Interspersing exciting history and fun quizzes, this trivia book ranges from basic questions to challenges that will teach even the most die-hard fans a thing or two about Cubs baseball. The facts presented are grouped into categories that include positions, the early years, and championship teams. Entertaining and educational, the book is ideal for both solitary instruction and group game play. Christopher Walsh is an award-winning sportswriter. His honors include the First Amendment Award from the Associated Press Managing Editors, two Pulitzer Prize nominations, the Herby Kirby Memorial Award from the Alabama Sports Writers Association, and Enterprise Story of the Year from the Football Writers Association of America. He is the author of Packers Triviology , Steelers Triviology , Cowboys Triviology and Nick Saban vs. College Football: The Case for College Football's Greatest Coach . He lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Cubs Triviology Fascinating Facts From the Bleacher Seats By Christopher Walsh Triumph Books LLC Copyright © 2016 Christopher Walsh All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62937-238-9 Contents 1. The Basics, 2. National League History, 3. Famous Firsts, 4. The Stadiums, 5. Nicknames, 6. The Greats, 7. Jersey Numbers, 8. The Records, 9. Quotes, 10. More Than 100 Years, More Than 100 Questions, 11. Drafts, Trades, and Free Agency, Oh My!, 12. Opening Day Lineups, 13. The Postseason, 14. The Strange and the Bizarre, 15. Miscellaneous, 16. The Hot Box, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 1. The Basics There's history with Major League Baseball, and then there's the Chicago Cubs. The organization is the very essence of the word tradition, is part of the most established league in professional sports and plays its home games in the National League's oldest venue. The franchise has been around so long that its initial home was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire — one of the worst United States disasters in the 19 century. That was 30 years before that other baseball team in Chicago was created and they've been competing for city dominance and more since 1901. Now that's a rivalry ... and that's old by any standard in sports. Originally formed as an amateur team in 1870, less than a decade after the Civil War, it defeated the St. Louis Unions 47–1 in its first game. A few years later the team became one of the original members of the National League and played its first professional game on April 25, 1876. To put that into perspective, Colorado, which would add an expansion team in the league 116 years later, would become the 38 state in the union that year. General George Armstrong Custer was killed along with 264 of his Union Calvary after engaging the Sioux tribe at Little Big Horn, and no one cared about the price of gasoline yet because the automobile was still 10 years from being invented. Ulysses S. Grant was President of the United States, Alexander Graham Bell had just patented the telephone and Mark Twain was in the process of publishing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It defeated the Louisville Grays 4–0. The team's roster that first season was as follows: Pitcher: Al Spalding. Catcher: Deacon White. Infielders: Cap Anson, Ross Barnes, Cal McVey, John Peters. Outfielders: Bob Addy, Fred Andrus, Oscar Bielaski, John Glenn, Paul Hines. The Basics 1. When the team was first formed what was its initial nickname? 2. Why was the team first called the "Cubs" in 1902? 3. When did Cubs become the official name of the team? 4. According to the Cubs' media guide the team was known by at least 14 other names between 1887–1913, but which two were the most popular? 5. Name five of the other early nicknames. 6. Who was the franchise's first owner? 7. Which tandem, including a former player, took over in 1882? 8. How much did Charles Murphy pay to purchase the franchise in 1905? 9. Who had financed Murphy's purchase and bought the team in 1914? 10. What Federal League team owner, when that league went under in 1916, purchased the Cubs and merged his teams? 11. What family bought the team and maintained control for more than 50 years? 12. When the Ricketts family purchased 95 percent interest in the Cubs, along with approximately 25 percent interest in Comcast SportsNet in 2009, the transaction was valued as being worth how many dollars? 13. From 1903–42, who did the Cubs play in a semiannual series after the regular season if the two teams weren't in the World Series? 14. Who is the only manager other than Frank Chance to have a 100-win season? 15. Excluding the 1962 season when the Cubs had three managers (Charlie Metro, El Tappe and Lou Klein), who are the only two managers to endure a 100-loss season? 16. Who is the only player in Cubs history to hit for the cycle more than once? 17. What is the only state that's never had anyone play for the Cubs? 18. Who was named the Cubs' President of Baseball Operations in 2011, and what was his previous claim to fame? 19. T