Was Mike Schmidt not available?
In 1981, the Cubs were the worst team in the National League recordwise. Just three years later in 1984, they would have the best record. Here are the players on the '81 Cubs roster who would contribute to the 1984 Cubs team:
Jody Davis
Leon Durham
Lee Smith
Mel Hall (played a partial season in 1984 for the Cubs, though traded for Rick Sutcliffe that year)
Here were the 1984 Cubs playing for the Phillies in 1981:
Gary Matthews
Larry Bowa
Keith Moreland
Ryne Sandberg
Bob Dernier
Dick Ruthven
Warren Brusstar
Dickie Noles (played part of 1984 with the Cubs)
So you have to look at the 1981 Phillies to see how the Cubs turned their team around in 3 quick years. Maybe a Cub or Phillie fan can let me know, what was the connection between these teams?
Unfortunately in 1981, many of the Cubs that would turn the team around (Sandberg, Lee Smith, Jody Davis) didn't have cards out in 1981.
Links
Here is my link to a Chicago Cubs collector....Wrigley Wax.
Adding after the original post...Jim from the Phillies Room answers the question, which I should've known by looking at the GMs for the teams. Dallas Green was manager of the Phillies in 1981 and later became GM of the Cubs in 1984. I also know that he was manager of the Yankees when they were lousy in the early 1990s, so his luck must've run out by then.
Starters
| __ | C | Jody Davis | |||
| __ | TO | 625 | 1B | Bill Buckner | CHC |
| __ | 2B | Pat Tabler | |||
| __ | TT | 820 | 3B | Ken Reitz | CHC |
| __ | TO | 54 | SS | Ivan de Jesus | CHC |
| __ | TT | 769 | LF | Steve Henderson | CHC |
| __ | TT | 805 | CF | Jerry Morales | CHC |
| __ | TT | 756 | RF | Leon Durham | CHC |
| __ | TT | 740 | CF | Bobby Bonds | CHC |
| __ | TO | 553 | C | Tim Blackwell | CHC |
Starting Pitchers
| __ | TO | 176 | SP | Mike Krukow | CHC |
| __ | TO | 645 | SP | Rick Reuschel | CHC |
| __ | TT | 737 | SP | Doug Bird | CHC |
| __ | TT | 783 | SP | Ken Kravec | CHC |
Relief Pitchers
| __ | TO | 352 | CL | Dick Tidrow | CHC |
| __ | FL | 300 | RP | Randy Martz | CHC |
| __ | RP | Lee Smith | |||
| __ | TO | 136 | RP | Doug Capilla | CHC |
| __ | RP | Rawly Eastwick | |||
| __ | TO | 483 | SP | Mike Griffin | NYY |
| __ | TO | 609 | RP | Lynn McGlothen | CHC |
| __ | TO | 574 | RP | Bill Caudill | CHC |
Other Players
| __ | TO | 395 | CF | Scot Thompson | CHC |
| __ | TT | 750 | UT | Hector Cruz | CHC |
| __ | TO | 78 | 2B | Steve Dillard | CHC |
| __ | TO | 294 | 2B | Mike Tyson | CHC |
| __ | TT | 837 | 2B | Joe Strain | CHC |
| __ | 3B | Ty Waller | |||
| __ | FL | 308 | OF | Jim Tracy (or DO 520) | CHC |
| __ | TT | 795 | UT | Mike Lum | CHC |
| __ | 2B | Scott Fletcher | |||
| __ | TO | 492 | C | Barry Foote | CHC |
| __ | FL | 307 | OF | Carlos Lezcano (or DO 521) | CHC |
| __ | OF | Mel Hall | |||
| __ | PH | Gene Krug | |||
| __ | C | Bill Hayes | |||
| __ | RP | Jay Howell | |||
| __ | RP | Dave Geisel | |||
| __ | TO | 238 | RP | Guillermo Hernandez | CHC |
Manager/Coaches
| __ | DO | 522 | MG | Joey Amalfitano | CHC |
Dallas Green is the connection between the two teams. After being fired as the Phillies manager, he went on to become the GM of the Cubs. He did what the Astros' GM Ed Wade is doing today, but with much, much more success. Dallas managed to wrestle this guy away from the Phillies as a player to be named later:
ReplyDeletehttp://thephilliesroom.blogspot.com/2009/04/1981-topps-p9-ryne-sandberg.html
Ah...should've looked at the GMs, that would make sense.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing this entry, I was trying to find common ground between this team in '81, which was worst in the NL to the 1984 team, which had the best record. Amazing turn around in three short seasons. I noticed a lot of the '84 Cubs were playing on the Phillies in '81, and so a blog entry writes itself.
Its interesting that the worst teams in 1981 all turn it around in a short time and make a playoff appearance, within 5 years. I know compiling the 1982 teams, the Rangers and Reds are at the bottom, and it takes them both nearly a decade to get back to being competitive.
Thanks for reminding me of this really horrible team! 1981 was also the last season that William Wrigley owned the team. They were sold to the Tribune Company during the season. It was the Tribune Company that brought Dallas Green in after the '81 season, being hired away from the Phillies. The slogan he adopted was "Building a New Tradition." To Cubs fans, it was "Building a Phillies Tradition." But hey, it worked.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with any regional cards to fill in your blanks. The Cubs first team issued set was the next year, 1982.
Hey, I also brought up the 1984 team...as a Tiger fan, that is a World Series that could've been classic. Two cities that have a lot of sports rivalries anyway playing in old turn of the century ballparks.
ReplyDeleteI have never bought a price guide, so the internet has clued me in on a lot of cards I never knew existed before 1997. Thanks fpr the heads up, I will look out for any Cubs issues when I move onto the 1982 checklists.