red Sox all season for the AL Pennant and at the end of the 154 game season found themselves in a flat-footed tie at 96 wins and 58 losses. To decide the Pennant a one-game playoff was played at Boston's Fenway Park. The game ended up being no contest as Indians rookie knuckleballer Gene Bearden handcuffs the Sox all day while Lou Boudreau ended hopes of an all Beantown World Series with 2 Home Runs. In the World Series, the Indians found themselves staying in Boston as they faced the Braves. After the losing Game 1, Bob Lemon shutdown the Braves 4-1 in Game 2 to send the series to Cleveland knotted at a game apiece. The Indians would take the next 2 for a 3-1 series lead as AL Playoff hero Gene Bearden hurl a shut out in Game 3, and Game 4 on Larry Doby's HR. However, the Braves would hammer Bob Feller to take Game 5. Heading back to Boston Game 6 rested in the capable hands of Bob Lemon who combined with relief efforts from Bearden to give the Indians a 4-3 win, and landed the Tribe their 2nd World Championship.

1949: The Indians follow up their World Championship by finishing in 3rd Place with a solid but unrewarding 89-65 record.1950: The Indians finish 4th in a 4-team race with a impressive 92-62 record, while finishing a tantalizing 6 games out of first.1951: The Indians fall 5 games short of a return trip to the World Series posting a record of 93-61.1952: The Indians battle to the bitter end of the season falling just 2 games short of the AL Pennant with a record of 93-61.1953: For the 4th year in a row the Indians eclipse the 90 win mark with one of baseball best pitching staffs, but can't catch the New York Yankees for the AL Pennant.1954: The Indians pitching staff puts together one of the strongest performances in baseball history as they win a, then AL, record 111 games to snap the New York Yankees streak of 5 straight pennants. Early Wynn, and Bob Lemon each win an AL high 23 games while Mike Garcia wins the ERA crown at 2.64, and leads an entire 5 rotation who's highest ERA belongs to Art Houtterman at 3.35. In the World Series the heavily favored Indians face the New York Giants. The Series would turn in the First Game when Vic Wertz hit a 440 Ft fly ball towards the deepest part of the Polo Grounds. Willie Mays would run down the ball in perhaps the most famous catch in baseball history, as the game remained tied into extra innings. In the 10th the same fates that cursed the Indians on Wertz 440 bomb smiled on the Giants as Pinch Hitter Dusty Rhodes won the game on a line drive HR to the shortest part of the ballpark. The Tribe would not recover from their stunning Game 1 defeat and would go on to be swept, forever diminishing their great regular season.

1955: Rookie Pitcher Herb Score bursts upon the American League scene, leading the league in strikeouts with 245, establishing a rookie record that would stand nearly 30 years, While winning the Rookie of the Year award. However, the Tribe found themselves 2nd Place again, with a 93-61 record.1956: Herb Score was even better in his second season Winning 20 games. However, the fates would not be kind as late in the season, as Gil McDougal of the New York Yankees lined a pitch that hit Score right in the eye. Score would never be the same and over the remaining 5 years of his career would not manage to even win 20 games total. The Tribe would go on to finish the season in 2nd again with an 88-66 record.1957: With the Score feeling the effects of the injury, and their great pitching staff showing its age, the Indians see their 10-year run of winning seasons come to an end with a 6th Place 76-77 record.1958: The Indians play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 4th place with a 77-76 record.1959: Highlighted by a 4 Home Run game in Baltimore on June 10th, Indians OF Rocky Colavito Wins the AL Home Run crown with 42 HR. However, in a tight race for the AL Pennant the Indians come up short again losing out to the Chicago White Sox, despite a solid record of 89-65.

1960: Just prior to the start of the regular season Indians GM Frank Lane shocks baseball and Tribe fans by dealing away defending HR champion Rocky Colavito for Batting Champion Harvey Kuenn. Colavito would go on to have a few more stellar seasons with Tigers while Kuenn would spend just one season in Cleveland before witnessing his career fade quickly. The controversial trade would mark the beginning of the worst period in Cleveland Indians history, as the Indians finished in 4th Place with a 76-78 record. The Indians would not contend for the next 35 years, and the trade would eventually be known as" the Curse of Rocky Colavito."1961: The Indians remain in the middle of the pack as they finish in 5th place with a record of 79-83.1962: The Indians continue to play mediocre baseball finishing in 6th place with a record of 80-82. 1963: Early Wynn who the Indians dealt after the 1957 season returns to pick up his 300th and final victory on July 13th. The win, would come on Wynn's 9th attempt at the Hall of Fame milestone. The Tribe would not be as successful finishing in 6th Place with a 79-83 record.

1964: The Indians continue to sit just below the .500 mark as they finish in 6th place with a record of 79-83.1965: The Indians post their first winning season since the Rocky Colavito trade, finishing in 5th Place with an 87-75 record.1966: The Indians play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 5th place with an 81-81 record. 1967: The Indians struggle all season falling to 8th place with a record of 75-87.1968: The Indians coming off 2 mediocre seasons, post a solid 86-75 record, but finish in a distant 3rd Place.1969: The Indians don't take to Divisional Play well, losing 99 games while finishing in Last Place, with a worst record the American League's 2 expansion teams.1970: The Indians rebound off their last place season by finishing in 5th place with a record of 76-86.1971: The Indians fall from grace continues as they lose 102 games while finishing in last place for the 2nd time in 3 years.1972: Despite Gaylord Perry winning the Cy Young with a 24-16 record and a 1.92 ERA the Indians finish in 5th place with a 72-84 record.1973: The Indians finish in last place for the 3rd time in 5 years while posting a record of 71-91.1974: Desperate to draw fans to watch the struggling Indians, promoters decide to have a Nickel Beer Night. During the promotion beer would be offered for a nickel apiece. This would lead to one of the largest crowds at Municipal Stadium in years, and would be the recipe for disaster the fans ended up getting drunk on the cheep beer, and began to riot. This would lead to the Indians forfeiting the game against the Texas Rangers as players had to be rushed off the field to escape the flying beer bottles. The whole fiasco would end up in the cancellation of all future such cheap beer promotions throughout baseball. The Indians on the field were not much better as they finished in 4th lace with a 77-85 record.1975: April 8th marks a great stride for not only the Cleveland Indians, and baseball, but for all of America as well when Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in Major League history. At the same time Robinson continues his Hall of Fame playing career, and he enters the ranks in grand style, hitting a homer in his 1st at bat. However, the joy we be short lived, as the Indians suffer another losing season at 79-80.

1976: In Frank Robinson' s 2nd season as Manager the Indians post their first winning season in 7 seasons with an 81-78 record good enough for 4th Place.1977: In the middle of a disappointing 71-90 season Frank Robinson' historic reign as Manager comes to an end as he is fired, and replaced by Jeff Torborg.1978: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 69-90.1979: The Indians post just their 2nd winning record of the decade finishing in 5th place with a record of 81-80.1980: Joe Charbonneau becomes an instant sensation winning the Rookie of the Year, despite playing on an Indians team that finished in 6th place with a 79-81 record.1981: In Perhaps the brightest moment in the dark days of the Indians Len Barker pitches a Perfect Game in front of a small but ruckus crowd in a light drizzle on May 15th against the Toronto Blue Jays at Municipal Stadium. However, in a strike interrupted split season the Indians fail to be a factor for the Divisional Race finishing around .500 in both halves, with a 52-51 overall record.

1982: The Indians finish in a tie for 6th place with a disappointing record of 78-84.1983: The Indians come crashing down into last place posting a horrible record of 70-92 as Pat Corrales takes over as Manager in the middle of the season.1984: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 75-87. 1985: The Indians losing ways continue as the Tribe loses 102 games on the way to finishing in the cellar of the AL East, nearly 40 games behind the first place Toronto Blue Jays.1986: Led by young players like RBI Champion Joe Carter, and Corey Snyder the Indians give fans reason to hope. The Indians were in 1st Place as late as May; the latest they achieved the top spot in 25 years. However, the Tribe would eventually fade finishing in 5th place with 84 wins, 11 games out of the top spot. However, there was finally reason for hope that the Tribe were about to turn things around.1987: After the Indians encouraging season there was no reason for fans no to be optimistic about the Tribe's future. Sports Illustrated even went as far to put Joe Carter, and Corey Snyder on the cover of their baseball preview issue. Saying there would be "An Indian Uprising" as the magazine would pick the Indians to reach the World Series. This would end up being one of the most historic examples of the SI Jinx. Not only do the Indians fail to contend, but they also lose 101 games and finish in the AL East cellar.1988: The Indians continue to struggle as they finish in 6th place with a record of 74-88.

1989: Indians fans finally get to see their team victorious again. However, it is not on the field. Instead it is on the Big Screen. In the movie "Major League" a band of rag tag Cleveland Indians put together an amazing run and defeats the New York Yankees in a one game playoff for the Division Title. The producers selected the Indians because over the past 30 years no team has been consistently worse. It also serves as a painful reminder that a whole generation of Indian fans has grown up without ever seeing the Indians play an important game for the pennant, as the team suffers another poor 73-89 season.1990: Sandy Alomar Jr. acquired in a trade with San Diego Padres for Joe Carter makes an instant impact winning the Rookie of the Year as the Indians finish in 4th place with a 77-85 record.1991: The Indians finally hit rock bottom with a franchise worst 57-105 season. However, despite the struggles the seed were being planted for better days in the future as Mike Hargrove took over as Manager, and young players like Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, and Carlos Baergra started to become regular parts of the Tribe's lineup.1992: The Indians begin to show signs of life with a 19-win improvement as they finish in 4th place with a record of 76-86.1993: Prior to the final season in Municipal Stadium, Tragedy strikes the Cleveland Indians again. After a spring game on March 23rd Steve Olin the Indians up and coming closer, Tim Crews a middle, and Bob Ojeda a Left Handed Starting pitcher both of whom were recently acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers went out on an early evening fishing trip. The speedboat they were driving in crashed into a low-lying pier. Olin was killed instantly, and Crews died during surgery a few hours later. Ojeda the lone survivor also suffered serious head injuries, but would recover fully and would even comeback to pitch for the Indians in July. The tragic accident over shadowed a promising season where the Indians young talent began to show signs the Indians were about to rise again before finishing in 6th Place with a 76-86 record.

1994: A new era of Cleveland Indians baseball begins on April 4th when the brand new Stadium Jacobs Field opens up in a revitalized part of downtown. The Indians playing before a sell out crowd of 41,459 fans win the game against the Seattle Mariners in 11 innings 4-3. The move not only revitalizes downtown Cleveland, but the long-suffering Indians as well. The Indians find themselves right in the thick of a race for the top spot in the newly formed AL Central from the start. However, the season would end abruptly on August 12th because of a player's strike with the Indians just 1 game out of first with a 66-47 record, and in Wild Card position.1995: After a strike stopped their first run at a title, the Indians went out and put an emphatic end to 40 years of frustration. The strike which end the previous season limited the season to 144 games, which was not enough to stop the Indians from reaching the century mark in wins, as the team finishes in 1st with an impressive 100-44 record. The Indians are so dominant that they finish 30 games better then the rest of their division the largest margin in baseball history. Albert Belle who hits 50 HR and 50 Doubles and Eddie Murray's 3000th Career hit also highlight the season. In the Indians 1st Playoff series in 41 years the Tribe find themselves matched up against the Boston Red Sox in the first ever ALDS. The Indians get things kicked started in grand fashion as Tony Peña delivers a Game Winning HR to win Game 1 in 13 innings the Tribe would go on to sweep the deflated Sox. Next up for the Indians was the Seattle Mariners, who after 3 games of the ALCS held a 2-1 series lead. However the Tribe would not be denied as they won the next 2 games at Jacobs to head back to Seattle leading 3 games to 2. In Game 6 they faced an opposing challenge as Randy Johnson who dominated them in Game 3 tries to even the series and force a Game 7. The game would turn suddenly when Kenny Lofton scores from 2nd on a passed ball and Randy Johnson gives up a Homer to the batter during the PB, Carlos Baerga this would earn the Tribe their first trip to the World Series in 41 years. The Indians World Series opponents would be the Atlanta Braves, who were looking to end years of postseason frustration themselves. The Braves stellar pitching would handcuff the Tribe in the first 2 games as they jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. The Indians would win Game 3 in Cleveland thanks to timely hitting from Jim Thome, and Eddie Murray. However after being handcuffed again in Game 4 the Indians were backed against the wall down 3 games to 1, and would be facing Greg Maddux who shut down them in Game 1. This time the Indians would gain a measure of revenge and would beat the dominant Cy Young winner to send the series back to Atlanta. In Game 6 pitching was again the story as Indians Orel Hershiser matched the Braves Tom Glavine zero for zero. However, Orel was removed for a pinch hitter, and reliever Jim Poole was victimized by a solo homer from David Justice, and the Indians great season would come to a bitter end 1-0. 1996: The Indians would follow up their first AL Pennant by winning 99 games and cruising to their 2nd consecutive Central Division Title. However, in the Division Series the Indians would get caught napping, and would lose to the Wild Card Baltimore Orioles 3 games to1. 1997: The Indians would struggle most of the season and would wind up with an average record of 86-75. However, it was good enough to win a weak Central Division for the 3rd consecutive year. In the Division series the Tribe faced their historic archrival New York Yankees, who were expected to sweep the Indians. However the Indians managed to steal Game 2 in Yankee Stadium and sent the series to Jacobs Field knotted at a game apiece. After the Indians lost Game 3 they found themselves down 3-2 in the 8th Inning of Game 4. However, Sandy Alomar Jr. would then revive the Tribe by homering off Mariano Rivera to tie the game. The Indians would go on to win the Game in the bottom of the 9th, and the deceive 5th game behind the dominant pitching of Jaret Wright to advances to the ALCS. In the ALCS the Indians faced the same Baltimore Orioles who stymied them in the year before in the ALDS. After being dominated in Game 1 the Tribe were in danger of falling behind 0-2, trailing in the 9th inning of Game 2. However, Marquis Grissom gave the Indians a stunning victory by homering of the Orioles hard throwing closer Armando Benitez. The Indians would go on to win the series by winning 2 extra inning marathons in Games 3 and 6. In the Game 6 victory that won the series 4-2 the Tribe won on Tony Fernadez's 12th Inning Line Drive Homer to break a scoreless tie. The Indians who had struggled for 40 years were on their way to their 2nd World Series in 3 years. In the World Series the Indians would face the NL Wild Card Florida Marlins who were only in their 5th year of existence. The Series went back and forth with Marlins going back to Florida leading 3 games to 2. The Indians would then force a 7th and deciding game thanks to the dominating shutout pitching of Chad Ogea. In Game 7 the Indians took a quick 2-0 lead and Jaret Wright kept the Marlins off the board for 6 innings. After a Bobby Bonillia HR shaved the game 2-1 the Indians went to the 9th leading 2-1. However it was not meant to be as the Marlins would scrap to tie the game and send the game into extra innings. The Indians would wind up heartbroken again in the 11th when ALCS hero Tony Fernandez booted ball and helped the Marlins win their first ever World Championship.

1998: The Indians continue their Central Division dominance by cruising to their 4th straight division title with an 89-73 record. In the Division Series the Indians defeat the Boston Red Sox in 4 games to advance to the ALCS against the New York Yankees. That year the Yankees dominated the entire AL and broke the Indians 1954 AL record for wins in a season with 114. The Indians would steal Game 2 at Yankee Stadium in extra Innings to send the series to Cleveland knotted at a game apiece. In Game 3 the Indians hammered Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite, and looked primed for the upset. However, once again it was not meant to be as Orlando Hernandez, and David Wells dominated the Tribe to send the series back to New York with Yanks leading 3-2 in the series. The Yankees would go on to close out the Indians in 6 games. However, Indians fans could pride themselves with the knowledge that the 2 games the Indians won against the Yanks would be the only 2 the Yankees would lose that entire postseason. 1999: The Indians win the AL Central again with a 97-65 record, and appear to be heading for a rematch for the New York Yankees in the ALCS after taking the first 2 games of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox. However, the Tribe's pitching would fall apart and the Indians would lose the final 3 games. The Indians would go on to fire Manager Mike Hargrove who was triggered as the scapegoat for the Indians postseason collapse.2000: The Indians get off to a slow start and fall out of 1st Place early in the season. Despite a strong finish the early struggles prove too much to overcome and the Indians 5-year reign as Division Champs come to an end despite a solid 90-72 record. Despite failing to make the playoffs the Indians Infield defense continues to sparkle as 2B Roberto Alomar, SS Omar Vizquel, and 3B Travis Fryman each win Gold Gloves, and set an AL records for fewest errors, and best fielding percentage.2001: Despite losing Manny Ramirez to free agency the Indians, reclaim the top spot in the AL Central with a 91-71 record, as Manny's replacement Juan Gonzalez drives in 140 RBI. During the season the Indians would see an end to their incredible run of 455 sellouts at Jacobs Field, which began in 1995. It was quite an amazing turn around when you consider that at one time the Indians would play in front of 50,000 empty seats at the cavernous Municipal Stadium. In the ALDS the Indians would face the Seattle Mariners who tied a Major League Record with 116 wins during the regular season. However, through out the season the Tribe proved to be a pesky challenger for the Mariners, including comeback from a 14-2 deficit during a Nationally Televised Sunday Night Game on August 5th. In the ALDS the Indians would prove pesky again splitting the first games in Seattle. The Indians would then push the M's to the brink with a 17-2 rout in Game 3. However, the Mariners would bounce back to take the next 2 games to advance to the ALCS. 2002: Despite selling out almost every game over an 8-year period, Owner Jim Dolan claims the Indians are losing money, and begins to sell off players. The sell off began before the season as Roberto Alomar is traded to the New York Mets, while Juan Gonzalez and Kenny Lofton are allowed to sign deals as Free Agent. After playing mediocre baseball the first 3 months the sell off would continue as Bartolo Colon is traded to the Montreal Expos. The Indians struggles would continue as the Indians changed managers, on the way to finishing in 3rd place with a 74-88 record that end a string of 8 consecutive winning seasons. Following the season the purge would continue as Jim Thome who hit 53 HR is allowed to sign a Free Agent Deal with Philadelphia Phillies.

2003: With the departure of Jim Thome the Indians had one of the youngest teams in the Majors, as they took their lumps early winning just 13 of their first 40 games, on their way to a terrible 68-94 record which landed them in 4th place reminding fans of the days when the Indians went 40 years without being in a true pennant race. However, there was plenty of reason to hope as OF Jody Gerut had a solid rookie season with 22 homers and 75 RB, as the young Tribe stars played more competitively as the season wore on playing .500 ball between May and August before fatigue set in and the Indians in September with a 7-18 record.2004: The young Indians would get off to a slow start as they sat with a record of 18-26 on May 26th. However, as the season wore on the Indians began to improve as several players had breakout seasons including Catcher Victor Martinez who blasted 23 homers and drove in 108 RBI, and Travis Hafner who hit 28 homers with a team leading 109 RBI. While on the mound Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook each won 14 games. The Indians would steadily climb their way over .500 and even made a run at the Central Division Title, before a 9-game losing streak in August ended their playoff hopes. The Indians would end up finishing the season in 3rd place with a record of 80-82.2005: After their strong finish the Indians were a trendy pick to win the AL Central at the start of the season, but another slow start would but them in an early hole as they sat at 9-14 at the end of April. After spending all of May just to reach .500 the Indians found themselves 15 and half games behind the Chicago White Sox in June. The Indians would begin to make their move in June as they won 12 of 13 during a stretch of Interleague games, as they headed into the All-Star Break with a 47-41 record. Coming out of the break the Indians were hit with a cold dose of reality as they were swept in a 4-game series by the White Sox who would win 15 of 19 games during the season against the Tribe. Still 15 games behind the Sox and hovering around .500 as August started the Indians would suddenly become the hottest team in baseball, and make a run at the playoffs as they ran off a stretch of 44 wins over their next 60 which included an 18-2 stretch in September that saw them cut the White Sox lead to a game and half heading into the final week as they were 1 of 4 teams battling for 3 playoff spots. However, the young Indians would fall under the sudden spotlight as they lost 3 straight games to the lowly Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays to cost themselves the division title. Still with a chance at the wild card the Indians with 1 win could have forced a playoff with themselves the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for the last 2 spots. However, their struggles against the White Sox continued as they are swept in 3 straight at home, ending the season with 93-69 record.2006: After the Indians strong finish there we high hopes on the banks of the Ohio when the new season began, and the Indians lived up to that as they won six of their first seven games. However, it would be the only time all season the Indians lived up the hope as they soon found themselves in a season long rut of mediocre baseball. While players like Grady Sizemore who became just the second player ever to hit 20 homers, with 50 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 stolen bases, and Travis Hafner who tied a Major League record with six grand slams in one season had super seasons, the rest of the Indians fell well short of expectations. One area where the Indians suffered was in the bullpen that blew 18 save opportunities led by Fausto Carmona who blew three 9th inning saves in one week following the trade of Bob Wickman to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline. The Indians would go on to finish the season in 4th Place with a disappointing record of 78-84.2007: Hoping to rebound off a disappointing season the Indians concentrated on building a veteran bullpen Aaron Fultz and Joe Borowski to replace Bob Wickman, as Fausto Carmona who struggled in the bullpen was made a starter. The later move would be an unexpected boom as Carmona excelled as starter with a 19-8 record and a solid ERA of 3.06. The only Indian pitcher who had a better year was C.C. Sabathia who finally achieved to potential the Indians had expected for years as he posted a 19-6 record with a 3.21 ERA and 209 strike outs, as he would go on to win the AL Cy Young. However, when the season started it looked like neither would happen as the Indians spent much of the first week of the season waiting out the weather as unusual April snow storms wiped out the first home series against the Seattle Mariners and forced the Indians to play three home games in Milwaukee's domed stadium. Despite the weather the Indians had a strong April ending the month at 14-8, with the only blip coming at the hands of a three game sweep by the New York Yankees on the road, as Joe Borowski and the Indians bullpen imploded in the finale allowing a 6-run 9th Inning rally capped by a walk off home run by Alex Rodriguez. The Indians continued to play well in May as they battled the Detroit Tigers for first place in the Central Division. Coming out of the All-Star Break the Indians stumbled a bit as they posted a losing record in July. The struggles continued into August, despite the return of Kenny Lofton who was acquired in a deadline deal from the Texas Rangers, as the Indians were swept by the Yankees again this time at home. After dropping the next game against the Tigers at home 6-2, the suddenly reeling Tribe turned to the young Carmona to get themselves back on track, and the 23-year old fireballer did not let them down striking out a career high ten batters and the Indians won 5-2 to tie the Tigers for first place in the Central. That win would be the boost the Indians needed to get back on track as they closed August on a roll winning 12 of their last 15 games. In September the Tribe continued to cruise winning 8 of their first 11 games in the season's final month, as they prepared to face the Tigers one more time with a chance to close in on their first division title since 2001. The Indians would grab the Tigers by the tail and not let go sweeping the defending AL Champs, as they went on to win the division with a record 95-66. In the playoffs the Indians would face another hurdle as they were matched up against the New York Yankees in the ALDS, during the regular season the Indians lost all six meetings with the Yankees. However the Indians would come out swinging as they roughed up Yankees ace Chien-Meing Wang, led by Kenny Lofton who had four RBI in a 12-3 win in Game 1. The next game would be a pitcher's duel as Fausto Carmona kept Yankees bats off balance allowing just a 3rd Inning homer by Melky Cabrera. However, the Indians failed several times to capitalize leaving men on base almost every inning, as they trailed 1-0 entering the 8th Inning facing the Yankees new bullpen phenom Joba Chamberlain, when a funny thing happened at Jacobs Field as a swarm of insects known as Mayflies invaded on the unusually warm Cleveland night, while Carmona was unfazed by the infestation the Yankees were unnerved, as Chamberlain, hurled two wild pitches for the Indians to tie the game. Form there the Indians bullpen continued to handcuff the Yankees, as the Tribe won the game 2-1 on Travis Hafner's RBI single in the 11th Inning. After dropping Game 3 in the Bronx 8-4, the Indians again jumped on Wang again as Grady Sizemore led the game off with a homer as the Indians held a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning, as they advanced to the ALCS with a solid 6-4 win. Game 1 of the ALCS featured a match up of Cy Young hopefuls as C.C. Sabathia faced Josh Beckett, however, it was not Sabathia's night as the Red Sox won the opener 10-3. Game 2 would be a battle of the bullpens as the game was tied 6-6 after nine innings; finally it was the Indians who exploded in the 11th Inning as they scored seven times led by former Red Sox Trot Nixon, whose RBI single ignited the Tribe's offense. As the series shifted to Cleveland the Indians remained in control as Jake Westbrook kept the Sox off balance in a solid 4-2 win. The Indians would use a big inning again in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead with a 7-3, as they scored seven times in the 5th Inning, highlighted by a three run homer from Jhonny Peralta, as Casey Blake started the rally with a homer, and ended the rally with a RBI single. However, with a chance to close out the series in Cleveland, Sabathia struggled again as Josh Beckett kept the Indians off balance in a 7-1 win for the Red Sox. It would be the last gasp the Indians would take as they blown out in the final two games as the Sox advanced to the World Series by out scoring the Tribe 30-5 over the final three games to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Death of a baseball researcher

Who devotes their life to researching little-known facets of a game most consider just a "pastime"? An obituary on the web site of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, gives us a look at one such man. Here's an excerpt:

"John Pardon, one of the 16 founders of the Society for American Baseball Research, died Sunday, Oct. 19 of cancer. He was 70.

"Born in East Meadow, New York, John was a former sports writer in Ossining and Asheville, North Carolina. John loved to be punny as possible. After he had a portion of his colon removed to combat his colon cancer, he enjoyed talking about having a semi-colon.

"A life-long bachelor, John held many leadership positions in SABR, including vice-president, secretary and director. He chaired the Minor League Committee. He was named as a Bob Davids Award winner in 1998 and was a recipient of the SABR Salute in the 1997-98 SABR membership directory. He was also awarded the Casey Stengel Chapter's Meritorious Service Award in 1995.

"John was a strong proponent of SABR's archives, always insisting that SABR's historical papers be preserved. He also kept tabs on SABR's Endowment, contributing something to it on an annual basis. A member of SABR's Legacy Circle, John made provisions for SABR in his estate planning.

"He attended 32 SABR conventions.

"Minor league baseball research was John's main focus and expertise (he and Jerry Jackson put together "The Cities of Professional Baseball"), but he also was a member of a dozen other research committees.

"John will be missed."

Tracking down a player's picture: A strange and true story from years ago

The Jubilee Edition 1951 Thompson Turkin Baseball Encyclopedia shows baseball player Thomas Phillips was born in April, 1895, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

As a die-hard collector of baseball player photos I needed his photo. In those earlier days, an envelope marked “Postmaster Please Forward” many times reached the subject or one of their relatives. I gave it a try.

The postal clerk in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, received my envelope to Tom Phillips with the request for a photo inside. He read the writing on the envelope aloud. A young woman who happened to be at the Post Office window remarked, “I know Tom Phillips, but he passed away one day before we were to be married!”

She said she would contact the envelope sender and advise him that Tom Phillips had relatives in Altoona, Pennsylvania who would have photos and information on Mr. Phillips. Soon after, I received photos and the obituary of Mr. Phillips that I cherish in my photo collection.

Chicago Cubs history

Chicago Cubs history from the authoritative Sports Encyclopedia site:

1876: The Chicago White Stockings become one of eight charter members of the National League led by their president William A. Hulbert, who was also the owner of the Chicago club. A.G. Spalding is the manager when the team plays its first game in the history of the Chicago National League Ball Club that takes place on April 25. Spalding doubles as the pitcher and records the first NL shutout, a 4-0 win over Louisville. The first run in team history is scored by center fielder Paul Hines on a throwing error in the second inning. The White Stockings go on to win the inaugural National League Championship with a 52-14 record.

1877: The loss of several key players from the Championship team, contributes to the White Stockings dropping to 5th Place with a 26-33 record. 1878: The White Stockings finish in 4th place with a record of 30-30 record.1879: The White Stockings get off to a terrible 5-12 start when their star Cap Anson assumes the managerial duties away from Silver Flint. Under Anson the White Stockings would play much better winning 41 of 62 games on the way to a 4th place finish with a 46-33 record.1880: The White Stockings dominate the NL winning 67 of 84 games and to capture the League's Championship by 15 games.1881: The White Stockings cruise to their second straight NL Championship with a 56-28 record winning comfortably by 9 games.1882: The White Stockings become the first team to win 3 straight NL Championships with a record of 55-29, holding off the Providence Grays by 4 games.

1883: The White Stockings, who finish with a 59-35 record, see their championship reign ends, as Boston Red Stockings beat them out by 4 games.1884: 3B Ned Williamson becomes the first player to hit three home runs in a single game, vs. Detroit. However the White Stockings finish a distant 4th with a 62-50 record. 1885: The White Stockings win their 5 NL pennant in the 10-year history of the National League holding off the New York Giants by 2 games, with an 87-25 record. The White Stocking would go on to play in an early version of the World Series against the rival American Association's St. Louis Brown Stockings, the 2 teams would split 6 games and tie another.1886: The White Stockings win the NL Championship again with a 90-34 record, and would go on to play in the 3rd version of the 19th century World Series losing 4 of 6 games to the American Association's St. Louis Brown Stockings.1887: The White Stockings drive for a 3rd Straight NL Championship ends in disappointment, as the club finishes 3rd with a 71-50 record, six and half games out of first.

1888: The White Stockings continue to be among the best teams in the National League as they finish in 2nd Place with a solid 77-58 record.1889: The White Stockings slip a little in the standings finishing in 3rd place with a mediocre 67-65 record.1890: The White Stockings rebound off a mediocre season and challenge all season for first place falling just 6 games short with a record of 84-53.1891: The White Stockings battle down to the final week of the season before ending up 3 and half games short of 1st place with a record of 82-53.1892: The NL experiments with a split season as the White Stockings are non factor in either race finishing with a disappointing combined record of 70-76.1893: The White Stockings struggles continue as they finish in 9th place with a poor record of 56-71.1894: The team changes its nickname to Colts, as their struggles continue during an awful 57-75 season.

1895: After 4 straight losing seasons the Colts end their struggles by finishing in 4th place with a 72-58 record.1896: The Colts are a non factor in the race for first place as they put up a solid 71-57 record while finishing in 5th place.1897: During a June 29th game against Louisville the Colts exploded for 36 runs setting a new Major League Record. However the 36-run explosion ends up being the sole highlight of a 59-73 season that also sees Cap Anson, who is regarded as the greatest player of the 19th Century retires at the age of 45. Anson whose playing career began in the old National Association in 1871 would go on to be on original member of the Chicago franchise. He would also fill the role of manager for a large chuck of his playing career. 1898: Without Anson to guide them the team is dubbed the Orphans by the Chicago Papers. The Orphans end up doing all right fending for themselves finishing with an 85-65 record.1899: The Orphans finish in 8th place, despite posting a winning record of 75-73.

1900: The Orphans start the 20th Century on the wrong foot finishing in 5th place with a record of 65-75.1901: The Orphans struggle again falling to 6th place with a miserable record of 53-86.1902: The Chicago Daily News becomes first-known entity to pen "Cubs" nickname as team moniker. The nickname refers to the amount of young players the team has. September 15 the famous double play combination of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance records its first double play in 6-3 win vs. Reds. The young team would go on to finish in 5th place with a 68-69 record.1903: The young Cubs begin to show some promise as they are in the race all season before finishing 8 games out of first while placing 3rd with a record of 82-56.1904: The Cubs continue to improve as they finish in 2nd Place with a solid record of 93-60.

1905: The Cubs continue to be on the fringe of greatness as they finish in 3rd place with a solid record of 92-61.1906: The Cubs win a Major League record 116 games, enroot to taking the National League Championship by a comfortable 20 games. The Cubs would advance to the World Series where they would take on the cross-town White Sox. Alternating games between the Westside home of the Cubs, and the Southside home of the Sox, the Cubs are upset by a weak hitting White Sox team dubbed "The hitless wonders", by the Chicago papers. Neither team won a home game until the White Sox closed out the series in Game 6 with an 8-3 win.1907: The Cubs win 110 games on the way to cruising to their second straight World Series appearance. This time the Cubs World Series opponent was the Detroit Tigers, who were led by a young Ty Cobb. Trailing 3-2 in Game 1 the Cubs would rally to send the game to extra innings where darkness eventually prevailed, as the clubs walked away with a 3-3 tie. From there it would be a cake walk for the Cubs, as the team from Chicago went on to sweep the next 4 games holding the Tigers to a combined 3 runs.

1908: In one of baseball's classic pennant races the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs battle down to the finals days of the season with NL Championship up for grabs. The Giants appear to win the pennant when Fred Merkle hits a dramatic game winning HR against the Cubs. However, due to fans flooding the field, Merkle is unable to circle the bases. A fiasco ensues where the Cubs try to tag 2nd Base with every baseball they could find. Not knowing what to do the NL decides to replay the game and the Cubs, would win the game which would end up deciding the pennant. With a 99-65 record the Cubs finished 1 game ahead of the Giants and Pirates. The Cubs would go on to face the Detroit Tigers for the 2nd Straight years in the World Series. Trailing 6-5 in the opener the Cubs would rally on 6 straight hits to claim a 10-6 victory. Game 2 would be a pitcher's duel until the 8th Inning before the Cubs exploded for 6 runs in the 8th Inning to take a 2-0 series lead. After the Tigers won Game 3, the Cubs would win the final 2 games shutting out the Tigers twice to become the first team ever to win 2 consecutive World Series. Little did anyone know at the time that this would be the last World Series the Cubs would win in the 20th Century.

1909: Despite finishing with a 104-49 record, the Cubs Championship reign ends as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cubs by six, and half games. 1910: The Cubs win their fourth National League pennant in five seasons, wining 104 games and capturing the flag by 13 games. However, the Cubs would fall quickly in the World Series losing 4 straight to the Philadelphia Athletics.1911: Heinie Zimmerman tallies a Cubs record 9 RBIs in 20-2 win against the Boston Braves. The Cubs would go on to finish in 2nd Place with a 92-62 record.1912: The Cubs slip to 3rd place but surpass 90 wins again posting a record of 91-59.1913: Johnny Evers takes over as Manager from Franck Chance as the Cubs finish in 3rd place despite a solid 88-65 record.

1914: The Cubs continue to slide in the standings as they finish in 4th place with a mediocre 78-76 record.1915: Zip Zabel pitches a record 18.1 relief innings in a 19-inning 4-3 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. However the Cubs would go on to finish in 5th Place with a disappointing 73-80 record. 1916: Charles Weeghman and 9 investors purchase the Cubs from Charles Taft. Three months later, on April 20th, the Cubs beat the Reds, 7-6, in the first NL game at Weeghman Park, which would later be renamed Cubs Park in 1920 and eventually Wrigley Field in 1926. The Cubs first season at Clark and Addison streets would not be a good one as the team finished in 5th with a 67-86 record. 1917: Cubs Hippo Vaughn combines with the Reds Fred Toney for baseball's only 9-inning double no-hit game, eventually the game is won by the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in 10th inning. The Cubs would go on to post their 3rd straight losing season as they finish in 5th pace with a record of 74-80.

1918: With an 84-45 record, the Cubs win the NL pennant by 10 and half games. In the aftermath of the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, a U.S. government edict called for the end of major-league baseball's 1918 regular season by Labor Day and the playing of the World Series immediately thereafter. Accordingly, the 1918 Series was a late-summer classic that ran from September 5 through September 11. After being shutdown by Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox the Cubs bounced back to win Game 2 behind the pitching of Lefty Tyler. After the Sox claimed Game 3, the Cubs fell behind 3-1 in the series as Babe Ruth was a one-man wrecking crew in a 3-2 victory, in which Ruth batted 6th and delivered the big hit, a two-run triple in the fourth inning. The Cubs would win Game 5, but the Sox would go on to claim the series in 6 games.1919: The Cubs finish in 3rd place as they post a respectable record of 75-65.1920: After 2 straight solid seasons the Cubs struggle all season on the way to finishing in 5th place with a record of 75-79.1921: The Cubs struggle all season and finish in 7th place with a horrid record of 64-89.

1922: The Cubs post a winning record of 80-74 but finish in the middle of the pack in the National League again.1923: The Cubs improve slightly as they finish in 4th place with a record of 83-71.1924: The Cubs continue to remain on the fringe of the pennant race as they finish in 4th place again with a record of 81-72.1925: April 14th with Quin Ryan at the mike, WGN Radio broadcasts its first regular-season Cubs game, as Chicago defeats the Pittsburgh Pirates by an 8-2. However, the season would not be as successful as the Cubs fell into last place with a 68-86 record.1926: The Cubs rebound off their last pace season by climbing back to 4th place with a record of 82-72.1927: A second deck is added to Wrigley Field increasing capacity to 40,000, as the Cubs draw over a million fans for the first time ever. The Cubs would go on to finish in 4th place with a solid 85-68 record.

1928: The Cubs are part of an exciting 3-team race for the National League Pennant. The Cubs would end up finishing 4 games out of 1st place in 3rd with a 91-63 record.1929: After falling 4 games short in 1928 the Cubs would not be denied in 1929, with a 98-54 record the Cubs win the National League pennant by more than 10 games, as nearly 1.5 million people pack Wrigley Field to marvel at the hitting exploits of future Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby (the year's NL MVP), Hack Wilson, Gabby Hartnett and Kiki Cuyler. In the first World Series played at Wrigley Field the Cubs faced the Philadelphia Athletics. After losing the first 2 games at home the Cubs rebounded to take Game 3 in Philadelphia and looked well on their way to evening the series at 2 with an 8-0 lead in Game 4. However, the A's would rally and would stun the Cubs by scoring 10 runs in the 7th Inning to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Cubs would not recover losing Game 5 to close out the series.

1930: Outfielder Hack Wilson puts together one of the greatest hitting seasons in baseball history, pounding 56 homers and driving in a single season record 191 RBI. However, the Cubs would fall 2 games short of their quest for a return trip to the World Series with a 90-64 record.1931: The Cubs continue to be one of the top teams in the national League as they finish in 3rd place with a solid record of 84-70.1932: In the same year the Cubs become the final Major League team to add numbers to their uniforms, manager Charlie Grimm leads the Cubs to the National League pennant with a 90-64 record. The Cubs face the vaunted New York Yankees in the World Series, and would end up being swept in 4 straight games. However, one moment stands as one of the biggest debates in World Series history. Did Babe Ruth call his shot? In the 5th inning of Game 3 at Wrigley Field, the Babe seemed to gesture to CF before smashing a majestic homer over the CF wall. While the debate on weather he called his shot will range on forever, it just served to build on the Babe's legend.

1933: The Cubs attempt for a return trip to the Fall Classic ends in vein with an 86-68 record only good for 3rd place in the NL.1934: The Cubs fall 8 games short of the World Series as they finish in 3rd place with a solid record of 86-65.1935: The Cubs use an incredible 21 game winning streak to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Pennant with a 100-54 record. In the World Series the Cubs would face the Detroit Tigers. After winning Game 1 the Cubs, would see the Tigers take the next 3 even after losing star 1B Hank Greenberg with a broken wrist. After the Cubs won Game 5 to send the series back to Detroit. With the game tied 3-3 in the 9th inning of Game 6 Hack Wilson led off with a triple, but Tigers pitching would freeze him there, and the Tigers would go on to win the game ands the series in the bottom of the 9th.1936: The Cubs fall just 5 games short in their quest to get back in the World Series as they post a record of 87-67 while finishing in 2nd place.

1937: Bill Veeck is hired and, plants the now-famous ivy on the outfield wall. That same year, the bleachers are constructed and a new scoreboard is installed, both of which have remained virtually untouched over the years. The Cubs would go on to finish 3 games out of first with a 93-61 record.1938: One of the most dramatic moments in team history occurs when catcher-manager Gabby Hartnett hits the legendary "Homer in the Gloamin'" at Wrigley Field. Hartnett's round-tripper off Pittsburgh Pirate Mace Brown in a near dark Wrigley Field gives the Cubs their third NL pennant of the decade with an 89-63 record. However, the Cubs would be overmatched in the World Series as they were swept by the New York Yankees for the 2nd time in 6 years. 1939: The Cubs close out a successful decade by finishing in 4th place with a solid record of 84-70.1940: The Cubs see a string of 14 straight winning seasons come to an end as they finish in 5th pace with a record of 75-79.1941: The Cubs finish in 6th pace with a record of 70-84. Following the season the Cubs begin plans to add light to Wrigley Field. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, P.K. Wrigley donates the lighting equipment that he had recently purchased to the War Department in 1941.

1942: The Cubs struggles continue as they post their 3rd straight losing season finishing in 6th place with a record of 68-86.1943: With a number of baseball's top stars fighting in World War II the Cubs continue to struggle as they finish in 5th place with a record of 74-79.1944: The Cubs get off to a miserable start losing 9 of their first 10 games when Manager Jimmie Wilson is fired. Under new Manager Charlie Grimm the Cubs would finish the season strong posting a 75-78 record on the season.1945: The Cubs make their final World Series appearance of the 20th century by posting a 98-56 record. In the World Series the Cubs would face the Detroit Tigers for the 4th times. The Cubs get off to a promising start when Hank Borowy pitches the Cubs to a 9-0 shutout win in Game 1. The Tigers would bounce back to take Game 2, as the series shifted to Wrigley. The Cubs would use another standout pitching performance as Claude Passeau tossed a one-hitter in Game 3 to retake the series lead, but after the Tigers won the next 2 games the Cubs faced a 3-2 series deficit heading back to Detroit. In Game 6 OF Stan Hack reaches safely in 6 of 7 plate appearances and drives in winning run in 12th inning as Cubs beat Tigers 8-7 to force World Series Game 7. However the Cubs would fall losing 9-3 in what would be their final World Series game of the century.

1946: The Cubs follow up their trip to the World Series by finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 82-71.1947: On May 18th the largest crown in Wrigley Field history comes to see Jackie Robinson's first game in Chicago. The Cubs would lose to Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers 4-2. The Cubs would go on to finish 6th place that season with a 69-85 record.1948: A preseason exhibition game against the cross-town White Sox on April 16th is the setting for the Cubs debut on WGN-TV, as Jack Brickhouse broadcasts a 4-1 White Sox win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs would go on to finish in last place with a 64-90 record.1949: The Cubs finish in last pace for the second straight season as they post a record of 61-93.1950: The Cubs struggles continue as they finish in 7th place with a record of 64-89.1951: The Cubs finish in last place for the 3rd time in 4 years as they post a miserable 62-92 record.1952: OF Hank Sauer wins the NL Most Valuable Player award after he hit a major league leading 37 home runs and 121 RBI. With Sauer's help the Cubs climb out of the cellar and finish 5th with a 77-77 record.1953: In a season that sees the debut of Ernie Banks the Cubs fall to 7th place with a 65-89 record.

1954: The Cubs continue to wallow in the 2nd division as they finish in 7th place with a record of 64-90.1955: On May 12th Sam Jones closes out a no hitter in dramatic fashion by walking the first 3 batters of the 9th inning to load the bases before striking out the side. However, success does not come often for the Cubs who finish in 6th place with a 63-81 record.1956: The Cubs end up back in the basement as they post a terrible record of 60-94. 1957: Rookie Dick Drott strikes out 15 Braves-including famed slugger Hank Aaron three times-in a 7-5 win. However the Cubs would go on to finish with an awful 62-92 record that would have them tied for the NL's worst record.1958: SS Ernie Banks wins the NL MVP hitting 47 homers, while driving in 129 RBI. However, the Cubs still struggle and finish in 5th place tie with a 72-82 record.1959: Ernie Banks becomes the first National Leaguer to win the MVP trophy in back-to-back seasons as he hits 45 home runs and a major-league leading 143 RBI. However, once again the Cubs finish in a 5th place tie with a 74-80 record.1960: The Cubs struggles continue into a new decade as they finish in 7th place with a miserable record of 60-94.

1961: Owner P.K. Wrigley experimented with manager position, implementing a "College of Coaches." The system was meant to be a blending of ideas from several individuals instead of the traditional one skipper ended without success after just two seasons. The Cubs would finish in 7th place with a record of 64-90. 1962: The "College of Coaches" experiment is abandoned after 2 failed seasons as the Cubs end up with a horrific 9th Place 59-103 season, finishing worse then the expansion Houston Colt .45s. However, not all news is grim for the Cubs as 2B Ken Hubbs takes home Rookie of the Year honors.1963: With Bob Kennedy hired as the sole manager of the Cubs the team shows marked improvement finishing with an 82-80 record, a mere 23-game improvement over the previous season.

1964: Tragedy strikes the Cubs when promising young 2B Ken Hubbs is killed when the plane is piloting crashes into a mountain in Utah before the start of the season in which the Cubs took a step backward finish with a 76-86 record.1965: The Cubs slide into 8th place with a record of 72-90 record. 1966: Following an 8th place Leo Drrocher is hired as manager, and states, "The Cubs are not an 8th place team." Durocher is right as the Cubs fall into the NL Cellar with an awful 59-103 record. 1967: After an awful first season Leo Durocher final gets the Cubs to play his type of baseball, as the Cubs experience an impressive 28-game improvement on the way to a 3rd Place 87-74 season.1968: The Cubs continue to show some promise as they finish in 3rd place with a respectable record of 84-78.1969: Weather or not you are suppositious and believe in curses like a black cat you must admit what happened to the Cubs is an awful strange coincidence. After leading the NL East all summer the Cubs entered a key a 2-game series at Shea leading the Mets by two and half on September 9th. During that first game a black cat came out of nowhere and circled the Cub in the on deck circle before pacing back and forth on the top step of the Cubs dugout. The Cat would eventually take off down the tunnel leading to Cubs clubhouse. The Cubs would not recover eventually finishing 8 games out with a 92-70 record.

1970: Mr. Cub Ernie Banks belts his 500th career HR, as the Cubs fall 5 games short of 1st place with an 84-78 record.1971: Ernie Banks retires following his 19th season in a Cubs uniform, through his career Mr. Cub blasted 512 career HR, but never was fortunate to play in the postseason. In his final season the Cubs finish in a 3rd place tie with an 83-79 record.1972: Two No Hitters (Burt Hooton April 16th and Milt Pappas September 2nd) highlight a 2nd place 85-77 season, that season Leo Durocher fired after trouble with players and management boiled over, and began affecting the team's play.1973: In wacky season in which the entire NL East struggles to play .500 baseball the Cubs finish just 5 games out despite a record of 77-84.1974: After the departure of Ferguson Jenkins the Cubs sink back into the cellar finish with a terrible 66-96 record.

1975: The sole highlight of an otherwise forgettable 75-87 season comes on August 21st when Rick and Paul Reuschel become first brothers to combine on shutout in Cubs' 7-0 win vs. Dodgers.1976: OF Rick Monday rescues an American flag from two protesters attempting to burn nation's symbol in centerfield at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs would go on to repeat their 75-87 finish of the previous year, despite the efforts of Bill Madlock who wins the batting title by going 4 for 4 on the final day of the season.1977: After a fast start the Cubs fade to finish in 4th place with an 81-81 record.1978: The Cubs would again hover on the fringe of the pennant race as they finish just 11 games out of first place despite only posting a record of 79-83.1979: Bruce Sutter establishes himself as baseball's most dominant closer by taking home the NL Cy Young award. However, Sutter does not take the Cubs far as they finish in 5th place with an 80-82 record.1980: Following a miserable last place 64-98 season ace close Bruce Sutter is traded to the Cardinals for 1B Leon Durham.

1981: In the midst of a terrible season interrupted by a strike, in which the Cubs finish with an NL worst 38-65 combined record, the Cubs are sold by William Wrigley to the Tribune Company for $20.5 million.1982: Ferguson Jenkins returns to the Cubs and becomes the 7th pitcher to eclipses the 3,000 strikeout. However, the Cubs only manage to finish in 5th place with a 73-89 record. 1983: During an awful 5th place 71-91 season, manager Lee Ellia is fired after criticizing Cubs fans that sit in the OF seats known as the "Bleacher Bums".1984: On June 23rd Ryne Sandberg goes 5-for-6 and hits two late-inning game-tying home runs off St. Louis Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter in a Cubs 11-inning 12-11 win. Sandberg would go on to win the NL MVP. Meanwhile Rick Suttcliffe who was acquired in a mid-June deal with the Cleveland Indians posts a 16-1 record on the way to claiming the NL Cy Young. Together Suttcliffe, ad Sandberg lead the Cubs to their first NL Eastern Division championship with a 96-65 record. In the Cubs first postseason appearance since 1945 the Cubs face the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. The Cubs get off to a fast start demolishing the Padres in Game 1 at Wrigley Field 13-0. The Cubs would follow it up with 4-2 win in Game 2, which would send the Cubs to San Diego only needing to win 1 game to advance to the World Series. The Cubs would hold leads in all 3 games, but the bullpen could not hold it as the Padres on 3 straight to advance to the World Series.

1985: The Cubs are not able to repeat their magic as the Cubs fall to 4th place with a 77-84 record.1986: The Cubs continue to slide in the standings as they fall to 5th place with a record of 70-90, as Gene Michael replace Jim Frey as Manager in the middle of the season.1987: The Cubs make a big splash by signing free agent OF Andre Dawson away from the Montreal Expos. Dawson would go on to lead the NL in HR with 49, taking home the MVP despite the Cubs finishing in last place with a 76-85 record.1988: On August 8th, in a contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cubs play their first night game in Wrigley Field history, as number 1 Cubs fan; President Ronald Regan throws the switch from the White House. The night's debut was eventually rained out after 3 1/2 innings, and the first official night game occurred the next night, when the Cubs defeated the New York Mets, 6-4. The Cubs would go on to finish the season in 4th place with a record of 77-85.1989: Led by manager Don Zimmer, the Cubs enjoyed All-Star seasons from Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Rick Sutcliffe. In addition the Cubs enjoyed strong relief from closer Mitch Williams, who earned the name "Wild Thing" for his some time walk filled relief appearances. With these key contributions the Cubs win the NL East with a 93-69 record. However the Cubs would go on to lose in the NLCS again falling victim to the hitting of Will Clark as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Cubs s 4 games to 1.

1990: The Cubs come back to earth finishing in a 4th place tie with a disappointing 77-85 record, in a year in which Wrigley Field hosts the All-Star Game.1991: Manager Don Zimmer is replaced by Jim Essian as the Cubs struggle again to finish in 4th place with a 77-83 record.1992: Near the end of spring training the Cubs make a deal with White Sox swapping OF George Bell, for Sammy Sosa. In Sosa's first season with Cubs the team finishes in 4th place with a 78-84 record.1993: Despite ending a string of 4 straight losing season manger Jim Lefbevre is fired after a 4th place season in which the Cubs finish 84-78.1994: Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes hits 3 Homer Runs during an opening day loss to the Mets. The Cubs would be stunned a few weeks later when star 2B Ryne Sandberg suddenly retires in an attempt to save a failing marriage. Without Sandberg the Cubs would be in last place in the newly formed NL Central with a 49-64 record when the season ended on August 12th because of a player's strike.1995: The Cubs emerge form the strike under new Management as 3rd generation GM Andy MacPhail takes over as president of the Cubs. In the first year of the MacPhail era the Cubs finish in 3rd place with a record of 73-71.

1996: Ryne Sandberg returns after a nearly 2 year hiatus in an attempt to set the career record for Homers among 2B as the Cubs finish in 4th place with a 76-86 record.1997: The Cubs stumble out of the gate losing their first 16 games as closer Mel Rojas, the Cubs big off-season Free Agent signing becomes on of the biggest free agent busts of all-time. Rojas would end up being dealt to the New York Mets in August, as the Cubs went on to finish in last place with a 68-94 record. Following the season Ryne Sandberg would retire for good holding the record for HR among 2B.1998: On May 6th Rookie Kerry Wood ties major-league record by fanning 20 batters in Cubs' 2-0 win over the Houston Astros. Wood would go on to take the Rookie of the Year, but it was overshadowed by the story of the yea. The story of the year would involve Cubs OF Sammy Sosa, and St. Louis Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire battle all season for the single season HR record held by Roger Maris. On September 13th in a 10-inning 11-10 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sosa hits home runs Nos. 61 and 62 to tie and then surpass Roger Maris on single-season home run list. Sosa would eventually end up with 66 HR leaving him just 4 behind McGwire for the record. Thanks to Sosa who claims the NL MVP the Cubs end the season tied with San Francisco Giants for the NL Wild Card with a record of 89-73. The Cubs would capture NL wild card with 5-3 win over the Giants in one-game playoff at Wrigley Field. However, the Cubs would go on to be swept in 3 straight games by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

1999: On his way to winning the first Hank Aaron award for slugging Sammy Sosa becomes the first player to hit 60 HR in two consecutive seasons. However as in 1998 he would finish second to Mark McGwire for the NL lead. The Cubs would go on to fall back into last place with a 67-95 record, as the Cubs sorely missed Kerry Wood who missed the entire season with an arm injury.2000: The Cubs face the Mets at the start of the season with a 2 game series in Tokyo, Japan. The Cubs would win the first game of the series, which the two teams split. Sammy Sosa would go on to lead the NL in HRs with 50, as the Cubs finished in last place again with a 65-97 record.2001: Sammy Sosa tags 425 total bases for his second 400-plus campaign, setting club marks for extra-base hits (103) and slugging percentage (737), topping the records set by Hack Wilson. In addition, Sosa recorded just the seventh 50-homer/150 RBI season in Major League history. Sosa is the only player since World War II to accomplish this feat twice, having previously reached it in 1998 as well. The Cubs also get strong pitching in the early part of the season highlighted by back-to-back 1-hitters from John Lieber who goes on to win 20 games, and Kerry Wood on May 24th and 25th. Thanks to the pitching staff and Sosa the Cubs are in 1st Place until late August. However the Cubs would end up fading in September finishing in 3rd place behind the playoff bound Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals with a solid 88-74 record.

2002: After contending for the NL Central in 2001, hopes were high for the Cubs entering the season. However, early on it was clear the Cubs were going to be a disappointment as they found themselves well below .500 all season, while struggling to score runs. Making matters worse the Cubs started to take controversial measures, including putting up dark netting over the fence in back of the bleachers, to prevent fans from watching the game at the apartment buildings surrounding Wrigley Field. As midseason approached Manager Don Baylor was singled out as the scapegoat. However, under his replacement Bruce Kimm the Cubs would not do any better finishing in 5th place with an awful 67-95 record. The only thing Cubs had to look forward to was the debut of rookie pitcher Mark Prior, who goes 6-6 in 19 starts. Following the season the Cubs would change managers again, hiring Dusty Baker who had just led the San Francisco Giants to the World Series.2003: The Cubs began the season on a milestone watch, as Sammy Sosa needed just 1 long ball to achieve his 500th career Homer. Sosa would achieve the feat on the 4th day of the season going deep on the road in the Cincinnati Reds new ballpark. However Sosa struggled early and in May was placed on the disabled list. Despite the loss of Sosa the Cubs played solid baseball behind the terrific 1-2 punch of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior who were quickly establishing themselves as the best pitching combo in the NL. When Sosa returned from the DL he was still struggling so he tried to use a corked bat to get himself out of his slump. Instead in brought embarrassment as his bat broke in a June 3rd interlegaue game against the Tamp Bay Devil Rays spreading cork all over the field, and earning the star an 8-game suspension. After the suspension Sosa caught fire and overcame his early power struggles to end the season with 40 homers, and 103 RBI. The Cubs however would spend much of the next 2 months hovering around .500. Hoping to get back in the race the Cubs made several deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates acquiring Armais Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, and Randall Simon, which helped kick start the Cubs offense. Despite a mediocre 69-66 record entering September the Cubs were in thick of a 3-team race for the NL Central Division title. The Cubs would establish themselves as a serious contender by taking 4 out of 5 from the St. Louis Cardinals to begin the season's last month. It would kick start a 19-8 month as the Cubs pitching and improved offense were just enough to catapult them into first place where they won the first division title in 14 years with an 88-74 record. Facing the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS the Cubs got off to a good start as Kerry Wood stared on the mound and at the plate pitching a solid 7 plus while delivering a 2-run double as the Cubs won Game 1 in Atlanta 4-2. After the Braves took Game 2 the series shifted to Wrigley Field where Mark Prior out dueled Greg Maddux to give the Cubs a 3-1 win. However with a chance to close the series out in Game 4 Matt Clement struggled as the Braves evened the series with a 6-4 win setting up a decisive 5th game in Atlanta. Game 5 in Atlanta would see the return of Kerry Wood who dominated the Braves again as the Cubs won their first postseason series in 95 years with a 5-1 win. Facing the Florida Marlins in the NLCS the Cubs experienced a roller coaster of emotions in Game 1, as they jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. However the Marlins rallied and took a lead into the 9th where Sammy Sosa delivered a 2-out 2-run homer to even the game at 8-8. However the Marlins would recover and win in the 11th inning. The loss would not deter the Cubs who came back the next night and won going away 12-3, as they took the next 3 games for a 3-1 series lead. After losing Game 5 in Florida the Cubs returned to Wrigley Field needing just 1 win to reach their first World Series since 1945. A party atmosphere was hovering over Wrigleyville as the Cubs had Mark Prior on the mound and a 3-0 lead going into the 8th Inning. The cheers got louder as Mike Mordecai flied out to start the inning. After a Juan Pierre double the Cubs appeared to have the innings 2nd out as Moises Alou drifted to the stands, but a fan named Steve Bartman knocked the ball away, opening the flood gates. The batter Luis Castillo would walk, which was followed by an Ivan Rodriguez single that put the Marlins on the board. Things would only get worse as SS Alex Gonzalez booted a double play ball as the Marlins went on to score 8 runs to force a 7th game with an 8-3 win. Not even Kerry Wood could save the Cubs in Game 7 as the Cubs ace was shaky as the Marlins took the game by a score of 9-6 to go on to the World Series leaving Cubs fans with heartbreak like they had never suffered before.

2004: Coming off their heartbreaking loss in the NLCS the Cubs were the popular pick to win the NL at the start of the season as their dynamic young pitching duo of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior was joined by future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux who was returning to the Cubs after 11 years with Atlanta Braves. The Cubs would get off to a solid start winning 12 of their first 18 games. However, as the season wore on the Cubs had issues with injuries as both Wood and Prior missed significant time due to injury making only a total of 43 starts, with neither winning 10 games. Picking up the slack for Wood and Prior was Maddux and Carlos Zambrano who each won a team high 16 games, included was Maddux's 300th career win against the San Francisco Giants on August 7th. While the Cubs were well out of the picture for the Division Title they remained in the Wild Card race until the end of the season. However with a week left in the season the Cubs bullpen failed them as protecting a 3-0 lead against the New York Mets with 2 outs in the 9th Inning Closer LaTroy Hawkins allowed a 3-run homer to September call up Victor Diaz. The Mets would go on to win in 11 innings as another minor league call up Craig Brazell won the game with a homer. The Cubs would not recover as they lost 7 of their final 9 games missing the Wild Card spot by just 3 games as they finished in 3rd place with an 89-73 record. On the final game of the season a simmering feud between Sammy Sosa and Manager Dusty Baker exploded as Sosa left early and was criticized heavily by Baker. Immediately trade rumors began to emerge as Sosa who despite hitting 35 Home Runs only managed 80 RBI while hitting .253, with a poor average in clutch situations. Eventually Sosa would be dealt to the Baltimore Orioles for Jerry Hairston Jr. and at least 2 minor-leaguers.

2005: From the start of the season Mark Prior and Kerry Wood dealt with nagging arm injuries that would limit them to just 37 total starts, as the Cubs play mediocre baseball all year, on the way to a disappointing 79-83 record that saw them land in 4th place. Despite not being in the playoff picture all year there still were several bright spots as 1B Derek Lee had a breakout year leading all 3 triple crown categories for much of the first half. Lee would manage to win the batting crown with a .335 average while his 46 homers ranked second in NL. However with few people on base in the second half he fell out of the top 10 and ended with 107 RBI. Also having a solid offensive season was 3B Aramis Ramirez who hit .302 with 31 homers and 93 RBI. However, Nomar Garicaparra continued to struggle with injuries as a torn groan limited him to just 62 games, as the Cubs decided to let him walk away as a Free Agent at the end of the season.

2006: The Cubs started the season as injuries continued and Mark Prior, as the two one time aces would hardly pitch making just 13 appearances combines, with Prior posting a 1-6 record with a robust 7.21 ERA. Despite the problems of Wood and Prior the Cubs got often to a decent start, winning 12 of their first 19 games. However, when Derek Lee suffered a fractured wrist in a collision with Rafael Furcal of the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 20th the Cubs offense suddenly lost its punch. While Lee would be limited to just 50 games the Cubs plunged quickly winning just 5 of 28 games leading into Memorial Day, as the Cubs embarked on another season to forget. As the season wore on frustrations in Chicago mounted as the Cubs set records for no shows at Wrigley Field. One night Cubs fans rather forget is a Sunday Night National TV game against the New York Mets in July, in which the Cubs allowed two Grand Slams in an 11-run 6th leading to fans showering the field with debris. It was one of several incidents of fans throwing garbage during the season. By the time the season was over Manager Dusty Baker who entered 2003 as a hero, had become public enemy number one as fans booed him every time he changed pitchers. The Cubs would end the season in last place with a terrible record of 66-96, as Baker was fired and replaced by Lou Piniella, who immediately became the source of the new hope for Cubs fans. With the hiring of Piniella the Cubs would also go on a wild off-season spending spree signing Alfonso Soriano seen by many as the top Free Agent following a 40-40 season with the Washington Nationals. In addition the Cubs signed Free Agent Pitchers Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis with the hopes of building a rotation they could count on beyond Carlos Zambrano.

2007: No matter how bleak the situation has been in the past the Cubs always begin the season full of optimism. A good reason for that optimism despite coming off a last place season was new Manager Lou Piniella and their big free agent signings. However, early on it was more of the same as the Cubs got off to a slow start losing six of their first nine games, as they posted a 10-14 record in April. In May the Cubs played a light better as they climbed above .500 on May 9th. However a week later the Cubs showed they still had a way to go as they blew a 5-1 lead in the 9th Inning against the New York Mets who were playing several reserves. The Cubs would rebound quickly as they took two of three against the cross-town White Sox. However, the Cubs still struggled the rest of the month and started June with a record of 22-30. As June began the Cubs looked like they were about to come apart at the seems as ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano and Catcher Michael Barrett got in a dugout shoving match as the Cubs were beaten by the Atlanta Braves 8-5. A day later it was Piniella blowing his top as he began kicking dirt and threw his cap after a close play at third base sent him out to argue with Umpire Mark Wegner. Piniella was suspended four games for the incident, but it seemed to light a fire under his team as the Cubs won 8 of their next 12 games. While problems still existed as Michael Barrett, who would end up being dealt to the San Diego Padres, was involved in another altercation this time with pitcher Rich Hill, the Cubs seemed to be turning the corner. As June was coming to a close the Cubs were playing solid baseball winning seven straight to approach .500 again as they swept a three game series with the White Sox on the South Side. After ending the first half with a record of 44-43, the Cubs began to make their move in the Central Division as they ended the month of July just a half game behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers as they posted a 17-9 record, including wins in 9 of their first 12 games after the All-Star Game. Despite a rough stretch in August, after losing Alfonso Soriano for a few weeks to an injury the Cubs entered September in the thick of the pennant race. Down the stretch it would be the Cubs led by their pitching staff that would end up getting the edge as they won 10 of 12 games during a key stretch in mid-September to take over first place. The Cubs would end up completing a worst-to0first turnaround as they won the NL Central with a record of 85-77, as they set a new attendance record of 3,252,462. In the NLDS the Cubs were matched up against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Game 1 pitching was the story as Brandon Webb and Carlos Zambrano both had solid starts as the game was tied 1-1 after six innings. However, the Cubs bullpen would falter as the D-Backs won 3-1. After losing 8-4 in Game 2 the series shifted to Wrigley Field with the Cubs needing a win to avoid a sweep. Things did not start well as Chris Young homered on Rich Hill's first pitch. The Cubs would not be able to fight back as the Diamondbacks completed the three game sweep with a 5-1 win.