Chicago Cubs
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Franchise |
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Previously known as Chicago White Stockings, Chicago Colts, and Chicago Orphans. Franchise Record: 9835-9286 World Series Titles: 2 (1907, 1908) National League Pennants: 16 (1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945) Playoffs: 16 (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008) Franchise Players: Cap Anson, Mordecai Brown, Ernie Banks, Gabby Hartnett, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa, Billy Williams Stadiums: 23rd Street Grounds (1876-1877), Lake Front Park I (1878-1882), Lake Front Park II (1882-1884), West Side Park I (1885-1890), South Side Park I (1891-1893), West Side Grounds (1893-1915), Wrigley Field (1916-present) |  Chicago Cubs Logo |
One of the original National League franchises, dating back to 1876, the Chicago Cubs are known for their World Series drought. They have not played in a World Series since 1945 and have not won a World Series since 1908. The franchise came close in 1984, when they lost the NLCS after blowing a two games to none lead to the San Diego Padres. In 1989, the Cubs fell in 5 games to the San Francisco Giants. The 1998 Cubs were an unexpected playoff entry, needing an extra one-game playoff win at Wrigley Field over the San Francisco Giants to win the Wild Card. The Atlanta Braves subsequently swept the Cubs in 3 games in the NLDS. In 2003, the Cubs had a lead in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Florida Marlins when fan Steve Bartman grabbed a foul ball that Cubs left fielder Moises Alou attempted to catch. The Cubs then blew the lead and would lose game 7 the next day. Realistically, it was Alex Gonzalez's blown double play that cost the Cubs the game, not Steve Bartman. In 2004, the Cubs had the wild card lead with 10 games left. They then lost 8 of the last 10 games to miss out on the playoffs.
In 2007, the Cubs won the NL Central division title. It was the first time they had made the playoffs since 2003, but they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. They repeated as division champions in 2008, even posting the best record in the National League, but were swept once again in the NLDS, this time by the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the 100th anniversary of their last championship.
The Cubs are known for other traditions, such as playing in one of baseball's oldest and quaintest ballparks - Wrigley Field. Built for the Federal League's Chicago Chi-Feds in 1914, it became the Cubs' home when the Federal League folded after the 1915 season and has remained in use with only minor modifications since. It boasts a brick outfield fence covered with ivy, has short distances that can become even more hitter-friendly on days when the wind is blowing out, and was the last stadium in Major League Baseball to be equiped with artficial lights, in 1989. The Cubs still play more afternoon games than any other team and have kept drawing fans in spite of their lack of on-field success.
[edit] Further Reading
- Art Ahrens: The Cubs (The Complete Record of Chicago Cubs Baseball), 1986.
- Art Ahrens: Chicago Cubs, 1926-1940 (Images of Baseball), Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2005.
- Art Ahrens and Eddie Gold: Day by Day in Chicago Cub History, 1982.
- Art Ahrens and Eddie Gold: The Golden Era Cubs, 1876-1940, 1985.
- Art Ahrens and Eddie Gold: The New Era Cubs, 1941-1985, Bonus Books, Santa Monica, CA, 1985.
- Art Ahrens and Eddie Gold: Cubs: The Renewal Era, 1985-1990, 1990.
- Gil Bogen: The Billy Goat Curse: Losing and Superstition in Cubs Baseball since World War II, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2009.
- Warren Brown: The Chicago Cubs, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL, 2001 (originally published in 1946).
- George Castle: The Million-to-One Team: Why the Chicago Cubs Haven't Won a Pennant Since 1945, Diamond Communications, 2001.
- Bruce Chadwick and David M. Spindel (Photographer): The Chicago Cubs: Memories and Memorabilia of the Wrigley Wonders (Major League Memories), Abbeville Press, 1994.
- Lew Freedman: Game of my Life: Chicago Cubs, Sports Publishing LLC, Champaign, IL, 2007.
- Derek Gentile & Stats Inc.: The Complete Chicago Cubs: The Total Encyclopedia of the Team, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2002.
- Gary Gillette and Pete Palmer: The Ultimate Cubs Companion: A Complete Statistical and Reference Guide, Maple Street Press, Hingham, MA, 2008.
- Peter Golenbock: Wrigleyville: A Magical History Tour of the Chicago Cubs, St. Martin's Griffin, 1999.
- Jerome Holtzman & George Vass: The Chicago Cubs Encyclopedia Baseball Encyclopedias of North America, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1997.
- Jerome Holtzman and George Vass: Baseball, Chicago Style, Bonus Books, Santa Monica, CA, 2001.
- Donald Honig: The Chicago Cubs: An Illustrated History, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 1991.
- Steve Johnson: Chicago Cubs Trivia Teasers, Trails Books, 2006.
- Bob Logan: Cubs Win! A Celebration of the 1984 Cubs, McGraw-Hill, 1984.
- Bob Logan: Tales from Chicago Sports: Cubs, Bulls, Bears and Other Animals, Sports Publishing LLC, Champaign, IL, 2002.
- Bob Logan: More Tales From the Cubs Dugout, Sports Publishing LLC, Champaign, IL, 2003.
- Bruce A. Rubenstein: Chicago in the World Series, 1903-2005: The Cubs and White Sox in Championship Play, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2006.
- Ron Santo & Phil Pepe: Few And Chosen: Defining Cubs Greatness Across the Eras, Triumph Books, Chicago, IL, 2005.
- John C. Skipper: Take Me Out to the Cubs Game: 35 Former Ballplayers Speak of Losing at Wrigley, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2000.
- John Snyder: Cubs Journal: Year by Year and Day by Day with the Chicago Cubs Since 1876, Emmis Books, 2006.
- Marc Stang: Cubs Collection: 100 Years of Chicago Cubs Images, Orange Frazer Press, 2001.
- Jim Vitti: The Cubs on Catalina: A Scrapbookful of Memories About a 30-Year Love Affair Between One of Baseball's Classic Teams & California's Most Fanciful Isle, Settefratti Press, 2003.
- Gene Wojciechowski: Cubs Nation (162 Games, 162 Stories, 1 Addiction), Doubleday, New York, NY, 2005.
- Gerald C. Wood and Andrew Hazucha, ed.: Northsiders: Essays on the History and Culture of the Chicago Cubs, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2008.
