The 1908 World Series had the best coverage

The time leading up to the 1908 World Series was a thrilling experience for baseball fans. The defending champion Chicago Cubs would be taking on the Detroit Tigers in a rematch of the 1907 series, which had been won by the Cubs. This was the first time in World Series history that two teams would have a rematch.

The 1908 series is remarkable for another reason: it was the last time the Cubs would win a World Series for 108 years, until they finally bested the Cleveland Indians in 2016.

As for the series itself, it ended up being a pretty subdued experience, the Tigers only won a single game (the third game of the series) while the Cubs took the other four, and won it in five games.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of this series is the newspaper coverage, which relied heavily on some amazing cartoons. This one, from 110 years ago today, showed the battered Tigers fumbling the first game to the Cubs.

The second loss was commemorated as a brawl between the two namesake animals.

And this one was from just prior to game one, as fans readied themselves for the excitement of the coming series.

Even the Tigers clinching the pennant against the White Sox earned an amazing bit of cartoon spectacle:

And if those aren’t awesome enough for you, here’s the Detroit Free Press suggesting that Tigers fans shouldn’t destroy property while celebrating the World Series at home. “...everyone is entitled to do to show that his heart is light, but burning property and destroying it by other means have less to commend them.”

Special thanks to Tigers History and Michigan’s Past for unearthing these gems.