Sandberg’s arrival was a turning point in Cubs history
MILWAUKEE — To truly appreciate what Ryne Sandberg meant to the Cubs, it helps to remember what things were like before he arrived.
The Cubs actually had some competitive teams in the late 1970s under manager Herman Franks. But this was heavy into the “Lovable Losers” Era. Memories of 1969 were strong.
In 1979, for example, the Cubs were 13 games above .500 and 4 games out of first place on Aug. 20. In those days, either Chicago baseball team still being in contention when the Bears played their preseason opener was a victory.
So Cubs fans were hopeful, but anyone with a reasonable baseball IQ knew how it would end. The Cubs, worn down by playing so many day games, would wilt down the stretch, and a team that played in a modern, concrete bowl of a stadium would win the division. In this case, the Cubs ended 80-82, 18 games behind Pittsburgh.
Then three things happened in relatively rapid succession: William Wrigley III sold the team to the Tribune Company, which hired Dallas Green to lead baseball operations. One of Green's first moves was trading for Sandberg, a former 20th-round draft pick who had just made his MLB debut with the Phillies in September of '81.
Maybe the credit truly belongs to Gordie Goldsberry, the scout who followed Green from Philadelphia to the North Side. Green managed the Phillies through the 1981 season, so he might not have had a great handle on the team's minor league talent.
Actually, the first trade Green made with the Phillies was the one bringing Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles to town for Mike Krukow on Dec. 8, 1981.
Why did the Phillies trade Sandberg if he was such a great prospect? Well, the rest of the trade was Philadelphia landing 29-year-old shortstop Ivan DeJesus, while the Cubs got 36-year-old Larry Bowa. The Phillies played in the World Series in '83, so they weren't too concerned at the time with outgoing talent. Plus, Sandberg went 1-for-32 at the plate to start his Cubs career in April of '82.
But then 1984 happened and the Cubs won something for the first time in 39 years. Hard to say if Sandberg was the heart and soul of that team, but he was the National League MVP. It's difficult to measure how much his quiet, steady presence set the tone.
“He was a quiet man, but he still somehow lit up a room as a quiet man,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. “Which I think says everything.”
The bottom line is the Cubs were finally winners. It was, in fact, possible for a Cubs team to finish a full season and not fade to sixth place in September. It took a little longer to shake the postseason curse, but 1984 in itself was a significant step.
This was a great time for Chicago sports, with the Bulls drafting Michael Jordan, the White Sox winning a division title and the Mike Ditka-era Bears about to shuffle onto the charts. Sandberg was a focal point of it all.
The '84 Cubs were all players who came from other teams, with the exception of closer Lee Smith. Maybe it had to be that way for the Cubs to finally win. But Sandberg also led the much more homegrown squad that won the NL East in 1989.
When Sandberg arrived, the Cubs stopped being a joke and became a real team, ready to actually compete in the modern MLB world.
He picked up plenty of help along the way as the Cubs added Rick Sutcliffe, Andre Dawson, Shawon Dunston, Mark Grace, Greg Maddux and others. Counsell remembered his high school years, watching Dunston and Sandberg.
“From my perspective, Sandberg never made a mistake and Dunston had an unbelievable arm,” Counsell said. “The guy never makes a mistake, that's how I saw him.”