A Nice Little Place on the North Side
A History of Triumph, Mostly Defeat, and Incurable Hope at Wrigley Field
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4.0 • 47 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Now with bonus material on the Chicago Cubs' World Series win, the New York Times-bestselling history of America's most beloved baseball stadium, Wrigley Field, and the Cubs’ century-long search for World Series glory
In A Nice Little Place on the North Side, leading columnist George Will returns to baseball with a deeply personal look at his hapless Chicago Cubs and their often beatified home, Wrigley Field, as it enters its second century. Baseball, Will argues, is full of metaphors for life, religion, and happiness, and Wrigley is considered one of its sacred spaces. But what is its true, hyperbole-free history?
Winding beautifully like Wrigley’s iconic ivy, Will’s meditation on “The Friendly Confines” examines both the unforgettable stories that forged the field’s legend and the larger-than-life characters—from Wrigley and Ruth to Veeck, Durocher, and Banks—who brought it glory, heartbreak, and scandal. Drawing upon his trademark knowledge and inimitable sense of humor, Will also explores his childhood connections to the team, the Cubs’ future, and what keeps long-suffering fans rooting for the home team after so many years of futility.
In the end, A Nice Little Place on the North Side is more than just the history of a ballpark. It is the story of Chicago, of baseball, and of America itself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
More than just about a ball park with a powerful mystique, Will s (Men at Work) book on Wrigley Field offers a rich history of the city of Chicago through its hapless baseball team. In celebration of the ballpark s 100th year, Will compiles a random batch of anecdotes and history about the franchise that inhabits this much loved though antiquated structure with its famous ivy-covered walls. ( It is not a good sign for fans when their team s venue is better known for the attractiveness of its flora than for the excellence of the athletes who have played there, Will quips.) Broad-ranging topics include beer and its legendary importance in baseball, the long-standing resistance to installing lights for night games, personality quirks of the father-son owners, chewing gum kings William and P.K. Wrigley, and colorful takes on famed Cub Ernie Banks and (mostly) beloved sportscaster Harry Caray. The reader will learn about numbers attendance, beer prices, stadium stats, monies paid for the team and enjoy reflections by the author, who understands firsthand the trials and tribulations of being a Cubs fan. Rooting for the Cubs, he writes, is a lifelong tutorial in delay gratification. As Will illustrates in his book, there s plenty for Cubs fans to celebrate from the past 100 years, even if a world series isn t one of them.
Customer Reviews
The Wrigley Thesis ...
A wonderful read on an American sports landmark. Will captures in under 200 pages what Wrigley Field is and what it means to generations of Cubs, and baseball, fans. Mixed with entertaining anecdotes of those that breathed life within the ivy walls at the corner of Clark and Addison, A Nice Little Place on the North Side is a nice little read.
Nice Essay
I enjoy most of Will's work,this included.However I'm a little annoyed about paying for a book and getting a long essay.
A nice little place on the north side
Wouldn't waste your money