Wrigley Field has seen many good and bad moments for the Cubs.
Wrigley Field has seen many good and bad moments for the Cubs. (USATSI)

Over the course of the next month, we'll venture through the history of each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, discussing some of the best and worst moments, players, teams, etc. It's more a fun snapshot for discussion purposes than a be-all, end-all declaration. We'll start with the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago White Stockings began play in 1876, changing to the Chicago Colts in 1890, the Chicago Orphans in 1898 and then the Chicago Cubs in 1903. What are some of the high and low points in the franchise? Let's take a look.

Best team: 1907

By record and run differential, the 1906 team was actually superior, but that team failed to get it done in the World Series, losing to the White Sox four games to two. The following season, though, the Cubs got it done.

The regular-season record: 107-45. They outscored opponents 574-390, ranking second in the league in runs while first with a 1.73 staff ERA. This was the Dead Ball Era, keep in mind, as the team's .250 average and .628 OPS both ranked third in the NL (out of eight teams).

Still, the rotation numbers are a bit staggering. Check it out:

Three Finger Brown: 20-6, 1.39
Orval Overall: 23-7, 1.68
Carl Lundgren: 18-7, 1.17
Jack Pfiester: 14-9, 1.15
Ed Reulbach: 17-4, 1.69

The top offensive player was Hall of Famer Frank Chance (who also managed the team), hitting .293/.395/.361 (131 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 49 RBI and 35 steals. Yes, Chance was the first baseman of the famed Tinker to Evers to Chance double-play combo, romanticized in a poem. They were three of the four Hall of Famers, along with Brown, on the team.

Those Cubs won the NL pennant by a whopping 17 games and then went on to sweep the Tigers in the World Series, the first in franchise history. In the five games (Game 1 ended in a tie with the Cubs winning the next four games), the Cubs outscored the Tigers 19-6.

Best manager: Frank Chance

In eight seasons, he went 768-389 (.664), winning four pennants and two World Series.

Worst team: 1962

Despite having four Hall of Famers -- Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Lou Brock -- in the daily lineup, those Cubs would go 59-103 under the guidance of their "college of coaches." They were outscored 827-632.

Worst idea: College of coaches

Instead of having a manager, the Cubs elected in 1961 to go with an eight-man committee. The "head coach" position was rotated between four men in 1961 and three in 1962.

Best team in the past 25 years: 2008

Yes, I realize the 2003 team was within five outs of the World Series, but the 2008 team was far superior on the whole and ultimately neither team won it all. The 97 wins by the 2008 ballclub were the most for the franchise since 1945. The offense led the NL in doubles, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs scored. The pitching staff led the NL in strikeouts and ranked third in ERA. It's a shame they choked in the NLDS round -- and make no mistake, they pretty well collectively gagged -- because they were quite the juggernaut through the regular season.

Best player: Ernie Banks

Hey, he's Mr. Cub. I can't choose anyone else. The two-time MVP played the entirety of his 19-year career with the North Siders, racking up 512 homers and 1,636 RBI.

Worst moment: Alex Gonzalez boots grounder

This was a double-whammy of a gut punch. Not only did this open the door to an eight-run Marlins inning -- when fielding it cleanly could've meant a double play and the Cubs heading to the ninth inning with a lead and needing only three outs to get to the World Series -- but it also came nearly immediately after a play where a certain fan has been blamed for interfering.

Some idiots -- don't kid yourself, it's only a minority of educated Cubs fans, not a majority -- still blame said fan instead of Gonzalez.

This is easily the worst moment in franchise history under the circumstances.

Best postseason moment, video era: Winning 2003 NLDS

The Cubs hadn't won a postseason series since 1908, so topping the mighty Braves in the first round of the 2003 playoffs was a pretty big deal.

Kerry Wood went 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA in the series while Mark Prior topped Greg Maddux in Game 3 with a complete-game gem in which he allowed one run on two hits. Speaking of which ...

Worst tease: Mark Prior

In 2003, Prior was 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 211 1/3 innings. He finished third in Cy Young voting and a case could be made that he should have won. He was 22 years old. He was dominant in the playoffs, too, save for that eighth-inning meltdown in which he probably should have been pulled earlier -- not to mention that Gonzalez needs to make that play.

A series of injuries would mean that Prior would only make 57 more starts for the Cubs at the big-league level. He never pitched in the bigs after age 25.

Best ballpark feature: Ivy

This was a tough call. Several aspects of the venerable Wrigley Field are iconic, but I think the most recognizable feature for those who haven't even been there is the outfield ivy.

Worst trade: Lou Brock

In many circles, this is notorious as one of the worst trades in MLB history. The Cubs got Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz from the Cardinals in exchange for Jack Spring, Paul Toth and future Hall of Famer Lou Brock in mid-June 1964.

Best trade: 1982 deal with Phillies

Before the 1982 season, the Cubs sent shortstop Ivan DeJesus to the Phillies for shortstop Larry Bowa and a kid who had played mostly shortstop in the minors by the name of Ryne Sandberg. Bowa would man short during the 1984 season -- the Cubs' first trip to the postseason since 1945 -- while Sandberg would win the NL MVP at the age of 24. It would be the first of many excellent seasons for the future Hall of Famer.

Best regular-season moment, offense: Ryno announces his presence with authority

Sandberg became a national star on that day. He tied the game in the bottom of the ninth against Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter and then did it again off Sutter in the 10th. The Cubs would win in 11 innings and move to within 1½ games of first place. From that point on, they were the best team in baseball by record and, again, Sandberg went on to win the MVP.

Best regular season moment, pitching: Kerry Wood's 20K game

There are arguments to be made that this was the best pitching performance in baseball history. His stuff was just outrageously filthy. Take a look at him making a loaded playoff team look awful:

This was the only thing keeping him from a no-hitter:

I initially neglected to include this gem, but as Ball Eight correctly points out, this was the highest ranked game in baseball history using Bill James' "game score," as Wood struck out 20, walked none and allowed just the one single. The sky was the limit.

Best on-field retirement: Kerry Wood

And over a decade later, chock full of myriad great moments, disappointments and injuries, here was the beloved "Woody" throwing his final pitch and getting the ovation from his adoring fans:

Best manager rant: Lee Elia

C'mon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google "Lee Elia rant." Don't listen to it in the presence of anyone offended by naughty language.

What are some other bests and worsts for the Cubs? Definitely add on via the comments section.

Up next: Tuesday, we'll take a look at the bests and worsts for the Milwaukee Brewers.