Today in 1908 - Cubs lose, guy falls asleep in the stands, and people eat chicken jello

The Cubs were pounded 11-2 by the Phillies. Guy falls asleep for four innings. Also ... mmmm ... chicken jello.

A message to the 2016 Cubs fans ... don't panic!

True, the Cubs just snapped a five game losing streak and have only won two of their last 10 games, but I'm here to pass along the facts ... the 1908 WORLD SERIES CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS also had a summertime swoon. And ... well ... based on the title attributed to them in the previous sentence of WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS, you can see how that all turned out in the end.

In fact, the 1908 slump is only just getting started. On this day in 1908, the Cubs got crushed by the visiting Phillies 11-2 to fall into a tie for first place with idle Pittsburgh. This was their third loss in a row, as well as four of the last five. That said, if you keep visiting this blog in the coming days and weeks (and I hope you do), you'll see that things are gonna get a lot worse before they get better.

Now ... let's certainly hope this isn't exactly the case in 2016 and the current Cubs snap out of their slump a lot quicker, but I felt like it was important to learn from the past as we look to the future.

So yeah ... the Cubs got destroyed on this day in 1908. Pitcher Orval Overall gave up eight runs in five innings of work, and the Cubs lost 11-2. In fact, the game was so bad, some dude in the stands fell asleep in the first inning and didn't wake up until the fifth. Now THAT is a boring game!

About the only good news to pass along for the Cubs was that Johnny Evers and Frank Chance were both back in the lineup. Obviously it didn't help much, but at least they were there.

For the Phillies, Mickey Doolin hit a home run, and it's worth pointing out that back in 1908 that earned you a check for $5 and a free $25 suit. And I know this because Phillies 1B Kitty Bransfield hit a homer yesterday and was given today's game off to go get measured for his new suit. Pimpin!

Meow meow meow ... Kitty got a new suit ...

In other news, it's time to share with you another horrible recipe ... chicken jello! Yup ... you read that right ... tasty chicken jello! I'll spare you all of the awful details, but just know that the Tribune recipe called for a layering of cooked chicken and hard boiled eggs, all laid into a gelatin mold and chilled until it set. Yum-O!

It does definitely answer the question as to why we Americans are much fatter today as a whole ... WE DON'T EAT CHICKEN JELLO! We eat delicious things instead that end up turning into candy coated love handles and backfat. But hey ... at least we don't have to eat chicken jello!

In summary, with the loss the Cubs fall to 45-31. Pittsburgh was rained out, so they gain the half game to jump into a tie with Chicago. New York comes to town tomorrow for a four games series. Spoiler alert: Tomorrow's game is even worse than today's!