beloved Cubbies win the big one While baseball flourished and evolved through two world wars 18 US presidents and the dawning of a new century the Cubs were baseball’s franchise of futility Some said they were cursed At long last Cubs fans could share their joy with parents grandparents and even long departed loved ones Outside the Cubs Wrigley Field one fan had dedicated a brick to his grandfather It read In heaven and still waiting The day after the Cubs victory he added the words Not anymore I’m just so happy for Cubs fans over the last 108 years generations some still here some not said Cubs general manager Theo Epstein They were all here tonight Everybody who’s ever put on a Cubs uniform this is for you The Cubs story in 2016 was special but it’s just a part of the game’s rich history More than any other sport baseball’s roots run deep in American culture For most of the 20th
century baseball was the nation’s favorite professional sport In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge called baseball our national game Former US president Herbert Hoover once said Next to religion baseball has furnished a greater impact on American life than any other institution During World War II 1939 1945 President Franklin D Roosevelt asked Major League Baseball MLB to keep playing to take Americans minds off the war The game has been a favorite subject of movies and books from Field of Dreams to Moneyball Standouts such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio had more star power than actors and entertainers Baseball’s language is universal Success is a home run Failure is a strikeout Change is a constant in America but baseball has been a consistent thread joining the 19th 20th and 21st centuries That’s not to say baseball never changes though The sport’s popularity grew in parts of the
United States in the early 1800s By the start of the Civil War in 1861 soldiers on both sides knew the game and played it when they had time Even President Abraham Lincoln participated in games on the White House lawn After the war the game spread as returning soldiers took it to their homes Rural towns and big cities alike soon had teams for what was called base ball or town ball In its early years the game was far different than it is now Players didn’t wear gloves or mitts Fielders could get an out by hitting a base runner with a thrown ball Pitchers were required to throw underhand Batters could ask for a high or low pitch For a while too players could use bats that were flat on one side In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings now the Reds became the first pro team They toured the country to play local amateurs In 1876 the Red Stockings were part of the eight team National League of Professional Baseball
Clubs today’s National League NL In 1901 the American League AL also with eight teams came along Two years later the champions of each league met in the first World Series with the Boston Americans now Red Sox beating the Pittsburgh Pirates Born before football and basketball baseball had everyone’s attention Kids played it and adults flocked to ballparks as fans In the early 1900s the game was dominated by pitching contact hitters and base running It was the dead-ball era when the handmade balls couldn’t be hit far Games often were low scoring and decided by bunting stealing and well-placed singles As 1920 approached that changed Machine-made balls traveled farther when hit Home runs brought more excitement and nobody created more of it than Babe Ruth The Bambino set the single-season record of 29 home runs in 1919 and hit 54 and 59 the next two seasons
