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A Season for the Ages: How the 2016 Chicago Cubs Brought a World Series Championship to the North Side
No doubt, you’ve heard about the Cubs’ decades-long run of futility. They hadn’t won a pennant in seventy-one years or a World Series in a record 108 years. To the frustration of Cubs fans everywhere, the team often missed chances with soul-crushing defeats.
But after a complete teardown that resulted in a 100-loss season in 2012, Theo Epstein and his baseball staff reversed that with the Cubs of 2016, a team that was not only supremely talented, but cared nothing for all the media narratives of losing. They did things during the regular season that no Cubs club had done in more than a century, including earning the most wins for the franchise since 1910. The club went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League playoffs before beating the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series.
Anthony Rizzo, MVP candidate Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, manager Joe Maddon, and fan favorites like Javier Baez and David Ross are the heroes of the 2016 Cubs’ story. Told by Al Yellon, managing editor of SB Nation’s Bleed Cubbie Blue , A Season to Remember chronicles not only the 2016 Cubs’ rise to the top of the baseball heap, but the team’s—and the fans’—long journey to get there.
But after a complete teardown that resulted in a 100-loss season in 2012, Theo Epstein and his baseball staff reversed that with the Cubs of 2016, a team that was not only supremely talented, but cared nothing for all the media narratives of losing. They did things during the regular season that no Cubs club had done in more than a century, including earning the most wins for the franchise since 1910. The club went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League playoffs before beating the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series.
Anthony Rizzo, MVP candidate Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, manager Joe Maddon, and fan favorites like Javier Baez and David Ross are the heroes of the 2016 Cubs’ story. Told by Al Yellon, managing editor of SB Nation’s Bleed Cubbie Blue , A Season to Remember chronicles not only the 2016 Cubs’ rise to the top of the baseball heap, but the team’s—and the fans’—long journey to get there.
232 pages, Hardcover
Published December 6, 2016
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48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 8, 2018
Those of us who are fans of the Chicago Cubs can never read enough books about the magic season of 2016. And this one is a dandy as it begins with some history of the hapless Cubbies and their ever loyal fans as they struggled through season after season at the bottom of the League. The author whose Bleedcubbieblue blog is a favorite for sports fans of all stripes, brings the reader up to date with the 2016 spring training right through to the unbelievable and emotional winning of the World Series. He fills the book with humorous stories about the players and the fans and the frenzy that gripped Chicago as the Cubbies moved to the World Series. You may have to be a baseball fan to totally appreciate this book but if you read it you may become one!
July 16, 2017
This won’t be the best book on the Cubs 2016 season, but it was the first. There’s a lot of low ratings for this one, but it’s understandable. This isn’t John Feinstein or Roger Kahn. Some one will write the definitive story of the 2016 Cubs. Maybe more than one (and given the historical context, maybe five or six, and a few players who were on that bench will likely write their story too). Still, Yellon got to the market first.
Which explains a lot- the spelling and grammar mistakes (not enough that I worry about them, but the criticism others pointed out is true enough) Also the weird ending which the books leaves off with the Cubs on their way to the World Series (not yet winning it). The first chapter does cover the aftermath of the World Series. Surely, this was an aftereffect of being the first book on the market.
One can understand hesitation. The bookcover is filled with quotes from the Cubs (and Cubs superfan Bill Murray) but none of those quotes are about the actual book itself. Still, Yellon isn’t quite a nobody. He runs Bleed Cubbie Blue, the SB Nation Cubs blog, which I reference a lot, and is a good source of Cubs information on a daily basis.
That also may be why people don’t like this book. The book is essentially written from the point of view of a “superfan”. Yellon went to Arizona to watch Spring Training, caught a few road games, and watches every home game in the Right Field bleachers. I am fine with this. It’s a personal perspective and he has plenty of trivia he throws in. Sure, I read Sports Headlines every day, but few people have the ability to spend the day following his team as well as journaling about it on a daily basis. It may not have the heavy perspective of a player or a journalist, but it’s still a fairly educated voice.
In which case, this book likely lifted a lot from Yellon’s daily blog writing, which I don’t fault at all, if that is what you are looking for. Yellon essentially walks us through if not every game the Cubs played, then pretty close to it, and certainly covers every series that they had.
The Cubs aren’t my favorite team, but living where their Triple-A team is located, I have become a fan and have seen most of these players play ball in person (Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, Edwards Jr, Baez, Almora and others). If your expectation is quite simply a light read that lets you relive the moments of the Cubs season, then you should be pretty pleased with this. (or at least I was).
Which explains a lot- the spelling and grammar mistakes (not enough that I worry about them, but the criticism others pointed out is true enough) Also the weird ending which the books leaves off with the Cubs on their way to the World Series (not yet winning it). The first chapter does cover the aftermath of the World Series. Surely, this was an aftereffect of being the first book on the market.
One can understand hesitation. The bookcover is filled with quotes from the Cubs (and Cubs superfan Bill Murray) but none of those quotes are about the actual book itself. Still, Yellon isn’t quite a nobody. He runs Bleed Cubbie Blue, the SB Nation Cubs blog, which I reference a lot, and is a good source of Cubs information on a daily basis.
That also may be why people don’t like this book. The book is essentially written from the point of view of a “superfan”. Yellon went to Arizona to watch Spring Training, caught a few road games, and watches every home game in the Right Field bleachers. I am fine with this. It’s a personal perspective and he has plenty of trivia he throws in. Sure, I read Sports Headlines every day, but few people have the ability to spend the day following his team as well as journaling about it on a daily basis. It may not have the heavy perspective of a player or a journalist, but it’s still a fairly educated voice.
In which case, this book likely lifted a lot from Yellon’s daily blog writing, which I don’t fault at all, if that is what you are looking for. Yellon essentially walks us through if not every game the Cubs played, then pretty close to it, and certainly covers every series that they had.
The Cubs aren’t my favorite team, but living where their Triple-A team is located, I have become a fan and have seen most of these players play ball in person (Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, Edwards Jr, Baez, Almora and others). If your expectation is quite simply a light read that lets you relive the moments of the Cubs season, then you should be pretty pleased with this. (or at least I was).
December 20, 2016
I purchased every book that I could find after the World Series victory with the intention of having a section of my library dedicated to that moment in my life.
This "book" is not going to be allowed to sully those shelves. It's headed to the donation bin at my library.
The book title and subtitle will lead you to believe this is a book about the 2016 Cubs. But make no mistake about it. This is a poorly-edited collection of stories whose theme is Al Yellon talking about himself. Where he sat. Which games he's seen. How long he has had season tickets. When he went to quack doctors. Etc.
If you want an example of Al's self-centeredness, look no further than the Acknowledgements section of the book. Typically, this is where the author expresses their thanks and gratitude for help with research on the book. Al, on the other hand, notes that Rob Neyer sat at a game with him during the season and writes "I'm glad you got to experience a game with me..."
No. Al doesn't thank Rob for sitting with him at a game and talking a little baseball. He says Rob Freaking Neyer was lucky to have had a chance to sit with HIM, Al Yellon.
Are you kidding me?
If you want a book about Al Yellon, by all means, pick this up. If you want a book about the 2016 Cubs, however, this isn't it. So disappointing...
Hopefully a national writer will put something together about this team some day, but that will probably be years away. This comes across as a cash-grab, rushed out to pick up some holiday bucks. If you love your relatives, you won't buy them this book.
Oh, and, beware the overuse of, commas.
This is a painful read.
This "book" is not going to be allowed to sully those shelves. It's headed to the donation bin at my library.
The book title and subtitle will lead you to believe this is a book about the 2016 Cubs. But make no mistake about it. This is a poorly-edited collection of stories whose theme is Al Yellon talking about himself. Where he sat. Which games he's seen. How long he has had season tickets. When he went to quack doctors. Etc.
If you want an example of Al's self-centeredness, look no further than the Acknowledgements section of the book. Typically, this is where the author expresses their thanks and gratitude for help with research on the book. Al, on the other hand, notes that Rob Neyer sat at a game with him during the season and writes "I'm glad you got to experience a game with me..."
No. Al doesn't thank Rob for sitting with him at a game and talking a little baseball. He says Rob Freaking Neyer was lucky to have had a chance to sit with HIM, Al Yellon.
Are you kidding me?
If you want a book about Al Yellon, by all means, pick this up. If you want a book about the 2016 Cubs, however, this isn't it. So disappointing...
Hopefully a national writer will put something together about this team some day, but that will probably be years away. This comes across as a cash-grab, rushed out to pick up some holiday bucks. If you love your relatives, you won't buy them this book.
Oh, and, beware the overuse of, commas.
This is a painful read.
February 7, 2017
This really is a terrible book. I love the Cubs and enjoyed reliving the great 2016 season but the author is not a good writer. The book didn't seem edited either. I don't know how many times he wrote Hendricks barely throws 90 mph. We get it! Maybe his writing is ok for his blog, but don't waste your time with this book.
December 7, 2016
Ah, the memories. But, I think they forgot a chapter in the end.
January 3, 2017
If you're like me and simply can't get enough of reliving the Cubs 2016 season, this is a really good and entertaining read.
I thought the book was very well organized and thought out. The introduction starts with a recap of the World Series. Then we are taken back in time for a brief summary of Cubs history. The lack of goats, black cats and other curses is truly refreshing. I know I appreciated that. Mr. Yellon follows with his own story of becoming a fan. Then we go with him to Spring Training and he takes us along on a journey through this momentous season. month by month, series by series through winning the Pennant. I found rehashing many of the game details a lot of fun. Quite often I found myself nodding in agreement or smiling from being reminded of something that I had completely forgotten.
Besides sharing his own personal experiences and feelings, the book is full of interesting, little known tidbits and facts. I enjoyed going through the book highlighting the games I had attended and seeing that some of them had a historic significance I hadn't realized at the time. With so many "not since" moments, quite a few of which go all the way back to the great teams in the 30's or earlier, this book really gives a sense of how the 2016 team fits in with Cubs history. I'd certainly recommend it.
I thought the book was very well organized and thought out. The introduction starts with a recap of the World Series. Then we are taken back in time for a brief summary of Cubs history. The lack of goats, black cats and other curses is truly refreshing. I know I appreciated that. Mr. Yellon follows with his own story of becoming a fan. Then we go with him to Spring Training and he takes us along on a journey through this momentous season. month by month, series by series through winning the Pennant. I found rehashing many of the game details a lot of fun. Quite often I found myself nodding in agreement or smiling from being reminded of something that I had completely forgotten.
Besides sharing his own personal experiences and feelings, the book is full of interesting, little known tidbits and facts. I enjoyed going through the book highlighting the games I had attended and seeing that some of them had a historic significance I hadn't realized at the time. With so many "not since" moments, quite a few of which go all the way back to the great teams in the 30's or earlier, this book really gives a sense of how the 2016 team fits in with Cubs history. I'd certainly recommend it.
June 19, 2020
I’m not going to lie, this book is terrible. It’s poorly written and I’m not sure anyone edited it. At times it reads more like the author’s memoir than an actual chronicling of the unbelievable 2016 season. But, I love and desperately miss baseball. It was good to relive the best moments of the season, and I did appreciate all of the stats.
June 6, 2023
I know he loves the Cubs, but…
I found errors in this book, and for a book that wasn’t free, this is unacceptable. As Amazon let’s you send changes, I have done that. There also places where the author seemed to whine a little too much. The Cubs haven’t won in 108 years; let’s focus on the JOY!
I found errors in this book, and for a book that wasn’t free, this is unacceptable. As Amazon let’s you send changes, I have done that. There also places where the author seemed to whine a little too much. The Cubs haven’t won in 108 years; let’s focus on the JOY!
August 8, 2017
Great walk through the 2016 Cubs season. A little slow, with details about almost every individual game during the season, which can get a bit dull, although it brings back great memories. The personal vignettes are excellent.
May 30, 2023
Disappointing
This book is one guy's opinion. There are no inside stories, very few interviews and no direct player contact.b I read the book but was truly plowing through it at the end. Don't waste your time.
This book is one guy's opinion. There are no inside stories, very few interviews and no direct player contact.b I read the book but was truly plowing through it at the end. Don't waste your time.
June 2, 2017
Not quite the write-up on the 2016 Cubs I am hoping for, but a decent book. The author's affection for the team is palpable.
June 8, 2017
This might be good as a historical document to get an idea of what it was like in 2016 when the Cubs won, but there's not much else to recommend about this book. The only chapters that feel alive are the opening one about the World Series and a later one about the Giants playoff series. Disappointing.
January 10, 2017
Al Yellon is the head writer on SBNation's Cubs blog, Bleed Cubbie Blue, and he is a lifelong Cubs fan. After the Cubs (finally!) won the World Series in 2016, I decided to support Al because I enjoy his blog so much. After all, a book written by a huge fan should have some definite advantages over something published by the AP, right? Well...
First, I must mention the strengths of this book. I enjoyed the commentary about each series, as it reminded me of smaller moments and mini-dramas that I had forgotten about (no mention of La Stella's bizarre August demotion, though). Al's love for the team is apparent throughout the book, and the introduction (which covered the World Series) did a great job helping me relive all the nervous and joyous moments of those games.
As for the rest, it's a little rough around the edges. The editing isn't great, with grammatical errors, curious structure choices (the World Series chapter before Spring Training?), and phrases being repeated multiple times across multiple chapters (or sometimes in consecutive paragraphs) that aren't particularly insightful. Since Al writes about his personal experiences a lot here, I think the title should have reflected that --- maybe "A Season For the Ages --- One fan's Journey" or something like that. It was also kind of odd that the dust jacket has quotes from various Cubs people, but none are about this book; that felt like an odd choice. The photos included here are also nothing special, as the best ones came from the Associated Press.
As it stands, this book comes off a little amateurish, but there is no denying the passion behind Al's writing.
First, I must mention the strengths of this book. I enjoyed the commentary about each series, as it reminded me of smaller moments and mini-dramas that I had forgotten about (no mention of La Stella's bizarre August demotion, though). Al's love for the team is apparent throughout the book, and the introduction (which covered the World Series) did a great job helping me relive all the nervous and joyous moments of those games.
As for the rest, it's a little rough around the edges. The editing isn't great, with grammatical errors, curious structure choices (the World Series chapter before Spring Training?), and phrases being repeated multiple times across multiple chapters (or sometimes in consecutive paragraphs) that aren't particularly insightful. Since Al writes about his personal experiences a lot here, I think the title should have reflected that --- maybe "A Season For the Ages --- One fan's Journey" or something like that. It was also kind of odd that the dust jacket has quotes from various Cubs people, but none are about this book; that felt like an odd choice. The photos included here are also nothing special, as the best ones came from the Associated Press.
As it stands, this book comes off a little amateurish, but there is no denying the passion behind Al's writing.
July 28, 2017
This isn't the story of the 2016 Cubs as much as it is the story of the author watching the 2016 Cubs.
Do you want to know the lengths the author went to get tixckets for Cubs road playoff games? His spring training itinerary? His views of Los Angeles traffic? It's all in here!
What's not in here is any sort of expanded discussion into the construction of the roster or Theo Epstein's plan for building the contender. Instead, unnecessary personal anecdotes fill much of what is only a 179-page book. The decision to start the book with the World Series win is fine considering everyone already knows the final result, but to end the book with the NLCS was just odd.
I'm not a reader of the Bleed Cubbie Blue blog, but I'm way less likely to do so after reading this book. The only good thing about the book was that it did recall some of the great moments of an incredible season.
As a lifelong Cubs fan I am of course rooting for another Cubs World Series, but I definitely won't read this author's books about it. Read Verducci's book instead.
Do you want to know the lengths the author went to get tixckets for Cubs road playoff games? His spring training itinerary? His views of Los Angeles traffic? It's all in here!
What's not in here is any sort of expanded discussion into the construction of the roster or Theo Epstein's plan for building the contender. Instead, unnecessary personal anecdotes fill much of what is only a 179-page book. The decision to start the book with the World Series win is fine considering everyone already knows the final result, but to end the book with the NLCS was just odd.
I'm not a reader of the Bleed Cubbie Blue blog, but I'm way less likely to do so after reading this book. The only good thing about the book was that it did recall some of the great moments of an incredible season.
As a lifelong Cubs fan I am of course rooting for another Cubs World Series, but I definitely won't read this author's books about it. Read Verducci's book instead.
February 7, 2017
A fun review of the Cubs magical season, this book is based on the author's blog, bleedcubbieblue.com, with some original material added. That's not a bad thing - I like the blog a lot, but some of the material from the book is lifted verbatim from the blog. It's clear the book was rushed to print after the World Series, because there are some obvious mistakes that better editing would have caught. But it's a very nice review of the season from the perspective of a fan, and captures the spirit of a truly special season.
April 15, 2017
My *average* rating does not reflect my passion for the Chicago Cubs, as I am a die-hard fan. Instead, my rating reflects more on the organization and authorship of this book.
Al Yellon is the editor/author of the excellent website Bleed Cubbie Blue, which I frequent during the baseball season. This book is merely a quickly thrown-together version of his game notes from each game of the season, with some losses and less important games left out in favor of the more dramatic victories.
The book is, at times, poorly edited with Yellon mentioning the same statistics and sidenotes about players multiple times. The book suffers from being thrown together rather quickly after the 2016 World Series win. The Cubs won it all on November 2 (CST) and this book was published on December 16 or something.
However, the book was a fast read and will likely age well, as the memories of particular games fade over time. I would not say this book is a must for every baseball fan, or even for every Cubs fan, but it is well worth your while as a keepsake of the 2016 season. I haven't read Kaplan or Verducci's books on the Cubs yet.
Al Yellon is the editor/author of the excellent website Bleed Cubbie Blue, which I frequent during the baseball season. This book is merely a quickly thrown-together version of his game notes from each game of the season, with some losses and less important games left out in favor of the more dramatic victories.
The book is, at times, poorly edited with Yellon mentioning the same statistics and sidenotes about players multiple times. The book suffers from being thrown together rather quickly after the 2016 World Series win. The Cubs won it all on November 2 (CST) and this book was published on December 16 or something.
However, the book was a fast read and will likely age well, as the memories of particular games fade over time. I would not say this book is a must for every baseball fan, or even for every Cubs fan, but it is well worth your while as a keepsake of the 2016 season. I haven't read Kaplan or Verducci's books on the Cubs yet.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews