Over the past couple of years we have recounted every Cubs season from 1980 through 2011 on Remember This Crap, and here is the culmination of those efforts. We saved the 1984 season for last. Were our efforts to remember 32 painful season of Cubs baseball pathetic and futile? Probably. But we did save a great one for last.
The 1984 Cubs shaped an entire generation of Cubs fandom. They crawled out of the abyss and berthed a superstar second baseman and a Cy Young pitcher and mostly were a lot of fun. They did very un-Cublike things like go into first place and stay there. They beat up the Mets, which is always fun, but they also just plain beat them. They swept the Cardinals twice and handed them more than a few humiliating defeats.
They started the playoffs with a bang and ended it with a whimper, something we got used to until a recent team finally saved us from that fate.
For many of us, these are the Cubs of our youth. Ryne Sandberg. Rick Sutcliffe. Sarge. Bull Durham. Bob Dernier. Lee Arthur Smith. Keith Moreland. Steve Trout. Jody, Jody, Jody. For better or worse they are why we care so damned much about this team.
So kick back and enjoy our look back at the 1984 Cubs.
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Cool videos
The WGN radio call of both of Ryne Sandberg’s tying homers off of Bruce Sutter
Harry misses the final pitch of the Cubs’ clincher
The 1984 Cubs Season Video
Ever see a 40 minute delay because of a fair/four home run dispute?
Harry Caray reads his mail out loud (this is terrific)