Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs were one of the
strongest teams of the early 20th century, winning four National League
pennants from 1906 through 1910 and capturing two World Series
championships. No Cubs fan at the time could have dreamed that his team
would fail to corral another title for the rest of the century.
Following a draught, the Cubs began a resurgence with the famed double play combination of Joe Tinker to Johnny Evers to Frank Chance, plus pitcher Mordecai Brown. In 1906, the Cubs won 116 games on the way to garnering an easy N.L. flag, but the cross-town White Sox ended the dream with a six-game World Series victory.
The pitching-rich Cubs stormed back with 107 triumphs and another pennant in 1907, and Harry Steinfeldt and Evers led the offensive charge in a World Series sweep of Detroit. Brown and Ed Reulbach combined for 51 wins in 1908 as the Cubs won their third consecutive N.L. title. A second straight World Series victory - four games to one over the Tigers - came courtesy of hitters Chance, Frank Schulte and Evers.
Seven pennant flags flew over Wrigley Field from 1910 to 1945, but the Cubs dropped each World Series. The 1969 team featuring eventual Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins came tantalizingly close, while the 1984 and 1989 squads of Ryne Sandberg and Rick Sutcliffe secured division titles.
A long-awaited return to the World Series looked likely in 2003, but the Cubs let a three-games-to-one NLCS lead slip away, dashing Cubs fans hopes once again. Perhaps someday the Cubs will regain the glory of the teams that excelled nearly 100 years ago.
The Highland Mint produces a vast array of products licensed by MLB for all 30 teams. Included are PhotoMints, Coins, Coin Cards, Etched Acrylics, Ornaments, Keychains, and framed tickets, coins and lineup cards. Selected PhotoMints include game-used items, including pieces of jerseys, bases and on-deck circles.
No comments:
Post a Comment