In 1986 they made calendars like this, “Greatest Moments in Baseball” with the cover featuring players like:
- Joe DiMaggio (1936-1951)
- Duke Snider (1947-1964)
- Mickey Mantle (1951-1968)
- Willie Mays (1948-1973)
The back of the calendar shows each month.
I can’t quite make out the players on the back of the album, so we’ll stick to the front.
In 1986, I was a ten-year-old baseball fan. We were inundated with items featuring players from the previous generation. It always seemed like players from the 1950s and 1960s were highlighted. What would happen if a calendar like this was produced today in 2024?
Let’s look at the best WAR year for each player on this calendar:
- Joe DiMaggio 1941 (9.3)
- Duke Snider 1952 (9.1)
- Mickey Mantle 1957 (11.3)
- Willie Mays 1965 (11.2)
In 1986, these years were:
- 45 years ago
- 34 years ago
- 29 years ago
- 21 years ago
If MLB were to make a calendar like that today in 2024, they would feature players with peak years in:
- 1979
- 1990
- 1995
- 2003
Here are the WAR leaders in each league (NL, AL) for these years:
- 1979 Dave Winfield, Fred Lynn
- 1990 Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens
- 1995 Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson
- 2003 Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez
I want to see a beautifully painted collage on a calendar of “Greatest Moments in Baseball” with players from these years.
On the back I can see they’re also featuring Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax?, Josh Gibson, Rollie Fingers?, and Brooks Robinson
I was able to make out Brooks Robinson and Josh Gibson. It’s a little tempting to bid on the auction, but I don’t really want the calendar for $10.
But (as you know) a 1986 calendar can be reused in 2025, because those two years are the same calendar. (that’s actually how I found the calendar, I was searching eBay for 1986 calendars)