A St. Patrick’s Day Wee Cubs Tale

THE CUBS: TAKING BASEBALL GLOBAL BEFORE IT WAS COOL – WITH A BIT O’ IRISH SPIRIT

Top o’ the afternoon to ya, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day—just in time for Opening Day eve! In a mere 12 hours or so, the Cubs and Dodgers will be kicking off the MLB season in Tokyo, Japan. And let’s be honest, there’s only one proper way to prepare for such a historic event on a day like today: grab yourself a pint, raise a toast, and tell a story. That’s the Irish way, after all.

Now, as we sip our adult beverages and wait for the first pitch, let me weave you a tale about how the Cubs were trotting the globe before it was fashionable—long before baseball got all fancy with London games and Tokyo showdowns. Back in the days when a trip across town involved a horse-drawn carriage and a prayer, the Cubs—then known as the Chicago White Stockings—were taking baseball to the farthest reaches of the world. And, most importantly for today, that included a stop in the Emerald Isle itself.

BASEBALL IN IRELAND? FAITH AND BEGORRAH, IT’S TRUE!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Baseball in Ireland? Surely you’re having me on!” But, it’s true. In March of 1889, the Irish got their first taste of baseball, and it was served up Chicago-style. On March 24, the team played a game in Belfast, and a few days later, they took the field at famed Lansdowne Road Grounds in Dublin.

Picture it now: a gang of American ballplayers, fresh off a tour through England and Scotland, stepping onto Irish soil with their bats and gloves in hand. The local crowd, more accustomed to hurling, rugby, and the fine art of out-drinking the English, must’ve had questions. “Why are they running in a circle like lost sheep? And where’s the tackling?” But Spalding’s squad, ever the ambassadors of America’s pastime, gave it their best shot.

One can only imagine how the postgame celebrations went. I’d wager a few Cubs found themselves in a Dublin pub that night, trying to explain how “stealing” a base is a good thing, to a group of puzzled but good-natured lads who were far more interested in seeing if these baseball fellas could keep up with them in rounds of Guinness and Jameson. (Spoiler alert: they could not.)

THE GRAND TOUR: STEAMSHIPS, PYRAMIDS, AND A BIT OF BLARNEY

This wasn’t just a quick jaunt across the pond—oh no. Spalding’s world tour was a true odyssey, a sporting adventure that would make Jules Verne tip his hat in admiration. It started in the western U.S., then moved on to Australia, Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), Egypt (yes, there was baseball near the pyramids!), Italy, France, England, and Scotland, before reaching dear old Ireland.

Now, traveling in the 1880s was no luxury cruise. No fancy team charters, no first-class flights. No, these lads were on lurching steamships and shaky train rides, probably cursing every delay and wondering why in the name of Saint Patrick they ever agreed to such madness. But they pressed on, spreading baseball across continents, much like the Irish spread the gift of storytelling and the occasional whiskey-fueled debate across the world.

THE CUBS CARRY ON THE TRADITION

Fast forward to today, and the Cubs are still taking baseball beyond American shores. This time, they’re in Japan, taking on the Dodgers in a much more comfortable setting—no steamships required. And while they might not be dodging rogue camel caravans near the Sphinx, the spirit of adventure remains the same.

And what better day to celebrate the Cubs’ global legacy than on St. Patrick’s Day? So, raise a glass to the team that took baseball to Ireland, to the lads who surely left a few confused Dubliners wondering what on earth a curveball was, and to the players today who continue the journey. Whether you’re toasting with a Guinness, a whiskey, or—heaven forbid—a green beer (the horror!), let’s all appreciate the Cubs’ place in baseball’s world-spanning history.

More than 135 years later, they’re still on the move, still making history, and still giving us grand stories to tell. And if that’s not worthy of an Irish toast, I don’t know what is.

Sláinte to the Cubs, to baseball, and to the grand adventure of the season yet to come!