Cubs historical sleuthing: Ryne Sandberg edition

Former second baseman Jeff Kent has been up for Hall of Fame consideration for a decade, with this year marking his last crack at induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America. Kent received 46.5% of the vote during this cycle, well shy of the 75% needed for induction. He falls off the ballot and will no longer be considered by the BBWAA.

Forty years ago today, the Cubs and White Sox made a multi-player trade. The Cubs sent Scott Fletcher, Randy Martz, Pat Tabler and Dick Tidrow to the South Side in exchange for Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar. This wouldn’t ordinarily be a topic for a “Today in Cubs history” article,...

This photo appears to be somewhat out of its time. Looking at the top, at the marquee itself, it looks somewhat ancient. The paint on the marquee looks faded, and the shading of the letters doesn’t quite match. On the other hand, scan down to the bottom of the...

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

Earlier this offseason, we took a look at the Cubs’ estimated payroll and luxury tax figures, helped out as always by BCBer The Deputy Mayor of Rush Street. That was seven weeks ago and the Cubs went on a mini-spending spree after that, signing quite a number of free agents.

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor. Thanks are in order for the fine accounting work...

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor. Mark Leiter Jr. has elected to become a free...

On May 17, 1917, the Cubs led the National League standings by 3 games, with a record of 22-9. They already had won nearly one third as many games as they had in all of the previous season, when they had finished 67-86-3, tying a franchise record for most losses.

Al Yellon has published several posts recently about the new scheduling format for 2023, in which the number of games between each team and the 4 others in its division will be sharply reduced, to 13, instead of 19. That means each team will play fewer than one third of...

This week, the Baseball Writers Association of America elected Scott Rolen to the Hall of Fame, just one player from a ballot that had 28 names on it. (Granted, some of those players really weren’t Hall-worthy, and 12 of them received either no votes or one vote, and dropped off next year’s ballot.)

Longtime major league third baseman Scott Rolen was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in the results of balloting announced Tuesday evening. Rolen got 76.3 percent of the vote, five votes over the 75 percent required for induction. Others who came close to induction: Todd Helton,...

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the secret shindig for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. Kick the snow off your boots. We can take your coat for you. There are still a few warm tables left. The dress code is casual, although we suggest warm. Bring your own beverage.

Welcome back to another week here at BCB After Dark: the happening hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. We’ve got one good table that we’ve reserved for you. There’s no cover charge. Let us take your hat and coat for you. The show will start shortly. Bring your own beverage.

The Cubs announced Wednesday afternoon that single-game tickets for games at Wrigley Field for the 2023 season would go on sale Friday, February 24 at 10 a.m. CT. You know, the first day of ticket sales used to be a mad rush. I can remember back in 2004, when the Cubs were coming off a division title and NLCS appearance, they handed out wristbands for getting in line at the Wrigley ticket office. The line to get wristbands was a 90-minute wait and some people sat online or in phone queues all day and failed to get tickets. That year, 66 of the 81 games sold all bleacher tickets on the first weekend of sales. I used to run “Tales from the Virtual Waiting Room” here at BCB for stories of woe from people who couldn’t get tickets.

Some of the comments to my post yesterday about the new balanced MLB schedule turned to the idea of MLB realignment, so I thought I’d address that again here today. The last time I wrote on this topic was last summer, after Commissioner Rob Manfred made some comments about expansion. Manfred had made those comments at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles, and as always, he summed up the issue this way:

If you’ve been a reader here for a while, it will be no surprise to you, dear reader, that I have been a big champion of the “Todd Helton for HoF” Fan Club for some time. And sadly, yesterday, my long wait (and I suppose Todd’s) was not rewarded.