Cubs Schedules: The '90s

As we enter the 1990s, most of the earlier Cubs schedule traditions are gone.  They are no longer oversized, no longer match the media guide, no longer have the red calendar, and Old Style is sharing the back with several other companies.  The times they were a-changin'.

The installation of lights at Wrigley in 1988 meant the Cubs could once again host an All Star game.  MLB gave them the game in 1990 and it is prominent on the schedule.

The 1991 schedule has a nice picture of Ryne Sandberg.  Ryno had arguably his best season in 1990, so putting him on the schedule made sense.

The 1992 schedule is the only one in my collection that has a horizontal picture. The shot of Wrigley at dusk is pretty cool looking and the same picture is on part of the cover of the media guide.

In `993 we got another shot of Wrigley, this time the marquee.

A nice interior view of Wrigley made the cover of 1994's schedule.  Look at the rooftops...no freeloading seats up there yet.

A couple things to point out with the 1995 schedule. First, the picture on the cover is that same one that is on the front of the media guide.  That's the first time since 1982 that the two were matched up. Second, notice the red box at the bottom...it says "revised."  This schedule came out after the strike was settled and a three weeks of games were lost.  

We're back to featuring a players on the cover in 1996, this time its Mark Grace

Another player in 1997, this time Sammy.

Back to the ballpark on the 1998 schedule.

No surprise that Sammy is on the front of the 1999 schedule after the 1998 home run duel he had with Mark McGwire in 1998.  Shammy also won the MVP in '98, so just like Dawson on the '88 schedule, Sammy's on the '99.

The major layout change to the schedules happened in 1994 when a sixth fold was added.  The schedules have turned into marketing tools.  Six folds, two sides means a total of twelve panels.  The actual schedule of games takes up only three panels, just a quarter of the schedule.  The rest of the panels are the cover, sponsor ads, and ticket and promotional information.

Tomorrow I'm taking a break from the schedules and will have five random Cubs.  On Monday its back to the schedules as we enter the 21st century.

Cubs Schedules: The '80s

My schedule series has now reached the 1980s.  It was a decade of change for the Cubs as the Tribune Company bought the team during the 1981 season.  Would the schedules see a change?

Let's find out.

 

These are the last two produced under Wrigley ownership.  Are you surprised that they look like all the others?  The covers are the same as the roster book, the backs have an Old Style ad, and the inside has the same red and blue calendar.

So finally, in 1982 we have a schedule from the new owners.  And the cover?

Identical to the roster book!  And the back has the exact same Old Style ad as the 1981 schedule.  But what about the inside?

Look familiar?  I guess the changes on the field were the priority.

Finally, in 1983, we get a schedule that differs from the media guide.  In fact, the schedule and the media guide wouldn't be paired up until 1995. The back and the inside didn't change, but at least we get some creativity on the front.

The 1984 schedule shows no creativity at all.

1985 uses the ivy and wall numbers in an imaginative way.

Nice use of the uniform numbers in 1986...8 manager Jim Frey and 6 is Keith Moreland.

The 1987 schedule uses a locker shot....why does someone have a yellow shirt in their locker?

1988 is the first time we have a player as the feature....the 1987 ML MVP Andre Dawson.

The decade ends with a picture of Wrigley Field and the new lights.

So we finally got some changes to the outside, but what about the inside?

Big chances.  Here is the 1989 inside.  The schedule has grown from a tri-fold to a quint-fold.  It was so big that it didn't fit on my scanner bed.  I had to combine two scan into one.  The familiar red schedule is gone, too.  It changed to blue starting in 1984.  That was the year the Cubs went to the post-season for the first time in 39 years.  Maybe it was the red schedule that was holding them back!

Cubs Schedules: The '70s

My look at the schedules moves into the 1970's.  Yesterday I ended with this question....Did the Cubs funk it up?

With an ultra-conservative owner, I think the answer is pretty obvious--no way!

The decade started the way the '60s ended...large 5" x 3" schedules with covers that mimic the roster book....pretty conservative.

 

 

 

 

 

Not much to look at, is it?

The biggest change of the decade came in 1977 when the schedules became pocket schedules with a reduced size of 3 1/2" x 2 1/2".  They have remained that size ever since.

 

And the backs?

 

Old Style each and every year.  These are the 1970 and 1979 backs.

The insides also saw very little difference.  

The layout was altered to a trifold when the schedules were reduced in size, but otherwise they have the same look going back to the 1961 schedule.  The biggest change was that TV broadcast information was added.  That started with the 1977 schedule.

Tomorrow we get to the 1980s.  New ownership took over during the 1981 season.  Would we see some changes?

Cubs Schedules: The '60s

While I've had plenty of posts on my scorecard collection, my schedules haven't been given the same attention.  I'll be doing something about that over the next several days as I'll be featuring a different decade each day.

My schedule collection runs from 1961 (the year I was born) to 2014.  Today I'll take a look at the schedules from the '60s.  For many of the years I've got several versions.  However. I'll just be featuring the official schedule issued by the Cubs.

I have often seen the schedules referred to as pocket schedules.  The '60s version of Cubs schedules would only have been pocket schedules if you have really big pockets.  While today's schedules are the same size as baseball cards, the '60s versions were larger.  They measured in at 5 1/4" x 3" through 1967 and then at 5" x 3" the rest of the decade.

 

 

 

 
At the start of the decade they had an Otis Shepard look to them.  Also notice that the '63 schedule used the same picture as the '61 version.  The sponsor of the schedules was a brand of bread, either Silvercup or Wonder.

 

 

The rest of the decade saw a design change.  Instead of an Otis-like picture, the schedule cover matched the cover of the team's roster book.  Bread companies were still the sponsors through 1967.  Starting in 1968, and continuing most years through 2009, schedules were sponsored in part by

Old Style, pure brewed, double brewed the old-fashioned way--fully kraeusened, naturally carbonated.....G. Heileman Brewing Company, La Crosse, Wisconsin.  I must have heard a million Old Style commercials while listening to Cubs games on the radio.

The actual schedule on the inside showed very little change over the decade.

 

Game times and ticket prices are different, but the style, color, and fonts are almost identical.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tomorrow we move into the groovy '70s.  Did the Cubs funk it up?

At the Summit

My quest to add some more brand sets led me to an easy one...Summit.  Easy because there were only two years worth of Summit (1995 and 1996) and easy because the set size was only 200 cards.  It got even easier because the Cubs didn't have much star power, so there were only seven cards between the two years.

In the past I've stayed away from such small sets, but I'm easing my rules in an effort to add more cards to the collection.

I'll start with the 1995 cards.  They were released under the Score name...Score '95 Summit Edition.

We get the two big names on the team, Mark Grace and Sammy Sosa.  Also thrown in is rookie Ozzie Timmons.  You'll also notice an error on Timmon's card....it's got the Tiger's Old English D instead of the Cubs C.  The error went uncorrected.

The 1996 version of Summit was renamed Pinnacle Summit.  Pinnacle had a more high-end vibe compared to Score.  The 1996 cards were also jazzed up a bit.  I wonder if the price was raised, too?

Four Cubs made this set....Grace and Sosa again, plus the unretired Ryno and rookie Kieschnick.

And there you have it..the entire two year run of Summit Cubs....all seven of them.