Once upon a time bleacher seats were $1.50
Game day only sales
It didn’t matter
There was no internet or app
There was money left for a hot dog, peanuts, and soda
As well as exposure to the energetic Ronnie Woo Woo
The offseason began with a new GM, Bob Kennedy
A College of Coaches alum
In January, he traded Captain America and his 32 bombs
For a sore knee and ankle Bill Buckner
And a young shortstop, Ivan DeJesus
Then it got weird
They traded batting champ Bill Madlock
In return for an older Bobby Murcer and 3B Steve Ontiveros
Murcer posted decent numbers but was paid more than Madlock wanted
No one understood this trade
Was this a sign of the times trade
They offered the skipper job to The Lip
That didn’t happen
So they got Herman Franks instead
The first few months of the season enthralled
28-16 at the end of May
Bid Daddy lead the way with 20-10, a 2.79 in over 250 innings
Future HOFer Bruce Sutter locked down the back end with 31 and a 1.34
Manny Trillo was solid at second earning All-Star honors
What kid wouldn’t be captivated
By a guy that looked at the ball before throwing to first
DeJesus took over at short
He filled the void Don Kessinger left a couple years earlier
Jerry Morales hit .290 and was an all-Star
I loved watching him make those basket catches
Which would never be allowed today
I was a Jose Cardenal fan
The adults told me he was a hot dog and pick someone else
I couldn’t help it
Mick Kelleher came off the bench with lots of hustle
My dad even told him so as I waited for an autograph
A scrapper that couldn’t get it to the seats
Cubs were 47-22 towards the end of June
With a division lead of 8.5
When not at the games, listening or watching sufficed
Brickhouse, Boudreau, and Vince Lloyd seemed just as excited
Then it all changed
July, August, and September were dismal
What happened
8.5 ahead to 7.5 behind in a month and a half
I did not know how to deal with this
I had not been schooled on Cubs collapses
They lost the final 5 to finish 81-81
Another wait until next year at an early age