Before the Curse: The Chicago Cubs' Glory Years, 1870-1945

Contents

Contents Ac k now l edg ment s xi Int r oduc t ion. The Chicago Cubs: From Early Excellence to the Golden Age to That Darn Goat 1 Part I. From “Let’s Play Ball” to King Kelly 1 Tit l e Time? 13 Comments of the Cincinnati Press on the Late Base-Ball Match—Chicago Times, 1870 14 2 Ba seba l l , Cel ebr a t ed a nd La mpo oned 17 This National Game—New York Times, 1881 18 America’s National Game—Outing, 1888 20 3 Mea sur ing Fiel der s 29 Fall Field Sport—Chicago Times, 1876 29 4 “Ca p” 35 Cap Anson of Marshalltown: Baseball’s First Superstar—David L. Porter, Palimpsest, 1980 37 Open Letter to Anson—Chicago Daily Tribune, 1897 45 5 Th e $10,000 Bea ut ! 49 When Fans Roared “Slide, Kelly, Slide!” at the Old Ballgame—James A. Cox, Smithsonian, 1982 50 Death of Kelly—Boston Daily Globe, 1894 59 Part II. From the Colts to the Dynasty 6 Fr om Teet o t a l ing t o Eg ypt 67 The Lessons of the League Campaign of 1888—Spalding’s Official Baseball Guidebook, 1889 69 The Great Baseball Trip Around the World in 1888–’89—Spalding’s Official Baseball Guidebook, 1889 71 7 Ho t Time a t t h e Ho t Spr ing s 75 Start Play This Week: Orphans Finish Their Training at Hudson Hot Springs— Chicago Daily Tribune, 1899 76 8 Ch i-t ow n Fa ndemonium 81 Nearly Everybody in Chicago Is Crazy About Baseball—Chicago Daily Tribune, 1906 84 Frantic Rooters Crowd the Field— Chicago Daily Tribune, 1906 90 9 Ev er s on t h e Gl or y Yea r s 99 Excerpt from Touching Second: The Science of Baseball— John J. Evers and Hugh S. Fullerton, 1910 101 10 Ba r t ma n’s Go t No t h in’ on Mer k l e 109 Bluff of Giants Typical—I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1908 111 Story of the Merkle Game—I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1912 11 6 Manager O’Day Takes from Evers Credit for Famous Merkle Play—Chicago Daily Tribune, 1914 11 9 11 Cubs, Ch a mpions! 121 Cubs Supreme in Baseball World— I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1908 122 12 Cent ennia l Br ow n 127 Three-Fingered Immortal— Ed Burkholder, Sport, 1953 129 13 Pol it ic s a t t h e Pa r k 139 President’s Day at Chicago—Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide, 1910 140 Part III. From the Hangover through the Roaring Twenties 14 Oh My! It ’s O’Da y! 147 Evers Deposed As Cubs Leader; O’Day Gets Job—Sam Weller, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1914 148 15 Gr ov er ’s Hig h s a nd Lows 157 His Own Worst Enemy—Andrea I. Paul, Nebraska History, 1990 158 16 Sh a r e Squa bbl e a t t h e Ser ies 169 Adjustment Today, Players’ Demand— Melville E Webb Jr., Boston Daily Globe, 1918 171 17 Pa pa , t h e Gipper , a nd t h e Cubs 175 Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1918: A New Kansas City Piece by Ernest Hemingway—George Monteiro, American Literature, 1982 175 Ronald Reagan: Above All, the Gipper was a Good Sport—Gary Peterson, 2004 177 18 Humbl e Beg inning s, Ma jest ic Lif e 181 Wrigley Spent Fortune to Make Cubs Champs—Jim Crusinberry, Chicago Daily News, 1932 183 19 Ba seba l l Ma n 187 Busher Joe McCarthy—Joe Williams, Saturday Evening Post, 1939 187 20 Ha yma k er Ha c k 199 Hack Wilson Fined $100—Chicago Daily News, 1929 202 Part IV. From Depression-Era Greatness to That Darn Goat 21 Ra ja h in Ch a r g e 207 M’Carthy Likely To Go; Hornsby Rumored for Job—Chicago Daily News, 1930 208 22 Did He Ca l l It ? 213 Home Runs by Ruth, Gehrig Beat Cubs, 7–5—Edward Burns, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1932 214 23 Wh a t Depr ession? Th ir d Wor l d Ser ies in Sev en Yea r s 217 All World Thrilled By Big Series— Gene Morgan, Chicago Daily News, 1935 218 24 Sa ndber g bef or e Sa ndber g ? 223 Well...