A fan's guide to the Chicago Cubs

	In 1876, the Chicago White Stockings became one of eight charter members of the National League led by their president William A. Hulbert, who was also the owner of the Chicago club. A.G. Spalding is the manager when the team plays its first game in the history of the Chicago National League Ball Club that takes place on April 25.

	What a decade for Cubs baseball, which is exactly what it was. In 1902, noting the youth movement lead by new manger Frank Selee, a local newspaper penned the nickname Cubs for the first time. The moniker prevailed over time and was officially adopted by the club in 1907. It is currently one of the longest running, and most beloved nicknames in all of sports.

	The team began this decade much like they ended the previous one--by winning. The Cubs woin their fourth National League pennant in five seasons. Despite winning 104 games and capturing the flag by 13 games, they lost the 1910 World Series to the Philadelphia A's, four games to one.

	In 1920, Weeghman Park became known as Cubs Park, after chewing gum magnet William Wrigley bought out the remainder of Charles Weeghman's share of the club. The park underwent yet another name change in 1926 when it became Wrigley Field.

	In 1930, outfielder Hack Wilson put together one of the greatest hitting seasons in baseball history, pounding 56 homers and driving in 191 runs--a mark that has never been outdone since. On June 27, the largest crowd to ever attend a game at Wrigley Field — 51,556 — is on hand as the Cubs played the Brooklyn Dodgers. But paid attendance was only 19,748, due to the Ladies Day promotion where women got in for free.

	Instead of becoming one of the first teams to install lights, the Cubs went on to become one of the last when, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, P.K. Wrigley donated the lighting equipment that he had recently purchased to the War Department in 1941.

	With the country in the middle of the Cold War, the Cubs were a team in the middle of a frigid decade. After experiencing success for the majority of their existence, the Cubs finished the 50's without a postseason appearance, the first decade of a drought that would last until 1984.

	Sport imitated life in the 60's. A period mostly remembered for rebelling against the norm and untimely deaths of promising young leaders could describe the nation's or the organization's history during this time. In 1960, owner P.K. Wrigley experimented with the manager position, implementing a "College of Coaches."

	During the 1970's, the Cubs saw many of their greats ride off into the sunset. Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks retired from the game in 1971 with 512 home runs. Three years later he and his familiar greeting of, "Let's play two!" were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Billy Williams, who in 1971 became the first player in NL history to play in 1,000 consecutive games, was traded to Oakland on October 23, 1974.

	Changes were in store for the Cubs in the 1980's in regards to ownership, postseason play, and the park. In 1981, the Wrigley family ended their 65-year ownership of the team when William Wrigley sold the team to the Tribune Company for $20.5 million. In 1982, Fergie Jenkins, having been picked up as a free agent the previous November, became the seventh player in baseball history to hurl 3,000 strikeouts. That season Ernie Banks became the first Cub to have his number retired. The fabled No. 14 now flies from the left-field foul pole at Wrigley Field while Billy Williams' No. 26, retired in 1987, flies from the right-field pole.

	Home runs, strikeouts and the passing of two legendary voices of the Cubs are notable from this decade. In 1990, Ryne Sandberg led the NL with 40 home runs, the third-highest total ever for a second baseman. Sandberg also established a major-league record by playing errorless ball for 123 straight games. Cub pitcher Greg Maddux won the NL Cy Young award in 1992, after posting a 20 and 11 record. The next season, Randy Myers set an NL record with 53 saves. Setting the stage for greater things to come, in 1993 Sammy Sosa became the first player in Cubs history to post a "30/30" season, finishing the year with 33 homers and 36 steals.

	However one looks at it, whether 2000 began the new millennium or ended the old one, the Cubs began it with a rather ominous result. While Sammy Sosa continued his swatting ways en-route to becoming just the third player in major-league history to reach the 50-homer mark in three straight seasons, the team struggled, winding up with a 65-97 record. Following the season, life-long Cubbie Mark Grace bid farewell to the Friendly Confines, choosing to sign with the Arizona Diamond Backs.