Today in 1908 - Cubs accidentally go to Buffalo, and a legendary Olympic controversy.

The Cubs showed up in Buffalo for an exhibition game. Problem is, nobody else did. Also, a legendary Olympic controversy took place on this day.

Ahhh old timey baseball and the tradition of running its players ragged. As if it wasn't enough that the Cubs have 18 games in the next 15 days, on their "off" day today they were sent to lovely Buffalo, NY for an exhibition game with the Buffalo Bisons.

Problem is ... the Bisons weren't there. Why? The game was actually cancelled six weeks ago, but Cubs owner Charles Murphy forgot to tell the players. Thanks boss!

Ummm ... yeah ... we're gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Saturday.

Yeah ... that'll be great.

More bad news ... utility man extraordinaire Solly Hofman stayed back to have his balky knee examined, and word from his doctor is that he will need three weeks' rest. Also, Mordecai Brown will miss the Brooklyn series to attend his sister's funeral in Illinois, and Frank Schulte will miss at least one game from an illness. The injury bug is back!

Pittsburgh did lose today in the only National League game, so the Cubs now trail by two and a half games as they start their four game series with Brooklyn tomorrow.

In other sports news, a legendary controversy took place on this day at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London that changed the Olympic games forever. In what is still called "the only walkover in Olympic history," the very first 400 meter run took place between three American runners and a British athlete named Wyndham Halswelle.

Since this was the first 400 meter in Olympic history, there were no designated running lanes and each racer could pretty much run anywhere on the track they wanted. American John Carpenter used this to his advantage in the final 50 meters and refused to let Halswelle (the favorite) pass him. Carpenter used his elbow to nudge Halswelle wide ... all the way to the outer edge of the track ... and Carpenter won the race.

Here's where the controversy cropped up ... using this elbow tactic was well within the rules at the time. The AMERICAN rules. However, the British rules weren't exactly the same and the British judge presiding over the race immediately called off the race and informed the runners that they would have to do it again.

This did not sit well with Carpenter, or any of the other Americans in the race, and they flat out refused to run the race again. And since the field was only four runners ... 3 Americans and one Brit ... that meant Wyndham Halswelle ran the race all by himself to win the gold, much to the anger and frustration of the American runners. Thus ... the only walkover win in Olympic history.

Hate on Halswelle all you want, but he did have a glorious mustache ...

So ... a couple monumental changes took place after this:

1) Lanes were added to the 400 meter run.

2) The Olympics starting using a collection of judges/officials from many different countries, instead of just letting the host country handle all of it.

Number two in particular is obviously the big one. Can you even imagine if the corrupt-ass Russians were allowed to be the only officials at the Sochi Winter Olympics? Or how about Communist China at the Beijing games? Something tells me the medal count in that one in particular would've been ...

China: 1,255 medals

Rest of the World: 0

Not to say that a lot of the judges today aren't on the take, because I'm pretty sure they are, but at least they're on the take from a coalition of countries instead of just one.

Cubs return to the field tomorrow!