The summer of 1963 provided a number of defining moments of the Civil Rights movement, beginning in May with the Birmingham Campaign and climaxing with the March on Washington. The dehumanization and enslavement of black people was once again an issue that refused to be ignored, and it again threatened every area of white ownership, […]
Author: Mary Craig
The Cubs and Moby Dick
“Weeghman, Weeghman, Federal man Make me a contract as fast as you can, Pad it and sign it and mark it O.K. And I’ll go to the majors and ask for more pay.” It’s no secret that Theo Epstein has been enamoured by Anthony Rizzo for the entirety of Rizzo’s career, first drafting him with […]
Falling Through The Cracks: Mel Kerr and the Development of the Farm System
Though baseball is often described in poetic terms, and rightly so, there is another more hurried, cutthroat element to the sport in which players are treated as products who can be bought and sold at will. Though this remains a problem in today’s MLB, it was at its most stark in the 1920s, when teams […]
Game 54 Recap: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3
What You Need To Know: The Cubs fell behind early, thanks to a Jose Martinez two-run bloop single in the first and a Molina solo home run in the sixth. But thanks to a Baez solo home run in the third and Kyle Schwarber’s first career grand slam in the seventh, the Cubs clawed their […]
Navigating 53 Years of Darkness at Wrigley Field
It is no secret that baseball, since its creation, has been uniquely tied to the fundamental nature of America. Its cultural and political nature is woven into the game at every level, and each game is a microcosm of American history. There are thus many examples from which to choose, but the efforts to install […]
Yosh Kawano and Japanese American Baseball
“He became an icon. I don’t know how many clubbies can say that.” -Ryne Sandberg on Yosh Kawano Many of us who have attended a game at Wrigley Field have spent several moments admiring the flags flapping in the breeze and breathing in the smell of history emanating from every nook and cranny. We can […]
That’s Orphan? And Other Almost-Names
Much has been made about the Cubs’ youth, and rightfully so. The team boasts an excellent crop of youngsters who are more concerned about the greatness of the future than the heartbreak of the past. They are helping to introduce a new brand of Cubs baseball that is unfamiliar to any fan under the age […]
The Early Development Of Cubs Marketing
When William Wrigley took a majority share of the Cubs in 1921, he transformed the way baseball was advertised. He dedicated himself to increasing the game’s appeal and pulling in a diverse audience. Through the introduction of Ladies’ Day and the radio broadcast of every Cubs’ game, Wrigley’s innovations redefined both baseball and marketing. The […]
Hippo Vaughn’s Disappearing Act
On October 13th, 1921, Edna Vaughn phoned the police to file a missing persons report for her husband, James “Hippo” Vaughn. His disappearance was dated as October 8th, five days prior to the phone call. But the truth of the matter is Hippo Vaughn began disappearing months earlier, beginning April 24th, 1921. Previously the ace […]
Tinker To Evers To Chance To The US District Court of Georgia
These are the saddest of possible words: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double – Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” How one is remembered […]