Twenty-five years, twenty-five years....where did the time go? It seems like yesterday Harry Caray nicknamed Ryne Sandberg and Bob Dernier the 'Daily Double'. It seems like yesterday Dallas Green made the trade for Rick Sutcliffe and thanks to modern technology, it was yesterday the Sandberg Game was replayed by this thirty-something Cubs fan and the reaction after the second home run off of Bruce Sutter was the same as it was a quarter century ago.
The Cubs Convention kicks off on Friday afternoon and the 24th annual gathering of the Faithful will pay tribute to one of the greatest teams in the organization's storied history....The 1984 National League Eastern Division Champion, Chicago Cubs.
Leading up to the 2007 season, the CCO paid tribute to the Summer of '84. With the much-anticipated gathering of several members of that special team on Saturday at the Cubs Convention, it seemed appropriate to republish the article from February 16, 2007.
(article)
The Cubs were coming off a horrible season, they had just seen their crosstown rivals win their division as they finished near the bottom of the National League, in fact 19 games back of the Phillies and just 3 games ahead of the Mets for the worst record in the league. They just hired a new manager and were feeling pressure to erase years upon years of losing records....12 to be exact. They had a nice nucleus but needed something to pull it all together. The world around them was changing before their very eyes and the neighborhood around them was in dire need of a facelift.
An entire new generation of Cubs' fans was born that year, unaware of what lie ahead of them. There was an excitement on the North Side of Chicago that had not been felt since the Hey Hey days of the 60's. There was a bigger than life voice that cheered every run and savored every victory and the Cubs won ballgames, in fact a lot of them....all was good in the summer of 1984.
Fast-forward 23 years and many of the questions and pressures remain the same; even the monkey Jim Frey thought he had gotten rid of still exists. Van Halen and the Police dominated the charts back then and everyone wore white t-shirts with some absurd saying in black ink plastered on both sides of the hideous article of clothing. The Cubs were coming off a 71-91 record in 1983 and in the process survived both Lee Elia and Charlie Fox. Cubs GM, Dallas Green hired Jim Frey to turn around the ill fates of a beloved organization.
The Cubs had a few of the pieces in place that would make the summer of '84 one to remember. Larry Bowa, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Cey, Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Keith Moreland, Steve Trout and Lee Smith were left over from the previous regime and the likes of Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier and Rick Sutcliffe were two little trades away. Many of the players from the '84 team cite Gary Matthews as one of the reasons for the season the Cubs had. Matthews came over from the Phillies on March 26th along with Porfi Altamirano and the other half of the "Daily Double", Bob Dernier, for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz. Matthews had the take-charge attitude and made players accountable for their actions while Bob Dernier gave the Cubs a much-needed leadoff hitter. That season would forever make Dernier a fan favorite.
Rick Sutcliffe, along with George Frazier and Ron Hassey, came over from the Indians on June 13th for Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Don Schulze and minor leaguer Darryl Banks. The Sutcliffe trade would push the Cubs over the top and in turn he would post a 16-1 record in route to winning the National League Cy Young.
The '84 Cubs did not drop below the .500 mark the entire season. They posted two 6-game winning streaks, five 4-game losing streaks and one 5-game losing streak. After it was all said and done the Cubs won 96 games that season while losing just 65. The 96 wins are the most for any Cubs' team since 1945 (98-56)....even to this day. Their 25-game improvement was their best since the days of Leo Durocher (Durocher had a 28 game improvement from 1966 to 1967).
The Faithful learned what a "Daily Double" was and Ryne Sandberg became a household name in route to the National League MVP....thanks to a Saturday afternoon on national TV and, of course, Bruce Sutter. While the Cubs won games and Wrigley's crowds increased, Harry Caray and Steve Stone cemented their names in Chicago sports history and in the process the Cubs helped Lakeview and Wrigleyville become what it is today.
Everyone knows how the season ended, they won their first NL Eastern Division crown in Pittsburgh but were unable to face the Detroit Tigers in the series, a would be rematch from 1945.
After the '83 season no one could have predicted what the Cubs would accomplish just a year later....arguably one of the best teams the Cubs would ever field.
While there are not many similarities between the world today and what it was way back then, one cannot help but wonder could the '07 version of the boys in blue repeat the remarkable season that we all witnessed over two decades ago. After all, Sting said the Police would never get back together and with David Lee Roth being back in Van Halen, anything is possible, right?
Dust off the flux capacitor and fuel up the De Lorean....it is going to be an exciting ride.
For an hour on Saturday afternoon at the Hilton, the Faithful will have the pleasure of listening to story after story from that wonderful summer. And for this writer, it will be a welcomed trip back in time.
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I was always a Cub fan but in 1984 it got into my DNA. Yeah, I know I go overboard with my obsession with them and I don't care. I love the Cubs and I will always defend the Nation of fans.
Jim I am right there with ya man, I don't think you can go over board can ya!
For those of you who are attending the Convention this weekend, have a great time. This year didn't work for me, but next year I am going to try like hell to be there.
I remember 1984 oh so well. I was the PR director of the Cubs, and a year later would also start the popular Vine Line newspaper. '84 was a Magic Carpet Ride, and one that will always be cherished and remain in my heart. I hope all Cubs fans reflect back on that great summer of fun! My best to all, Bob Ibach
Bob, I think I speak for Cubs Fans everywhere by saying thank you for what you did for the organization....and especially VineLine.
The Summer of 1984 will always find a place in my heart.
If you really think about it, 1984 was a seminal year. Before that year, you could actually go to the park on gameday and get a ticket with no problem. In some ways, it seems like a 100 years ago because so much has happened since, but in other ways it seems like yesterday. Since then, sellouts are just expected.. before that year, sellouts were rare.
To me, this past regular season was on par with 1984 for excitement. 2003 had the best playoffs, until game 6 (ahem), but 1984 & 2008 were awesome regular seasons. I guess 1998 regular season is up there too.
Lets hope 2009 is up there too....and maybe some exciting playoffs for once.
:-)
Go Cubs.
On a Convention note....
If anything happens of note before I can post a recap of the day and evening, I will post from my iPhone on the CCO Twitter.
Got to go to 12 games at Wrigley that magical year, and had a glorious record of 11-1. That included double header sweeps of the Mets and Braves. Most games were in the bleachers, of course, where tickets were a bargain at $4.25 One of my fondest memories was on Sandberg's poster day in which he it a big homerun, and every single poster ended up being waved around or on the field. Another time there was this guy walking the isle collecting empty beer cups and putting them in a tall stack. A couple of pleople saw it and started throwing their empty cups to him. The next thing you know there are hundreds of beer cups (some not empty) showering down on him in wave after endless wave. By the time it was over, the poor guy was soaked with beer ans waist deep in cups. Sorry, I just looked it up and the Sandberg poster game was in 87. Oh well, it was still cool to see.
Looks like Pie's days as a Cub are about to end.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1381273,CST-SPT-deluca16.article
Does anybody have any idea how I could get my hands on that newspaper/copy of the picture in this article. "Cubs Fever is Contagious." That is awesome!!!!
Greg,
This is an old paper page that was given to Neil and I have searched and searched for a way to get a reprint. If you find something, please post it here.
Wait a minute....Neil is busy at the convention right now, so I am now accepting bids for it....he'll never notice the empty spot on his office wall....
Just kidding, I wouldn't do that....I don't think.
Have a blast Neil! I'll await for the goodies you print!