Cubs' 79 Official Roster Book

by danimal15 on Mar 11, 2007 10:19 PM CDT Comment 18 comments

Looking today at my 1979 Cubs official roster book, I found the following interesting facts:

Dave (Kingman) is a sales representative for a major airline during the off-season.

Available on the morning of every home game are more than 17,000 general grandstand and bleacher seats, for which no reservations are needed.

During the winter months, Mick (Kelleher) is a real estate agent.

Reserved box seats are $6 for adults and children. Reserved grandstand seats are $4.50 for adults and children. General admission seats are $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. Admission to the bleachers is $1.50 for all ages.

Special Service for your Group: Just call Ernie Banks, manager of group sales, at 312-EB7-1919.

Single games start at 1:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 1:15 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Double headers start at noon.

(Willie Hernandez) is a welder during the off-season.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Kong was a sales rep for an airline?

From what I recall reading about his personality this doesn't sound like a good fit. What a different era when players had other gigs in the off-season.

by DudeVf11 on Mar 11, 2007 10:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Kingman

Good point. I can't imagine how such a gruff, unfriendly fellow could have been involved in any kind of sales job. Heck, he must have been making at least $150,000 a year playing for the Cubs. Why did he need to work in the offseason at all? Maybe it was some sort of promotional thing.

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 12, 2007 9:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

did you know?

That he owns a liquor/wine store (high end) on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe near Caesar's and Edgewood Country Club?

by socalbob on Mar 12, 2007 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just as an investment

or is he active in running the place?

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 12, 2007 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

how does this sound?

Reclusive Owner.

He rarely makes an appearance (3X per year) despite living a few miles away.

by socalbob on Mar 12, 2007 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That sounds just like Kingman.

Incidentally, I have a very-late update on my top-100 profile of Kingman.

As I wrote in December, I once worked with a producer/director named Sandra Weir, who did a show on Kingman, during which time he (I guess as a joke, but who knows) threw her off a boat they were shooting part of the show on.

I located her; she's now a real estate agent in Florida... after I had posted the profile, she emailed me back with more details. I had thought the boat was on Lake Michigan, but she wrote me:

it was the Pacific Ocean he threw me into off of San Diego ... with Tug McGraw and Rollie Fingers on board ... and
there were sharks spotted

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Mar 12, 2007 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

joke

Somehow I doubt it was a joke, knowing Kingman's history. He's probably still fuming that the sharks didn't get her.

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 12, 2007 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow!!!

That's some good stuff! I didn't know that we had it so good in 1979. $6 for reserved box seats? Wow!

Hey Lou, we're long overdue.

by deadcatbounce on Mar 11, 2007 11:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Pre-Tribune

The cost of tickets literally has skyrocketed in the last two decades for sports across the board.

I remember as late as November the Cubs said they wouldn't raise any ticket prices...than the spending spree...and of course, a slight increase in tickets.

by cubby23 on Mar 12, 2007 1:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ticket prices

I didn't appreciate it either at the time. Now I realize we had it very good, indeed. Now, inflation adjusted, the $6 box seat then was the equivalent of about $18 today. Still less than half what we pay for a box seat these days. The bleachers were an incredible bargain at $1.50 - the equivalent of about $6 in today's money.

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 12, 2007 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bleacher tickets...

... I don't have my tickets handy right now, but ISTR bleachers were as cheap as $12 only about seven or eight years ago.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Mar 12, 2007 8:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Guys

As recently as 1991 or 92 you could get primo seats for about 20.

For Cub fans spring training combines the eternal hope of spring with the irrational belief in the impossible.

by kerrysotherwife on Mar 13, 2007 12:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

How does this sound?

Alfonso Soriano is a welder during the off-season.

Has a nice ring, I think. By the way, his contract is worth almost seven times what the Tribune paid for the entire Cub franchise, including the ballpark, in 1981.

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 13, 2007 2:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Which, stated another way...

... the annual value of the contract (approx. $18 million) is just about what the Tribune paid for the Cubs -- including the real estate -- in 1981 (approx. $20 million).

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Mar 13, 2007 4:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Of course

adjusted for inflation, the $20 mln the Trib paid in 1981 would be worth about $50 mln to $60 mln now. Try buying a major league franchise for $50 mln these days!

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 13, 2007 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

1952

Check out the inside of the 1952 Cubs Program:

http://ignarski.tripod.com/score1952-inside-right.html

This stuff kills me. In 1952, it was .60¢ for a bleacher ticket. Box seats were $2.50, $1.85 for kids under 14.

The concession menu has hot dogs for 20¢, "juicy" ham sandwiches for 30¢ and Pabst beer for 30¢ each. Popcorn and peanuts for 10¢.

For about $6.00 or so, you could get a box seat, eat like a complete pig and get absolutely loaded on beer -- and STILL have some change left over.

Look at that menu. A "big wedge of pie"; "Egg Sandwiches"; and "Cheese Sandwiches" being served at the ballpark.

The world sure was different.

One day, the dream will come true.

by brianp88 on Mar 14, 2007 9:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice

Thanks for posting. I wonder what those prices were adjusted for inflation. Still cheap, I'm sure, compared with today. But I'll bet even then there were some older fans in the crowd saying, "Aww, things were tons better back in 1920, when we got bleachers for just 25 cents. And paid 10 cents for a hot dog. The good old days!" (I realize there were no bleachers as we know them in 1920, of course, but there were outfield seats.)

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 14, 2007 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Note to Lou

I notice, judging from the active rosters of MLB teams printed on that scorecard, that most managers at the time were happy to go with just 9 or 10 pitchers at a time. Some carried as few as 8. The most was 11. None had 12. Different times, of course. We can't expect today's pitchers to be as strong or physically fit as the ones of 50 years ago!

"Hello again, everybody. Harry Caray from Wrigley Field on a beautiful day for baseball."

by danimal15 on Mar 14, 2007 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs