The North Siders, by any other name.

     Since 1876, the National League ball club in Chicago had been known by names such as the Nationals, the Orphans, the Chicagos, the Colts, the Rough Riders, the Silk Stockings, the White Stockings, and even the Rainmakers. But in 1902, that all changed. On March 27 of that year, an insipid reporter for the Chicago Daily News penned an article about how the team was prepping for another season. This team was much younger and unseasoned than previous iterations, and the writer was looking for a way to impart that. He eventually used the line "manager Frank Selee will devote his strongest efforts on the team work of the new Cubs this year".

     At the time that it was written, the moniker "Cubs" was just another nickname, and the team continued to be known under various other names for the next six seasons, such as the Panamas, the Spuds, the Zephyrs, and the Microbes. But when the 1907 World Series rolled around, the team was issued new jackets with the picture of a Cub on it. With that, the North Side team officially adopted the Cubs name. And even though we haven't quite maintained the winning tradition started in 1907, the team does continue to be called the Cubs today, 112 years after the name was first coined.