Dallas Green was the significant hire that the Tribune company made after buying the team from the Wrigley family in 1981. His "title" role was executive vice president and general manager. It didn't take long for Dallas Green's presence to be felt throughout the Chicago Cubs organization.
The very first off season that Dallas Green came to the Cubs, he pulled off a key trade that the Chicago Cubs would benefit from for years to come. He sent Ivan Dejesus to the Philadelphia Phillies for the veteran Larry Bowa, and some young minor league infielder named Ryne Sandberg. Ryne Sandberg blossomed in the minor leagues, while Larry Bowa was a steady shortstop for the Cubs during the early 1980's. Ryne Sandberg would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Cub fans can thank Dallas Green for bringing the soft spoken golden glove second baseman, that Cub fans would refer to as "Ryno".
Over the next two seasons, Dallas Green continued to rebuild the Cubs baseball team, from top to bottom. He acquired Bob Dernier, and Gary Mathews to take over two of the outfield positions. He traded the much beloved Bill Buckner to the Boston Red Sox for a key man in the rotation, Dennis Eckersley. He traded budding young future star Joe Carter in a package that brought Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs. Rick Sutcliffe would have the season of his career in 1984 going 16-1 and bringing a long awaited divisional championship to Chicago. The "Red Baron" as he was called, went on to win the NL Cy Young award in 1984. Ryne Sandberg won the MVP award.
Dallas Green brought together key pieces to Chicago, and they all meshed together beautifully in 1984 and put the Cubs into the playoffs for the first time since 1945. Cub fans eagerly awaited, and the smell of victory was in the air. The World Series was only 3 wins away. Only the San Diego Padres stood in the way of the 1984 World Series. The 1984 Cubs / Padres Divisional playoffs will be discussed in the next posting.
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