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Mr. Wrigley's Ball Club: Chicago and the Cubs during the Jazz Age
Chicago in the Roaring Twenties was a city of immigrants, mobsters, and flappers with one shared passion: the Chicago Cubs. It all began when the chewing-gum tycoon William Wrigley decided to build the world’s greatest ball club in the nation’s Second City. In this Jazz Age center, the maverick Wrigley exploited the revolutionary technology of broadcasting to attract eager throngs of women to his renovated ballpark.
Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club transports us to this heady era of baseball history and introduces the team at its crazy heart—an amalgam of rakes, pranksters, schemers, and choirboys who take center stage in memorable successes, equally memorable disasters, and shadowy intrigue. Readers take front-row seats to meet Grover Cleveland Alexander, Rogers Hornsby, Joe McCarthy, Lewis “Hack” Wilson, Gabby Hartnett. The cast of characters also includes their colorful if less-extolled teammates and the Cubs’ nemesis, Babe Ruth, who terminates the ambitions of Mr. Wrigley’s ball club with one emphatic swing.
Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club transports us to this heady era of baseball history and introduces the team at its crazy heart—an amalgam of rakes, pranksters, schemers, and choirboys who take center stage in memorable successes, equally memorable disasters, and shadowy intrigue. Readers take front-row seats to meet Grover Cleveland Alexander, Rogers Hornsby, Joe McCarthy, Lewis “Hack” Wilson, Gabby Hartnett. The cast of characters also includes their colorful if less-extolled teammates and the Cubs’ nemesis, Babe Ruth, who terminates the ambitions of Mr. Wrigley’s ball club with one emphatic swing.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 13, 2014
In the 17th century, nostalgia was considered a sickness; a physical malady that plagued humankind. If this were still the case, I would have been diagnosed with a serious case years ago. I’m nostalgic for everything that once ever was – regardless of whether or not I actually experienced it. So when I read the description of Roberts Ehrgott’s new book, Mr. Wrigley's Ball Club: Chicago & the Cubs During the Jazz Age, I was immediately intrigued. Chicago in the Roaring Twenties, with gangsters and flappers? Yes, please. The pre-curse Cubs, during a time when they actually won pennants? I’m in. The book sounds fantastic! I would love to escape into the magical world of yesterday when life was so much easier, and had a much cooler soundtrack (at least as far as I can recall). As I write this, the Cubs are solidly in last place with an (embarrassing) record of 6 wins and 14 losses, and they don’t even play jazz on NPR anymore. It may still be too early to say “next year’s our year,” but at least with this book, I’ll be able to “remember” the good ol’ days… Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club is available at the Richardson Library, 796.35764097 E335m2013.
--Geoff P.
(Originally posted in the DePaul University Library "The Full Text" blog:http://bit.ly/18vWazB)
--Geoff P.
(Originally posted in the DePaul University Library "The Full Text" blog:http://bit.ly/18vWazB)
August 14, 2013
Centering on Chicago in the 20s and 30s and into the 40s, this one isn't just about baseball, but about Chicago during a turbulent and exciting time. Al Capone, Dempsey/Tunney, Prohibition, and more make appearances against a backdrop of Chicago Cubs baseball. Tells how baseball came to radio, how Wrigley came up with promotions like Ladies' Day (creating an enthusiastic new fan base), and how Chicago survived the gangsters. Fun anecdotes combined with serious research = excellent reading.
September 10, 2013
As a longtime Cub Fan, I found this a wonderful read.
November 11, 2013
One of the best baseball books I've read in years.
June 25, 2018
An account of the Cubs in the 1920's and early 30's, especially from 1926 when Joe McCarthy was named manager to the 1932 season and Babe Ruth's famous "called shot". The Cubs' owner was William Wrigley who was determined to spend what ever necessary to win the World Series. Wrigley was a skilled marketer, he had the team train on Catalina Island thereby promoting the resort he had built there.Wrigley and club president William Veeck successfully experimented with daily radio broadcasts and Ladies Day promotions to expand their customer base. After finishing in the cellar in 1925,they took a chance with McCarthy, a "bush league" manager. McCarthy brought in players like Hack Wilson, Riggs Stevenson, Pat Malone, and Woody English adding them to Gabby Hartnett, Charlie Grimm, Charlie Root, and Guy Bush. When McCarthy clashed with star pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, it was Alexander who was released. The Cubs moved up to fourth place in 1926 then third in 1927. The upper decks were added and Cubs Park became Wrigley Field. After adding Kiki Cuyler the Cubs finished second in 1928 and were the first National League team to draw a million paid admissions. The team then added star second baseman Rogers Hornsby. Despite losing Hartnett to injury, the Cubs won the 1929 pennant drawing over 1.4 million fans, a team record that lasted for forty years. The Cubs were the NL's version of the Yankee's "Murderers Row". They were a brash, bombastic team that drove opposing pitchers to cover. Ehrgott parallels the Cubs to the raucous events in Chicago during Prohibition especially the gangland slayings and corrupt politicians. The Cubs were the perfect match for the husky, brawling "city of the big shoulders". None of the Cubs represented this more than Hack Wilson, whose exploits in the field kept apace with those in the speakeasies.
Wilson is the flawed hero of the story, Rogers Hornsby is the bad guy. A great player, but his ego and self-centered attitude undermined McCarthy. Hornsby was a favorite of Wrigley who named him manager after the 1930 season. The Cubs had finished second despite a record setting year by Wilson. McCarthy went on to great success with the Yankees. Hornsby forced Wilson out of town and lost his veterans with his attempts to enforce discipline. Moreover, Hornsby embarrassed the team with his gambling habit. William Wrigley died in January, 1932. In August, Veeck fired Hornsby and replaced him with Grimm. The Cubs went on to win the pennant and face McCarthy's Yanks in the Series.
The Cubs were an neat metaphor for the times. 1929 began with the St. Valentine Day massacre, a real Murderers Row. In October, the Cubs were embarrassed in losing the Series to the Philadelphia Athletics ,which led eventually to McCarthy's dismissal and their subsequent decline. That same month the stock market crash leading to the Great Depression. The Cubs roller coaster season in 1930 ended in failure which mirrored the falling spirits of Chicagoans.
Ehrgott describes the death of pitcher Hal Carlson (the result of being gassed during WWI) and the non-fatal shooting of shortstop Billy Jurges, both took place at the Hotel Carlos on Sheffield Ave. He sees that the problems of the ball club in the last half of the 20th century up to today can be traced to Wrigley's decision to fire McCarthy. Actually,the Cubs won four pennants between 1932 and 1945. They were twice swept by the Yankees, but no National League team held their own against the Bronx Bombers in the 30's.He also seems to take satisfaction in comparing Wrigley and Veeck to the genius that was Branch Rickey. And that the upstarts from the second city were humbled by mighty New Yorkers. There were also a few factual errors, but not many in a book this detailed.
Wilson is the flawed hero of the story, Rogers Hornsby is the bad guy. A great player, but his ego and self-centered attitude undermined McCarthy. Hornsby was a favorite of Wrigley who named him manager after the 1930 season. The Cubs had finished second despite a record setting year by Wilson. McCarthy went on to great success with the Yankees. Hornsby forced Wilson out of town and lost his veterans with his attempts to enforce discipline. Moreover, Hornsby embarrassed the team with his gambling habit. William Wrigley died in January, 1932. In August, Veeck fired Hornsby and replaced him with Grimm. The Cubs went on to win the pennant and face McCarthy's Yanks in the Series.
The Cubs were an neat metaphor for the times. 1929 began with the St. Valentine Day massacre, a real Murderers Row. In October, the Cubs were embarrassed in losing the Series to the Philadelphia Athletics ,which led eventually to McCarthy's dismissal and their subsequent decline. That same month the stock market crash leading to the Great Depression. The Cubs roller coaster season in 1930 ended in failure which mirrored the falling spirits of Chicagoans.
Ehrgott describes the death of pitcher Hal Carlson (the result of being gassed during WWI) and the non-fatal shooting of shortstop Billy Jurges, both took place at the Hotel Carlos on Sheffield Ave. He sees that the problems of the ball club in the last half of the 20th century up to today can be traced to Wrigley's decision to fire McCarthy. Actually,the Cubs won four pennants between 1932 and 1945. They were twice swept by the Yankees, but no National League team held their own against the Bronx Bombers in the 30's.He also seems to take satisfaction in comparing Wrigley and Veeck to the genius that was Branch Rickey. And that the upstarts from the second city were humbled by mighty New Yorkers. There were also a few factual errors, but not many in a book this detailed.
January 7, 2022
What do you get when you combine the Chicago Cubs with the Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, the infancy of radio and gangsters? Simply put, you get Roberts Ehrgott's "Mr. Wrigley's Ball Club: Chicago and the Cubs during the Jazz Age."
Even non-baseball fans should enjoy this fast-paced but thorough look at the Cubs of Hack Wilson, Gabby Hartnett, Riggs Stephenson, Kiki Cuyler, Charley Grimm, Rogers Hornsby, Woody English, manager Joe McCarthy and owner William Wrigley Jr. Through key acquisitions, the Cubs rose from a middle-of-the-pack team in the early 1920s to a perennial pennant contender, reaching the World Series in 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938.
Wilson's historic 56-home run, 191-RBI season in 1930 is recounted in detail. The 191 RBS still stand as a single-season record, by the way.
With an understated sense of humor, Ehrgott describes how the Cubs became a Midwest sensation through radio as at least four Chicago stations were broadcasting home games at one time. He reveals how Ladies Day became a phenomenon; the Cubs eventually had to set limits on female customers so males could still see the games. And many Cubs players, especially Wilson, took advantage of the loose enforcement of Prohibition in the Windy City. Not only that, but players such as Hartnett mingled with gangsters like Al Capone before games -- until Capone was sent to prison for income tax evasion (not murder as you would assume).
In short, the late 1920s were a raucous time in Chicago and the Chicago Cubs were a large part of it.
With 14 pages of historical photos from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Ehrgott's book is a great addition to any baseball library.
Even non-baseball fans should enjoy this fast-paced but thorough look at the Cubs of Hack Wilson, Gabby Hartnett, Riggs Stephenson, Kiki Cuyler, Charley Grimm, Rogers Hornsby, Woody English, manager Joe McCarthy and owner William Wrigley Jr. Through key acquisitions, the Cubs rose from a middle-of-the-pack team in the early 1920s to a perennial pennant contender, reaching the World Series in 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938.
Wilson's historic 56-home run, 191-RBI season in 1930 is recounted in detail. The 191 RBS still stand as a single-season record, by the way.
With an understated sense of humor, Ehrgott describes how the Cubs became a Midwest sensation through radio as at least four Chicago stations were broadcasting home games at one time. He reveals how Ladies Day became a phenomenon; the Cubs eventually had to set limits on female customers so males could still see the games. And many Cubs players, especially Wilson, took advantage of the loose enforcement of Prohibition in the Windy City. Not only that, but players such as Hartnett mingled with gangsters like Al Capone before games -- until Capone was sent to prison for income tax evasion (not murder as you would assume).
In short, the late 1920s were a raucous time in Chicago and the Chicago Cubs were a large part of it.
With 14 pages of historical photos from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Ehrgott's book is a great addition to any baseball library.
February 13, 2014
I don't know if it's fair to review a book that I haven't finished, but I can't make it through this one. Based on the topic and the reviews, I thought I'd love it. Not so much.... First, the level of detail is excruciating. An example from a random page (261, if you must know): "At the South State Street [police] station -- the same venue that Pat Malone had visited the previous May -- the group was bundled into the "bullpen," and the cast, including twenty-eight showgirls -- one named Violet -- was booked for participating in an obscene play." For those of you keeping score at home, that's two parentheticals in one sentence, because we really, REALLY needed to know that one of the 28 showgirls was named Violet.
My other main complaint with the book is the time-shifting. We'll be in the middle of a season, for example, and then all of a sudden we're back in Spring training, or with a team that one of the Cubs used to play on, or something. I guess you really can't tell the players without a scorecard.
My other main complaint with the book is the time-shifting. We'll be in the middle of a season, for example, and then all of a sudden we're back in Spring training, or with a team that one of the Cubs used to play on, or something. I guess you really can't tell the players without a scorecard.
March 24, 2022
I really enjoyed the story told in this book. I love baseball, and the atmosphere at Wrigley Field can't be beat. I also appreciated that because of the content I learned some information that helped me correctly answer some questions on Jeopardy.
I was impressed to learn the Cubs were the first team to have radio coverage for their games and that it was a female executive who got the broadcasts started.
I think Chicago in the 1920s was a crazy time and the Cubs added so much to it.
I was impressed to learn the Cubs were the first team to have radio coverage for their games and that it was a female executive who got the broadcasts started.
I think Chicago in the 1920s was a crazy time and the Cubs added so much to it.
April 12, 2025
Really interesting read detailing the history of the Chicago Cubs and giving the reader a taste of the Jazz Age in Chicago. I found the book to be fascinating on how it incorporated the different stories in together and put them all in a nice bow involving the beautiful game of baseball. Only thing that made it kind of a tough read was the jumping around of characters throughout, but overall I found it to be a terrific read, especially during the Cubs’ 2023 playoff push.
August 3, 2014
I stopped in the middle. Just an awful piece of writting.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews