About this item
More than just a lavishly illustrated and highly readable book, Wrigley Field Year-by-Year is the result of a quarter century of meticulous research. Written by a baseball historian and recognized authority on “the Friendly Confines,” this is the first book to detail each year of the storied park’s existence. The book covers not only the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Federal League baseball team in detail, it touches on the Chicago Bears football team, basketball, hockey, high school sports, track and field, and political rallies. It references activities and changes throughout the park and in its neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. In addition to pertinent Cubs statistics, the author’s year-by-year coverage includes:• A “game of the year”• A description of unusual and interesting happenings in the ballpark• A quote from the year that best captures its essenceSupplementing the year-by-year approach are nine chapters that divide Wrigley Field’s storied history into nine “innings,” along with informative appendixes that will delight every Cubs fan, from the casual to the obsessed.
About the Author
I grew up on Chicago's North Side. My mom took me to Ladies Day games at Wrigley Field and they are among my favorite childhood memories: rambling its aisles and concourses for hours, scoring autographs from the likes of Santo, Jenkins, and Williams, and salivating over the myriad of concessions (especially Smokie Links and Frosty Malts) . My childhood love for the ballpark boiled into an obsession as an adult. I collected notes and anecdotes about the Cubs and Wrigley Field, even before the latter had lights! In fact, I've spent over 30 years researching Wrigley's remarkable history. Even today, there's nothing better that spending an afternoon at Wrigley Field, soaking up the surrounding neighborhood and Bill Veeck's ivy, all under abundant sunshine. Any exceptions? Perhaps spending a winter afternoon in a library scouring miles of microfilm, unearthing newspaper accounts and little-known facts about the cathedral at Clark and Addison. And add to this the recent World Series victory? Yes, life is good.
