Wrigleyville: A Magical History Tour of the Chicago Cubs

by Peter Golenbock

Wrigleyville... a real place and a state of mind. For baseball fans, Wrigleyville means green grass and ivied walls, long summer afternoons in the bleacher seats, the voice of Harry Caray conjuring ghosts of pennant races past, the magical romance and companionable heartbreak of rooting for the Chicago Cubs.
From the "friendly confines" of Wrigley Field, the Cubs each year begin again their legendary quest for a World Series Championship, a goal that has eluded them since 1908. Beginning with the 1871 founding of the Chicago franchise, Wrigleyville beautifully captures a history of triumph, futility, dreams, and cruel fate - in the voices of Chicago players, coaches, batboys, clubhouse personnel, fans, and sportswriters who were there, from the nineteenth century to the present.
In these pages, the Cubs and Chicago itself come to vivid life. Cap Anson, the Hall of Fame first baseman and team leader of the 1880s champion teams. Mike "King" Kelly, the flamboyant base stealer and bon vivant, one of baseball's first media superstars. Tinker to Evers to Chance. Fred Merkle's infamous blunder that launched the Cubs toward their last World Series championship. Babe Ruth's "called shot" off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root - and the eyewitnesses who dispute the event. Hack Wilson, the slugging 1920s outfielder whose single-season RBI record remains unsurpassed. Ernie Banks and "Let's play two." The great Cubs team of 1969 and the dramatic pennant race against the upstart New York Mets. The quiet dignity and skill of Billy Williams, Ferguson Jenkins, Andre Dawson, and Ryne Sandberg.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

541 pages, Hardcover

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)