1983 (01) 1969 Chicago Cubs All-Star Baseball School in Scottsdale, Arizona

In 1983, a man from Chicago named Allan Goldin organized a reunion of the 1969 Chicago Cubs, who were overtaken in a memorable pennant race that year by Tom Seaver and the New York Mets, to play a game against a team of amateur players. All of these were fans from Chicago, with the exception of Bob Margolin and me, who were from New York. We convened in Scottsdale in January, worked out for a week, and played our big game in Scottsdale Stadium on January 21, 1983. We had a great week, and articles about it were written soon after, which appeared in Time, Sports Illustrated, and the Reader’s Digest.

All of the leading Cubs players from 1969 were there, as well as a number of others, including Charlie Grimm, who was playing first base for the Cubs in Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series, when Babe Ruth hit his legendary called shot over the scoreboard in center field. I was extremely fortunate to meet and talk to Charlie Grimm, who passed away later that year, in Scottsdale.

The poster is signed by Ferguson Jenkins, Rich Nye, Phil Regan, Randy Hundley, Gene Oliver, Ernie Banks, Glenn Beckert, Ron Santo, Jim Hickman, Billy Williams, Leo Durocher and Charlie Grimm.