The 1969 Cubs

That may have been the best team in recent baseball history that failed to make the postseason. We celebrate not their failures, but their successes.

And we hope this year’s team surpasses them.

This team is better situated. We have reserves – 1969 had Paul Popovich. We have a bullpen – 1969 had Phil Regan. We have Lou Piniella – 1969 had Leo Durocher.

Most of 1969 was a great season, and I went to a lot of games. This year I’m 400-some-odd miles away, and I see a better team – one that may have fewer outright “stars” (although that’s yet to be determined) and more flexibility and adaptability.

This summer is going to be a good one, I suspect.

don’t tie this team to 1969. There were great individual accomplishments in 1969, but the last time I checked, that team had arguably one of the biggest chokes in history; going from about 8 up in mid-August to finished 8 back when it was all said and done.

This team is going well right now, enjoy it. Note Lou’s statement about the record the other day. It’s nice to have the best record but go see him when there’s a week left in the season and they have the best record.

They need to take their act on the road. Remember how negative things were just ONE WEEK ago after the 2nd blown game in the past 3 and a 2-4 road trip. Shoulda, coulda, woulda….that trip coulda gone 5-1 but didn’t. They have to correct that.

They have to fortify the team, whether its by youngsters like Gallagher really turning heads, Edmonds doing a 1998 Gary Gaetti or even a trade or two before 31Jul, Jim and Lou will continue to improve the team.

There’s other things that permeate Wrigley than 1969. The scoreboard and ivy went up in 1937, the lights were finally added in 1988 and even though the WS hasn’t been there since 1945, the Cubs did make WS trips in ‘38, ‘35, ‘32, ‘29 & ‘18 at Wrigley/Cubs Park/Weeghman. The OF doors used to be red, Blackhawk red. The IF dirt really was dirt, the park was falling apart, the neighborhood was dangerous, then came Harry and Ryno; things started to change.

Can’t talk about 1969 CG’s. Game was totally different then; just coming off the mound lowering from 15” to 10”. Just like you can’t compare the fact Babe Ruth used to out-homer entire teams. That, like 20-30 CG’s a season by one pitcher won’t happen again.

My Dad tells me he would hold a picture of the Mets over my crib and tell me “These guys are evil”

We had a videogame where New York was hit by a nuclear bomb at the end in the early 80s and we’d yell “Death to the Mets!”

growing up I was taught that you don’t root for new york teams.

I hope the Cubs organization does something to honor those players from ‘69. If the Cubs get to playoffs and the Series, (which they will!), I wish the team could put all of those players from that season and have them all sitting on the front row. Let them be able to celebrate with our current team… Players like Santo, Banks, and Williams. This season is for them too!

Just make sure somebody throws Ryno into the mix… for in Chicago, 2008 will be soooooo great!

following the Cubs. That team made me a lifelong Cubs fan.

and by the way, it wasn’t the biggest collapse in history. The biggest baseball collapse had to be the 1964 Phils.

I was a senior in high school in ‘69. I had never experienced anything but bad Cub teams until 1967. All the while the Cubs were winning in ‘69, it never occurred to me they might not win it all. However, since then, I’ve always been wary of any good starts. That team scarred me for life. This 2008 Cub team is the best I’ve seen, especially in their approach at the plate in game situations. Maybe this CAN be the year!

I wasn’t even born in 1969. Those who remember this team speak so fondly of it. I am amazed that this team was actually 9 games back going into the final game of the season after being up by 9.5 games in the middle of August. Looking at the stat sheet, I see the Cubs beat the Mets on the last day of the regular season to finish 8 games back. Normally, fans don’t speak fondly of teams that finish 8 games out. The Mets won 100 games, the NL pennant, and beat a great Orioles team in the World Series.

There was no shame in getting beaten out by the Mets. I only have good memories of the Cubs and Mets in playoff battles. I remember the Cubs beating out the Mets for the ‘84 and ‘89 division titles. The Mets were one of the teams that lost out to the Cubs for the ‘98 wild card.

I was a 7 year old growing up in a family of Sox fans in the SW burbs. It was a combination of the Cubs quick start plus being able to watch all the games on channel 9 (the Sox had been exiled to channel 32 by then) that got me hooked. When they collapsed in September, my Sox fan brothers and dad were not very kind, and so I had to stick with the Cubs. They have become a lifelong addiction/curse/obsession.

My winter project this year was to scour ebay and get autographed baseballs from the ‘69 team. I ended up with the 8 position players, Fergie, and Phil Regan. They are all proudly displayed in my home office.

Also – I hate the Mets!!