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Introducing Wiklifield - the Cubs Online Encyclopedia
In case Cubs history isn't your thing, there's a prospect post below this as well for today.
I've hinted at it enough over the last few months, but I suppose I'm ready to now to unleash it upon the world. Wiklifield (thanks to Cubnut for the name) has been my main project and passion this offseason and the goal is simple, if not ambitious - a community project to capture the entire history, culture and atmosphere of the Chicago Cubs. And I truly mean entire...
I've hinted at it enough over the last few months, but I suppose I'm ready to now to unleash it upon the world. Wiklifield (thanks to Cubnut for the name) has been my main project and passion this offseason and the goal is simple, if not ambitious - a community project to capture the entire history, culture and atmosphere of the Chicago Cubs. And I truly mean entire...
Players, coaches, songs, books, movies, Wrigleyville bars, rooftops, blogs, TCR memes, brain-cell killing articles, minor leagues, major leagues, you name it, I would love to have it in there eventually. It's going to take years to accomplish and hopefully a lot of help from Cubs fans across the Internet, but I think it could be something special for Cubs fans to lose themselves in a few hours at a time. A few examples of similar projects include the Ultimate Mets Database, Sons of Sam Horn Wiki and the Baseball Reference Bullpen.
To achieve this massive goal, it's obvious that I couldn't do it myself, nor the writers of TCR, so hence the open wiki interface that allows anyone to contribute. Now as you start looking through the site, you may start asking where's this bit of info or why hasn't this been included. Well first, let me say back off...I've been doing it mostly by myself. Second, that's the beauty of a wiki, if you don't see something just go ahead and add it. Of course that can also be its downfall as the information can easily be corrupted, but more on that later.
Before I get to the nuts and bolts on how you can contribute, let me demonstrate a few examples of what I'm hoping to capture. Let's start with the entry for the Cleveland Indians. My idea for these major league franchise pages is to include every way that the teams have interacted with the Cubs. The main sections as you'll see are head-to-head record, all transactions between the two franchises (including any rumors), and finally thanks to Baseball Reference and their multi-franchise player finder, players that have played for both teams. I've started pages for the current 30 franchises and some have been done already. I also needed to give a big shout out to reader homerzzz, who has volunteered a tremendous amount of his own time helping me take the retrosheet transaction files and converting them into something we can use on Wiklifield.
Recent comments
crunch (view)
suzuki says he injured his oblique running to 1st, not swinging. okay. it's gonna be that kind of 2024 cubs year, huh?
i would say that's good news compared to screwing it up swinging, but i'm not familiar with the recovery time of people screwing up their oblique by running.
right side is at least different from his left side oblique injury last year.
crunch (view)
5 IN A ROW!
hack wilson, ryne sandberg, sammy sosa, christopher morel, and michael busch.
Cubster (view)
A bit more Jewish take on one of my favorite Cubs, Kenny Holtzman. His 9-0 season while serving in the National Guard and being available to pitch on weekends was one of my coolest teen recollections.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388554
Cubster (view)
Suzuki out with oblique strain. Canario indeed is called up. No word on Morel so that might be a red herring (or a red digit).
AZ lineup is posted but Counsell is always late to post his lineup.
crunch (view)
You have to C it! (tm)
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
Best hitter: IL with oblique strain
Second best hitter: hasn’t looked the same since jamming his right hand during a swing
Third best hitter: playing through a sore hammy
Best pitcher: IL after one start
Second best RP: IL after 1.5 weeks
Noice
crunch (view)
suzuki 10d IL.
right oblique strain. ow. that's generally more than a 10d thing.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
Seiya on IL with an oblique strain
crunch (view)
cooper and morel are on the field doing pre-game stuff so it's not them...
George Altman (view)
I'll always remember his 3-0 No-hitter against the Braves when Aaron's HR was blown back into the LF well and BIlly Williams made the catch with his back against the ivy.