Wrigleyville: A Magical History Tour of the Chicago Cubs

by Peter Golenbock

For celebrated sportwriter Peter Golenbock, Wrigleyville is a symbol of America's fidelity to its greatest sport. As he did with classics of sports literature, Bums (a history of the Brooklyn Dodgers) and Dynasty (a history of the New York Yankees), Golenbock turns to a team that has won and broken the hearts of generations of fans; the Chicago Cubs. Utilizing dozens of personal interviews with players, coaches, fans, sportswriters, and clubhouse personnel, as well as out-of-print memiors by nineteeth-century players, Peter Golenbock has created a perfect gift for every baseball fan: a book that entertains, warms the heart, and touches the soul. This updated edition includes material from the team's past five years, such as Harry Caray's death, the magical seasons of Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood, and the Cubs' 1998 playoff dive.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Golenbock grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and in 1963 graduated St. Luke's School in New Canaan, Connecticut. His heroes were Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. One day in the local library he discovered the book, The New York Yankees: An Informal History by Frank Graham ( G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1943) and it made a strong impression on him.''

Golenbock graduated from Dartmouth College in 1967 and the New York University School of Law in 1970.

He was a radio sports talk show host in 1980 on station WOR in New York City. He was the color broadcaster for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989-90 and has been a frequent guest on many of the top television and radio talk shows including "Biography on A&E," the "Fifty Greatest Athletes and the Dynasties on ESPN," "Good Morning America," "Larry King Live," "ESPN Classic," and the YES network.

Golenbock lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his two basset hounds, Doris and Fred.

Reviews

[Brina]

What I dub a coffee table book of my favorite Cubs stories, Wrigleyville is a wonderful edition to any Cubs fan's baseball book collection.

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Cubs fan should probably have this book, but understand it’s more like a history text book than a story. With that in mind, I did feel like I got to develop my sense of Cubs history through the curated words and stories of those who witnessed it throughout the years.

[Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Cub's fan and suffer like I do then you must read this book. If you are not a Cub's fan but still a baseball fan you will find reading this enjoyable and worthwhile.

[Tom Buske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great baseball stories about the Chicago Cub, going all the way back to the 19th century, through 1994.If you're a baseball fan, you'll enjoy it. 😉

[Jeffrey Granat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting oral history of the Cubs. This is an older book but it’s interesting to hear the perspectives of the people who were there at these moments in time.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a baseball fan but not necessarily a Cubs fan, I was a little worried that I might not enjoy this book. But you soon find yourself captured in the history of the Cubs organization. Much of the "corporate" attitude that the Cubs front office holds today was started well before many of us were born. The book is a great historical record of not only the Cubs, but of Major League Baseball itself. Every baseball purist would love this book and it's a must read for any die-hard Cub fan. (originally posted on Amazon.com)

[Chuckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This covered in great detail the history of the Cubs from their early formation at the dawn of the game to the present era (when it was published). As a lifelong Cub fan who was only around thirty, this book covered well over a hundred years of Cubs history that I was unaware of as well as some general history of the game. For a Cubs fan or even someone interested in the history of baseball, this would be a great read.

[Drew Crownover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about the first several decades of baseball in Chicago. Fantastic stories, exhaustive research, but Golenbock does a great job of fleshing out the highlights and moving on. This book easily could have been twice as lengthy, thought I'm happy it's the length that it is.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for any Cubs fan.

[D C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Cubs!

[Melanie Martel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. I found out so much about the history of the Cubs and parts of Wrigleyville. It is a great read for any baseball fanatic out there

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of the Cubs. Covers eras up to the 90's very thoroughly. A must read for every Cubs fan!

[Ron Antonucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

And again in 2014.

[Brad]

Quit page 52.


Cap Anson created the third base coach. (22)

In addition to balls, Al Spalding also marketed gloves, starting 1877. (23) And catcher's masks. (24)
Cap Anson was first to hit 3,000 hits. (24) First to use hand signals with batters. (20?)

Anson would wait until there were runners on base, prompting the league rule "in 1881 that the batting order had to be made up before the game." (26)

"Chicago dominated the National League during the first half of the 1880s, winning championships in 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, and 1886." (26)

Mike 'King"Kelly would sometimes skip bases while stealing. He would also catch foul balls while on the bench announcing (legally) that he was "now playing." (34)

"When a reporter once asked Kelly if he drank while playing baseball, he replied, 'It depends on the length of the game.'" (35)