What do you think?
Rate this book
Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America
A “compelling narrative” about three Chicago Cubs legends, the rise of baseball fever, and the emergence of a new America as the twentieth century began (Booklist, starred review).Their names were chanted, crowed, and cursed. Alone they were a shortstop, a second baseman, and a first baseman. But together they were an unstoppable force. Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance came together in rough-and-tumble early twentieth-century Chicago and soon formed the defensive core of the most formidable team in big league baseball, leading the Chicago Cubs to four National League pennants and two World Series championships from 1906 to 1910. At the same time, baseball was transforming from small-time diversion into a nationwide sensation. Americans from all walks of life became infected with “baseball fever,” a phenomenon of unprecedented enthusiasm and social impact. The national pastime was coming of age.Tinker to Evers to Chance examines this pivotal moment in American history, when baseball became the game we know today. Each man came from a different corner of the country and brought a distinctive local culture with Evers from the Irish-American hothouse of Troy, New York; Tinker from the urban parklands of Kansas City, Missouri; Chance from the verdant fields of California’s Central Valley. The stories of these early baseball stars shed unexpected light not only on the evolution of the game and the enthusiasm of its players and fans, but also on the broader convulsions transforming the US into a confident new industrial society. With them emerged a truly national culture.This iconic trio helped baseball reinvent itself, but their legend has largely been relegated to myths and barroom trivia. David Rapp’s engaging history resets the story and brings these men to life again, enabling us to marvel anew at their feats on the diamond. It’s a rare look at one of baseball’s first dynasties in action.Winner, Nonfiction Book of the Year, Chicago Writer’s Association“Connects these baseball stories to larger cultural themes such as social and economic class, the New York–Chicago rivalry, and the emerging media technologies during this period. Highly recommended for baseball fans and those interested in early 20th-century American history.” —Library Journal
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2018
57 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 1, 2018
It is a month into baseball season and there is nothing like watching or reading about baseball to give me a tonic for my doldrums. What is surprising is that it took me until the end of the first third of the year to read my first baseball book of the year. I am looking to remedy that pace and might focus on baseball themed books for the rest of the year, but more on my reading issues later. For my entire life until two years ago I was inundated with stories of ballplayers Tinker, Evers, and Chance who lead the Cubs during their glory years a century ago. Their names continue to live on in a poem that had been ironically penned by a rival sports writer, yet allowed their names to be on the forefront of American minds. David Rapp, who is a reporter for the Evansville News and as a huge of a Cubs fan as I am, has finally given the public a book about these immortal ballplayers, and through his extensive research, Rapp did not disappoint.
The early 20th century saw a United States in transition. I have always enjoyed studying the era between 1875 and 1910 because these thirty five years changed the United States from a fledgling country to a modern nation. Baseball was no different from the rest of the country at large. First officially played in 1869, by 1900 the game had emerged with a National League and a plethora of amateur or minor leagues formed in hamlets and burghs around the country. By 1900 the league had its eight original member teams in place and had largely cleaned itself of dirty ballplayers, making the game a preferred entertainment for families. During the decade, a rival American League had formed, and following the 1904 Peace Agreement between the two, the first World Series was played between the Boston Pilgrims and Pittsburgh Pirates. Yet, much animosity remained in the National League, especially from baseball lifers who still saw the American league as upstarts rather than working in concert to expand the game to the national pastime it is today. Lead by long time New York Giants manager John McGraw, many in the National League wished that the American League did not exist and refused to play in this new World Series. The fall classic nearly disappeared before it got started, and it would need a new, clean, modern brand of baseball to lead it forward into the 20th century.
Enter the Chicago Nationals managed by Frank Selee. Still calling the west side grounds home, the Chicago National League Ball Club played a counterpoint to New York, beginning a rivalry between the cities that still exists to this day. By 1906, the city was thirty five years past its horrendous fire, and rebuilt in modernity to be the second largest city in the nation. Yet, the team had not won a championship since its glory days on Cap Anson in the 1880s and the city was hungry for a championship, seeing the Giants and their dirty brand of baseball win nearly every year. Frank Selee scoured the country for young men who embodied the national game and put together a prized infield with three men from diverse backgrounds: Johnny Evers, Jr from Troy, New York; Joe Tinker from Kansas City, Missouri; and Frank Chance from far away Fresno, California. Each was a top amateur in his hometown, earning as much a $60 a year on the ball field. The major leagues would be a giant step up in both income and notoriety. The three would go on to play together in a working relationship for the next ten years, and be immortalized in poem form by writer Francis P Adams. Little did anyone associated with the Chicago Nationals know that it would be another 108 years until another championship was brought to the city's north side.
Besides the story of Merkle's boner that delivered the Cubs the 1908 pennant, Rapp interweaves stories of the modernizing of America. In the 1900s, cities were industrializing and people needed a break from the rigors of working in factories. Enter baseball to America's psyche and the advent of Ladies' Days that allowed women to enter games free with a gentleman paying admission. Frank Selee's Cubs teams played a clean brand of baseball that appealed to the masses and averaged 100 games a year. They became the darlings of baseball and changed their name from the Nationals or Colts to the Cubs due to their fleet footed prowess on the ball field. Lead by player-manager Chance, Tinker, Evers, and pitcher Three Fingered Brown, the Cubs would finish near or atop the National League between 1906 and 1911, winning four of five pennants. What is astonishing is that Brown logged nearly 300 innings a year, unheard of today, and in this deadball era, trickery on the ball field mattered more than smashing hits out of the park. During this era, a player was considered a slugger if he hit ten home runs. Tinker, Evers, and Chance along with their teammates understood how to win in this time of spitballs, hidden ball tricks, and mind games as well as the best in the game, and won the 1907 and 1908 World Series. The Nationals brought the game from that of an elitist eastern game with European roots to an American game to be enjoyed by all Americans who were entering the industrial and modern age.
The current embodiment of the Cubs, which Rapp notes, has its own sure fire double play combination and is young and won over the hearts of baseball fans. Rather than playing counter to New York, their current national league rival is from glitzy Los Angeles, which was a sleepy village at the time of the Tinker, Evers, and Chance Cubs. Yet, like their 1908 counterparts, the 2016 edition of the Cubs won over the hearts of American baseball fans in a World Series for the ages. David Rapp has given the 1906-11 Cubs their due, writing as much about baseball as the social and economic climate of the era, highlighting a nation in transition to becoming a modern powerhouse that it is today. Through his extensive research, Rapp has given baseball historians a joy to read.
4.5 stars
The early 20th century saw a United States in transition. I have always enjoyed studying the era between 1875 and 1910 because these thirty five years changed the United States from a fledgling country to a modern nation. Baseball was no different from the rest of the country at large. First officially played in 1869, by 1900 the game had emerged with a National League and a plethora of amateur or minor leagues formed in hamlets and burghs around the country. By 1900 the league had its eight original member teams in place and had largely cleaned itself of dirty ballplayers, making the game a preferred entertainment for families. During the decade, a rival American League had formed, and following the 1904 Peace Agreement between the two, the first World Series was played between the Boston Pilgrims and Pittsburgh Pirates. Yet, much animosity remained in the National League, especially from baseball lifers who still saw the American league as upstarts rather than working in concert to expand the game to the national pastime it is today. Lead by long time New York Giants manager John McGraw, many in the National League wished that the American League did not exist and refused to play in this new World Series. The fall classic nearly disappeared before it got started, and it would need a new, clean, modern brand of baseball to lead it forward into the 20th century.
Enter the Chicago Nationals managed by Frank Selee. Still calling the west side grounds home, the Chicago National League Ball Club played a counterpoint to New York, beginning a rivalry between the cities that still exists to this day. By 1906, the city was thirty five years past its horrendous fire, and rebuilt in modernity to be the second largest city in the nation. Yet, the team had not won a championship since its glory days on Cap Anson in the 1880s and the city was hungry for a championship, seeing the Giants and their dirty brand of baseball win nearly every year. Frank Selee scoured the country for young men who embodied the national game and put together a prized infield with three men from diverse backgrounds: Johnny Evers, Jr from Troy, New York; Joe Tinker from Kansas City, Missouri; and Frank Chance from far away Fresno, California. Each was a top amateur in his hometown, earning as much a $60 a year on the ball field. The major leagues would be a giant step up in both income and notoriety. The three would go on to play together in a working relationship for the next ten years, and be immortalized in poem form by writer Francis P Adams. Little did anyone associated with the Chicago Nationals know that it would be another 108 years until another championship was brought to the city's north side.
Besides the story of Merkle's boner that delivered the Cubs the 1908 pennant, Rapp interweaves stories of the modernizing of America. In the 1900s, cities were industrializing and people needed a break from the rigors of working in factories. Enter baseball to America's psyche and the advent of Ladies' Days that allowed women to enter games free with a gentleman paying admission. Frank Selee's Cubs teams played a clean brand of baseball that appealed to the masses and averaged 100 games a year. They became the darlings of baseball and changed their name from the Nationals or Colts to the Cubs due to their fleet footed prowess on the ball field. Lead by player-manager Chance, Tinker, Evers, and pitcher Three Fingered Brown, the Cubs would finish near or atop the National League between 1906 and 1911, winning four of five pennants. What is astonishing is that Brown logged nearly 300 innings a year, unheard of today, and in this deadball era, trickery on the ball field mattered more than smashing hits out of the park. During this era, a player was considered a slugger if he hit ten home runs. Tinker, Evers, and Chance along with their teammates understood how to win in this time of spitballs, hidden ball tricks, and mind games as well as the best in the game, and won the 1907 and 1908 World Series. The Nationals brought the game from that of an elitist eastern game with European roots to an American game to be enjoyed by all Americans who were entering the industrial and modern age.
The current embodiment of the Cubs, which Rapp notes, has its own sure fire double play combination and is young and won over the hearts of baseball fans. Rather than playing counter to New York, their current national league rival is from glitzy Los Angeles, which was a sleepy village at the time of the Tinker, Evers, and Chance Cubs. Yet, like their 1908 counterparts, the 2016 edition of the Cubs won over the hearts of American baseball fans in a World Series for the ages. David Rapp has given the 1906-11 Cubs their due, writing as much about baseball as the social and economic climate of the era, highlighting a nation in transition to becoming a modern powerhouse that it is today. Through his extensive research, Rapp has given baseball historians a joy to read.
4.5 stars
July 15, 2018
Mr. Rapp resurrects a bygone game, corrects a bit of history, and reintroduces us to characters lost to memory. I will forever imagine what may have become of the widow Selee.
July 28, 2018
2018 is a tough summer for Orioles fans to actually watch baseball. Next best thing is reading a good book about baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed this bio on the famous Cubs infield.
December 22, 2019
Deft weaving of baseball history and American history at the start of the 20th century, and a good review of just how good the Chicago Cubs dynasty of 1906-1910 really was. One proofreading complaint: when the Cubs played Detroit in the 1907 World Series, Ty Cobb was NOT a rookie.
August 20, 2018
David Rapp provides some insights into how three Chicago Cubs players made baseball America’s game. Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker, and Frank Chance were were three infielders who made the double play (getting two outs in from one grounder) a unique quality of baseball. The phrase “Tinker, to Evers, to Chance” has become one of unique qualities of baseball.
The three infielders each get a chapter about the growing up and becoming major league players. But the narrative goes well beyond history. Rapp gives us an insight to, as he defines it, “a tale of how baseball came to capture its followers and hold them in such staunch allegiance at the turn of the turn of the national pastime” (xiii). The three players helped make baseball a “respectable” part of society (p. 7). He goes so far to ways that the three infielders made baseball more than just a game. They made sports reporting a domain of journeralism.
The author links the rise of the Cubs and baseball with the birth of Chicago’s emergence as a formidable city. (A bit of an overstatement—but worth reading).
Chapter 7 tells us about the games of the 1907 World Series and chapter 9 tells us how the “curse of the Cubs” player out for 100 years.
Cubs fans—and baseball fans in general—will enjoy this book.
The three infielders each get a chapter about the growing up and becoming major league players. But the narrative goes well beyond history. Rapp gives us an insight to, as he defines it, “a tale of how baseball came to capture its followers and hold them in such staunch allegiance at the turn of the turn of the national pastime” (xiii). The three players helped make baseball a “respectable” part of society (p. 7). He goes so far to ways that the three infielders made baseball more than just a game. They made sports reporting a domain of journeralism.
The author links the rise of the Cubs and baseball with the birth of Chicago’s emergence as a formidable city. (A bit of an overstatement—but worth reading).
Chapter 7 tells us about the games of the 1907 World Series and chapter 9 tells us how the “curse of the Cubs” player out for 100 years.
Cubs fans—and baseball fans in general—will enjoy this book.
March 21, 2020
This is quite an enjoyable book about baseball at the turn of the century (1900) and one of the greatest baseball dynasties--all but forgotten today--the 1906-1910 Chicago Cubs. The heart of the team--shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman John Evers and first baseman-Player manager Frank Chance--were exemplars of the new, 'clean' baseball following the 1890's dirty baseball era, characterized by cheating, thuggery and a crude atmosphere which was driving the game toward extinction. Their success heralded a new era in baseball and helped transform the sport it as an acceptible pastime . This was solidified more than a decade after the end of the Cubs glorious dynasty with the emergence of the first superstar in baseball: Babe Ruth.
The book is occasionally a bit laborious when the author delves into some more mundane aspects of social history. Further, he author gives only short synopses of the World Series games the Cubs participated in. It would have been better to have had a more substantial recap as these games are unfamiliar to all but the most avid baseball and Cubs historian.
These complaints notwithstanding, the book is well written and does a great service to baseball fans in reviving and shining a light on a forgotten era. And I am a Cardinal fan.
The book is occasionally a bit laborious when the author delves into some more mundane aspects of social history. Further, he author gives only short synopses of the World Series games the Cubs participated in. It would have been better to have had a more substantial recap as these games are unfamiliar to all but the most avid baseball and Cubs historian.
These complaints notwithstanding, the book is well written and does a great service to baseball fans in reviving and shining a light on a forgotten era. And I am a Cardinal fan.
March 13, 2023
Think of a straight line. That's the timeline of the 1906-1910 Chicago Cubs. Then, draw several offshoots from the line. That's the paths David Rapp takes in describing that era. He includes bios of the famous three: Tinkers, Evers and Chance. He also has sketches of coaches, owners, newspaper reporters, minor league teams, the wife of owner Frank Selee, culture at the time and fans.
It's a remarkable job of research and reporting. At times, it may seem repetitive when some such story lines cross. But Rapp does an amazing job of placing the reader into that era. He even includes game accounts and, unlike some books that bog down with too much detail of a single game, he describes them with perfect length.
I've always heard that Chance and Evers had a feud for years, but never knew why until I read this book. Also, Chance is described as a really good baseball player. We've all heard how good he was in the field, but Rapp shows his adeptness at bat, too.
As baseball season nears, this is a good start to get into the season. And, as a Cubs fan, I enjoyed learning about the history of the team.
It's a remarkable job of research and reporting. At times, it may seem repetitive when some such story lines cross. But Rapp does an amazing job of placing the reader into that era. He even includes game accounts and, unlike some books that bog down with too much detail of a single game, he describes them with perfect length.
I've always heard that Chance and Evers had a feud for years, but never knew why until I read this book. Also, Chance is described as a really good baseball player. We've all heard how good he was in the field, but Rapp shows his adeptness at bat, too.
As baseball season nears, this is a good start to get into the season. And, as a Cubs fan, I enjoyed learning about the history of the team.
June 15, 2018
I bought the book because the author is a good friend of mine, and I skimmed through it when I first got it in April so I could give feedback to my good friend, but I read the book cover to cover because it's interesting.
These days leading up to the All-Star break, a perfect time it seemed to me - Basketball over, Hockey over (Go Caps!), Football over, ... - to hunker down with some baseball lit.
The narrative captures the changing social mores of a maturing nation as viewed through the emergence of baseball (then "base ball") as a sport that could channel part of their hopes and dreams.
If you're a fan of baseball or just a fan of human life, check out this read this summer. The interweaving of the visceral side of baseball action throughout keeps this great, but informative, reading.
These days leading up to the All-Star break, a perfect time it seemed to me - Basketball over, Hockey over (Go Caps!), Football over, ... - to hunker down with some baseball lit.
The narrative captures the changing social mores of a maturing nation as viewed through the emergence of baseball (then "base ball") as a sport that could channel part of their hopes and dreams.
If you're a fan of baseball or just a fan of human life, check out this read this summer. The interweaving of the visceral side of baseball action throughout keeps this great, but informative, reading.
February 8, 2022
I really enjoyed the story of the famous Tinker to Evers to Chance trio. I was born in Troy, NY and my grandmother lived in Troy her whole life. Growing up she would always mention Tinker to Evers to Chance, mentioning that Evers was from Troy, so I really connected to this book and enjoyed learning the history. I thought the author did a good job of interweaving baseball history in with the story. I learned a lot about the very early years of the game.
September 27, 2022
Well-written and extensively researched, this belongs in any baseball lover’s library.
But claiming that the Cubs were emblematic of the “dawn of modern America” is a little grandiose. A claim only a Cubs fan could make ;-) (Also, the book was written just after the now-historic World Series victory of the Cubs in 2016, so the comment about the “new Cubs victory machine” (p 261) is sadly already dated…).
But claiming that the Cubs were emblematic of the “dawn of modern America” is a little grandiose. A claim only a Cubs fan could make ;-) (Also, the book was written just after the now-historic World Series victory of the Cubs in 2016, so the comment about the “new Cubs victory machine” (p 261) is sadly already dated…).
July 28, 2023
A good history of the 1900 to 1910 period of baseball focusing on the Cubs. Tinker, Evans and Chance are the players featured in the book. They became famous because of a poem and the performance of the Cubs during a 5 year period when they were the most successful team in history of baseball. Nice biographies of Tinker, Evans and Chance with good supplementary material on other baseball people of this era.
Easy to read but there is some repeated information in different sections.
Easy to read but there is some repeated information in different sections.
May 3, 2024
Nice Baseball History
I had known about "Tinker to Evers to Chance" from the big baseball history I had in my childhood. David Rapp's wonderful
book uses their story to provide some historical perspective as baseball began to spread in popularity and become the national pastime. The book would definitely appeal to any Chicago baseball fan. Besides that, the book gives context on the early years of baseball.
I had known about "Tinker to Evers to Chance" from the big baseball history I had in my childhood. David Rapp's wonderful
book uses their story to provide some historical perspective as baseball began to spread in popularity and become the national pastime. The book would definitely appeal to any Chicago baseball fan. Besides that, the book gives context on the early years of baseball.
August 27, 2018
Interesting look at the lives behind the "Tinker to Evers to Chance" verse. I enjoy reading about the path to fame -- not just the fame itself -- and this book delivered in the case of all 3: one from the East, one from the Midwest and one from the West. Also doubles as a history of the Chicago Cubs in the early 20th century.
January 20, 2019
It's ...... OK. I have no serious issues with it, but it never came alive for me.
Rapp knows his stuff - up to a point, but not beyond that. He has the general outline. But he'll make errors, like referring to Hall of Fame pitcher Vic Willis as "Fred Willis."
Rapp knows his stuff - up to a point, but not beyond that. He has the general outline. But he'll make errors, like referring to Hall of Fame pitcher Vic Willis as "Fred Willis."
May 1, 2019
A great read for any baseball history. I remember hearing about this double play group of players when I was watching the Ken Burns documentary on Baseball. I appreciate the background the author gives of each man and their place in history. Fun Read.
June 28, 2020
Very enjoyable. Especially want to give credit for not having to walk us through 154-game seasons day-by-day. Great flow, excellent contextual history outside of baseball (Western Union, songwriting, sportswriters).
August 4, 2018
The intertwining of history and the game of baseball was handled well. A great read for any baseball fan!
October 9, 2019
Reading this book was so much fun, especially if you like baseball and history. I learned quite a lot here and even though I am a second generation white sox fan I still greatly enjoyed it
March 8, 2024
Picks up at the end, cool trivia, smoothly written
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews