Over 30,000 followers attended the Cubs-Giants recreation at Wrigley Subject on Friday, August 28, 1992. The primary 20,000 followers, aged 21 or older, have been handed a shrink-wrapped set of baseball playing cards as they entered the historic ballpark. This “Nostalgia Baseball Playing cards” giveaway sponsored by Outdated Model Beer featured 28 gamers from Cubs historical past utilizing sepia-toned pictures all through—even the playing cards of Rick Reuschel and Bruce Sutter who had debuted lengthy after coloration pictures have been commonplace.
We all know that Chicago twirler Mike Morgan gave up two runs over eight innings because the Cubs held on for a 3-2 victory. What’s unclear, nevertheless, is what number of of these Outdated Model Beer card units left the ballpark or survive at this time.
Ed Hartig started engaged on choose tasks for the group in 1988 and has labored frequently for the membership since 1995. (He’s now the Official Historian for the group.) In 1992, the Cubs introduced a “Cubs Stroll of Fame” undertaking in 1992. Hartig volunteered to assist with the undertaking “however after a pair discussions it was apparent that they didn’t want my assist. That first Stroll of Fame class (introduced on June 12, 1992) wound up being Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams. Yeah, they didn’t want my assist choosing that group!”
Relieved of accountability for the Cubs’ Stroll of Fame undertaking, the advertising division requested if Hartig may assist compile highlights for a set of “nostalgia” baseball playing cards it was designing to be given away throughout the 1992 season. A lifelong baseball card collector, Hartig jumped on the probability to work on his first card set.
With out having been given a particular listing of gamers to analysis, Hartig set about compiling fascinating info for his personal listing of 35 gamers, together with “all the plain ones” like Banks, Williams, Jenkins, Santo, Stan Hack, Frank Likelihood, and Phil Cavarretta, together with still-active gamers like Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Rick Sutcliffe.
The advertising division later supplied Hartig with their listing of 28 names (most of whom he had guessed accurately). Unbeknownst to Hartig up thus far, nevertheless, was that the advertising division had additionally been working with Marc Okkonen on the undertaking, as effectively. Okkonen had been an early contributor to the group’s journal, Vine Line, writing a sequence of brief “Uniforms Previous” articles on Cubs uniform historical past within the first 12 months or so of the publication’s existence. Hartig was later informed that advertising deliberate to incorporate Okkonen’s uniform illustrations on the Outdated Model Beer card backs.
Described alternatively on the time as “the world’s reigning knowledgeable on baseball uniforms” and “an earnest younger anal retentive,” Okkonen’s seminal tome “Baseball Uniforms of the twentieth Century” revealed in October 1991 covers roughly 3500 uniforms over 92 years and stays a necessary e-book in any baseball reference assortment at this time. A part of Okkonen’s genius was his trademark illustration depicting every uniform on a generic participant positioned with a bat on his shoulder, cleverly positioned to indicate off any arm patch related to that 12 months’s jersey.
Paul Caputo, host of the Baseball by Design podcast, believes the significance of Okkonen’s work can’t be understated, “Marc Okkonen was approach forward of his time. His documentation of sports activities branding, specifically baseball uniforms, got here at a time when that subject material was not broadly mentioned or appreciated the way in which it’s at this time. Okkonen was a meticulous researcher, however extra importantly, the work that he did to doc and illustrate a long time of baseball uniforms was born of a love for the historical past and the aesthetics of the sport. It’s actually a present for these of us now who share that appreciation all these years later.”
Hartig obtained to know Okkonen by means of the Cubs as they corresponded—principally by snail mail—about baseball uniforms over time. When Hartig ran throughout newspaper articles mentioning specifics a few Cubs uniform, he would ship Okkonen a replica. Different occasions, Okkonen would attain out for Hartig’s assist with particular uniforms when he was “questioning a coloration, a patch, or dates when a uniform was used.”
Hartig and Okkonen spoke just a bit in regards to the Outdated Model Cubs nostalgia set, nevertheless, because the Cubs determined early on that the playing cards would use Okkonen’s graphic from every participant’s first season with the membership. Okkonen obtained a preview of the set earlier than it was launched and known as Hartig to let him know that Hack Wilson (gasp!) was pictured in a Phillies uniform. Oops. Sadly, it was too late to make a correction, because the playing cards had already gone to print. (Additionally, Hartig’s wished to clarify that Wilson’s profession spotlight of 190 RBIs in 1930 was the formally accepted complete on the time.)
Finally, the gamers have been chosen to spotlight Cubs uniforms and logos for its first 100 years as a Nationwide League group (1876-1976), which meant no present Cubs legends like Sandberg or Dawson have been included within the set. Many of the 28 gamers have been members of the unique Cubs Corridor of Fame. The group then added gamers like Ken Hubbs (1962 Rookie of the 12 months), Invoice Lee (1938 Pitcher of the 12 months), Rick Reuschel (20-game winner in 1977), and Bruce Sutter (1979 Cy Younger Award). Hartig puzzled if among the gamers not within the Cubs Corridor of Fame might need been chosen to cowl extra years of uniform historical past.
For probably the most half, Hartig wrote the backs with some assist (he assumes) from the editors of the Vine Line journal. Hartig’s authentic content material was a bit longer for every participant, however the last card model included just some highlights in a bullet level format (in an oddly tiny font dimension). Okkonen’s uniform illustrations have been included on the reverse of every card, although he was not credited.
In some methods, it appears odd {that a} beer firm would produce a set of baseball playing cards to be distributed to adults solely. Accordingly, it appears probably that various these units discovered their solution to trash bins or have been in any other case broken within the recipients’ pockets, unprotected by the skinny shrink-wrap. In contrast to the outsized Cubs-issued giveaway group units of the period (2-7/8” x 4-1/4”), the Outdated Model Nostalgia Set was of the usual baseball card dimension (2½” x 3½”) in order that they match properly within the nine-pocket pages.
In any occasion, the 1992 Outdated Model Nostalgia set comprises a pleasant shock on the again that may have been ignored by followers on the time – an early acknowledgement of the significance of Marc Okkonen’s uniform historical past analysis.
Guidelines (playing cards are unnumbered, so quantity under is for reference solely):
- Grover C. Alexander
- Cap Anson
- Ernie Banks
- Mordecai Three Finger Brown
- Phil Cavarretta
- Frank Likelihood
- Kiki Cuyler
- Johnny Evers
- Charlie Grimm
- Stan Hack
- Gabby Hartnett
- Billy Herman
- Rogers Hornsby
- Ken Hubbs
- Randy Hundley
- Ferguson Jenkins
- Invoice Lee
- Andy Pafko
- Rick Reuschel
- Charlie Root
- Ron Santo
- Hank Sauer
- Riggs Stephenson
- Bruce Sutter
- Joe Tinker
- Jim (Hippo) Vaughn
- Billy Williams
- Hack Wilson
Sources:
Ed Hartig, Interview with creator, December 19, 2024.
Paul Caputo, Interview with creator, December 19, 2024.
“Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century,” Winston-Salem Journal, November 11, 1991, 60.
Ray Ratto, “A Phrase About Uniforms: Ugly,” San Francisco Examiner, Could 4, 1992, 55.
Gordon Edes, “No Sleeves? It Fits Marlins,” South Florida Solar Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), July 8, 1992, 41.
Trending Merchandise
