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CHICAGO CUBS In 2004, the Chicago Cubs completed back to back winning seasons since 1971-72. The Cubs were devastated by injuries of many of their star players. Greg Maddux, in his return to the Cubs, became the 22nd Major League pitcher to win 300 games, Sosa passed Ernie Banks to become the club's all-time home run leader and the Cubs boasted four 30-home run hitters, Moises Alou, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Sammy Sosa for the first time in team history. The Chicago Cubs have the longest dry spell between championships in all professional sports, having failed to win a world series since 1908, they have not even been to the world series since 1945. Sammy Sosa ended the 2004 season with 574 career home runs, placing him seventh on the major leagues' all-time home run list.
The Chicago Cubs have won more games than any other franchise in baseball history with the exception of the Giants. Their all-time franchise winning percentage is bested by just the Giants, Dodgers, and Cardinals. However, it is hard for the fans to accept that team has been waiting for more than 90 years for a World Series title and 55 years for a World Series appearance. Chicago is the only city to hold a team persistently since its inception in 1876. The Cubs started playing as "White Stockings." Beginning in 1890, some newspapers started covering them as the "Colts" because the team relatively featured very young players. A similar name was the "Cubs." In 1898, after the death of manager Cap Anson retired, the team was briefly given the name the "Orphans" before "Cubs" was legitimately approved in 1900.
Now the Cubs are one of six teams in the Central Division of the National League. The Chicago Cubs won sixteen League Pennants in, 1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 193, 1935, 1938 and 1945. The Cubs have also won three Division Titles in, 1984, 1989 and 2003.
Carlos Zambrano
The Cubs' baseball park is called Wrigley Field. In 1920 Wrigley Field was called Weeghman Park. The Cubs share an unusual rivalry with the Cardinals and have nurtured this rivalry since the 1880s when the Cardinals played as the Browns from 1882-1898, and the Cubs played as White Stockings from 1876-1889 before settling on to their original names. In 1885, both of the teams for the first time met in the World Series, the series which finished with 3-3-1 tie. In the late 1800s, the Browns switched on to the National League from the American Association. This placement put them in the direct contention for the division title. .The Chicago Cubs are the team that hasnt seen a World Series in nearly 10 decades and still attracts millions of perennially disappointed fans every year to the Wrigley Field. There is a mutual respect between the teams and their fans. Mike Shannon has lived this rivalry for decades, first as a Cardinals player and for the last 32 years as an announcer for KMOX radio. In 1926 William Wrigley, the creator of Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum, bought Weeghman Park and named it Wrigley Field after himself. In 1981 William Wrigley sold Wrigley Field to The Tribune Company for 20.5 million dollar after owning it for 65 years. The Cubs won their last World Series in 1907-08 and they haven't won ever since. Cub faithful are still waiting for their next World Championship. Mainstays on the early 1900s Cubs were Three Finger Brown, Ed Reulbach, Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker, Frank Schulte, and Jimmy Sheckard.
Matt Murton
Ernie Banks is the ultimate Cubbie and is the most popular player in Cubs' history draws a crowd, nearly 40 years after he played on the Northside. He had two defensive careers. From 1953-1961, he played at shortstop, winning two MVP Awards and a Gold Glove and from 1962-1971, Banks played as a first baseman, where he had good range and a strong arm. The best player on the Cubs in the 1980s was Ryne Sandberg, a professional second baseman who won the 1984 MVP award and capped the middle infield spot for Chicago for 15 seasons. His professionalism added with outfielder Andre Dawson added fire to the Cub attack in the late 1980s, helping the team win a division title in 1989. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire captivated the nation during their Home Run Chase of 1998, which ended with Sammy at 66 and McGwire at 70. The play of Mark Grace is also considered to be the best thing to happen to the franchise in the decade in 80s and 90s. In 1999, Sammy Sosa became the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach 6 home runs in back to back seasons. In 2001, Sosa hit at least 50 home runs each year, joining Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire as the only players with more than two 50-roundtripper campaigns.
WRIGLEY FIELD STADIUM Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs, is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball behind Fenway Park (1912). Wrigley Field is at 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, Illinois. Charlie Weeghman built the park to house his baseball team, the Chicago Federals (a.k.a. the Chi-Feds and, later, as the Whales) of the brand-new Federal League, which was challenging the established major leagues. Wrigley is the third-smallest ballpark being used in 2004 and the only remaining Federal League park. Wrigley Field is known for the ivy planted against the outfield wall in 1937 by Bill Veeck and the manual scoreboard Veeck also erected. No batted ball has ever hit the scoreboard, though Sam Snead did manage to hit it with a golf ball teed off from home plate. Originally named Weeghman Park, construction began on the 14,000 seat ballpark on March 14,1914. Wrigley Field cost $250,000. The ballpark had only one deck of grandstands in a V-shape, with wooden bleachers in the outfield. Construction on the $250,000 ballpark was completed by April 23, 1914. Weeghman Field was home to the Chicago Whales for two years, until the Federal League went bankrupt.
Michael Barret
The Chicago Cubs, played at West Side Grounds until Charles Weeghman bought the club and moved them to his ballpark in 1916. Wrigley Field has played host to Major League Baseball for the 91st season in 2004 and to the cubs for the 89th year. The first Cubs game at Weeghman Field was on April 20, 1916. In 1920, Weeghman Field was renamed Cubs Park, and Weeghman sold the club to William Wrigley Jr. Beginning in 1922 and 1923, Cubs Park underwent several renovations. The grandstands were moved back 60 feet, and wooden bleachers were added, thus increasing the capacity to 20,000. Major renovations began in 1926, when Cubs Park was renamed Wrigley Field. The grandstand was double decked, the playing field was lowered, and the bleachers in left field were removed. The capacity increased to 38,396. More renovations were completed at Wrigley Field in 1937. Bleachers were added in the outfield, and the famous 27 by 75 foot hand operated scoreboard was placed behind the bleachers in centerfield. The most distinct feature was the planting of ivy at the base of the outfield wall. Before World War II, the grandstand in left field was circled so all the seats faced home plate instead of centerfield. After 5,687 consecutive day games played by the Cubs at Wrigley, the lights were finally lit on August 8, 1988, for a game with the Philadelphia Phillies. That game was rained out after 3 innings, and the first official night game took place the following evening against the New York Mets. The Cubs won, 6-4. Lights had actually been placed in the ballpark for installation in 1941, but Wrigley instead donated them to a shipyard for the war effort the day after Pearl Harbor. In the late 1980s, however, Cubs management insisted that the team was in danger of leaving Wrigley if lights weren't installed, and Major League Baseball threatened to make the Cubs play postseason games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The first permanent concession stand in baseball was built here in 1914. The custom of allowing fans to keep foul balls hit into the stands started here, as did the custom of throwing back home runs hit by opposing players. "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" has been sung (off-key) thousands of times by venerable announcer Harry Caray (1914-1998), and countless fans have watched the game from the porches and rooftops of the houses on Waveland Avenue (behind the left-field fence) and Sheffield Avenue (beyond right field).
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