When The Chicago Cubs Played In Forgottonia
No one alive today can recall when the Chicago Cubs came to Forgottonia to play baseball, but they did just that, and not only once, but twice! For three seasons Macomb had a minor league baseball team in the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League. The Macomb Potters joined the league in its startup year, 1908 and folded on August 17, 1910. The Potters began play after local fans had raised funds to start the team. The year 1908 is a constant reminder for Chicago Cubs, as it was the last time the team won a World Series until miraculous 2016 Championship run.
Exciting news hit the Macomb area on Saturday March 13, 1909 when it was learned that the national champion Chicago Cubs would visit Macomb to play the Potters in an exhibition game on Friday, June 18, 1909. The game was scheduled with the agreement that the Cubs would feature their regular lineup. The selected date allowed the Cubs to play in between the Cubs’ series with the Brooklyn Superbas, who would later become known as The Dodgers.
The game was advertised as “the greatest day in the baseball history of McDonough County,” in a large advertisement placed in the June 17, 1909 Macomb Daily Journal. The teams took the infield at 2:30 p.m., with the game starting at 3:00 p.m. In front of 2,964 fans who paid an admission of $1.00 per ticket, the Cubs beat the Potters 6–0. After the game, each team split the gate money minus expenses with each club receiving $971.50.
During the 1910 season, the Macomb Potters again hosted the Chicago Cubs playing a second exhibition game. The Cubs won again with a score of 5–0.