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Book Review: "When Chicago Ruled Baseball"

With a Cub World Series appearance seemingly farther away than ever these days, I thought it might be fun to read, and share with you, "When Chicago Ruled Baseball", a book about the 1906 Cubs/White Sox World Series, still the only one played entirely within the city limits.

It's written by Bernard Weisberger, a local historian of note. I first found out about this book when Weisberger appeared to talk about it on our ABC-7 Sunday morning show a few weeks ago, and joked that he was probably the oldest guest to ever appear on the show.

It is a sobering thought to realize that, too. Bernard Weisberger is 82 years old. And that means he was born seventeen years after that all-Chicago series, and fifteen years after the Cubs' last World Championship.

<sigh>

The book does a nice job of painting the scene for a fan of 100 years later -- Weisberger gives descriptions of what the city, state and country were like, what it was like to live everyday life in Chicago during that era, and what it was like being a baseball fan. Neither team, of course, played in the parks they inhabit now. The Cubs weren't even the "North Siders" -- they played at West Side Grounds, located in the area where Stroger Hospital currently stands. (Incidentally, in the current Cubs magazine "Vine Line", there is an article about a man who wants to have a historic marker placed on the site of West Side Grounds. Disclaimer: no one from Tribune Co. or the Cubs has asked me to make this plug, nor have I received any compensation for it.)

And, the White Sox, though they played on the South Side, were located in a ramshackle wooden park at 39th & Princeton. They were four years away from moving to the original Comiskey Park. The book details, in fact, the reason that the White Sox are the "South Siders". When the upstart Western League became the American League in 1900, trying to encroach on existing major league markets, an agreement was reached that no legal action would be taken as long as the new franchise would locate itself no further north than 35th Street -- where they reside to this day.

The book goes through each game of the 1906 World Series, detailing the play as well as how the fans approached it. Attendance seems low (the largest crowd was 23,257, small by today's standards, and some of them were as low as 12,000), until you realize the poor conditions of the ballpark, hear about the absolutely miserable weather they had in October 1906, and finally, the fact that counting attendance was a much more casual operation than it is today. At one point, an outer wooden wall at the White Sox' park was completely knocked down by fans trying to get into the park -- and some of them likely did, too, without paying.

And you think crowds today are tough.

One of the things that bothers me most about books about a specific historic event like this is that they rarely tell you about the aftermath. Weisberger, to his credit, does a really good job at this, devoting an entire chapter of the book to the Cubs and White Sox players and where they wound up after the 1906 Series -- many of them to disease and early death, most of them working very ordinary jobs where their baseball fame had long faded, and some (catcher Johnny Kling the prime example) who became quite wealthy.

This is an easy read, an enjoyable slice of baseball history, and yes, it makes you long for a repeat performance. It's not likely going to happen this year, the 100th anniversary of the Cubs/White Sox' only World Series.

But we can dream, can't we?

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aaaaannd
my bubble of hope is back in place

thanks al

"In this life there are nothing but possibilities."

by flyball on Jun 2, 2006 9:06 AM CDT reply actions  

Cubs Problems
I don't know if anyone has read this article by Ken Rosenthal on the Cubs problems but here's the link.  
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5657268

by Bleed Husker Red on Jun 2, 2006 9:09 AM CDT reply actions  

Thanks...
... note, there is already a diary on this topic, so you can also comment there.

by Al Yellon on Jun 2, 2006 9:13 AM CDT up reply actions  

Thanks
I hadn't looked at the diaries yet this morning here at work at I just came across the article as I was reading his article on why the Royals were so bad. Plus I'm a newbie to the forums although I've follwed the site for a long time now.

by Bleed Husker Red on Jun 2, 2006 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions  

hey Al
I have two quickie questions...
  1. Did you give Mr. Weisberger a BCB card?
  2. Are you going to do the 5 questions with Viva El Birdos this series? I figured the early April series would've been a bad time to do so.
thanks.
Jacque Jones-doubled-off-second-o-meter: 3

by jrm78 on Jun 2, 2006 9:52 AM CDT reply actions  

Answers...
... I did not give Mr. Weisberger a BCB card -- I didn't get a chance to see him. Was kinda busy during the show, as you can imagine...

I did not have time to get to the 5 questions with Viva El Birdos this week, and he didn't ask me either. Maybe we'll do it in July.

by Al Yellon on Jun 2, 2006 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions  

cool, thanks -nt
   
Jacque Jones-doubled-off-second-o-meter: 3

by jrm78 on Jun 2, 2006 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions  

Look at those stats...
I'm over on Baseball Almanac looking at these stats
1906 Cubs, 116 wins and a team ERA of 1.76. WOW!

by BadGuy on Jun 2, 2006 11:15 AM CDT reply actions  

Well
Then we had 2 in a row.

by BadGuy on Jun 2, 2006 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions  

Yes, a great run
I'll have to get a copy of the book.  Sounds interesting.

I was hoping for a 1906 World Series rematch.  I don't think it's likely on both accounts though.

by DrCrawdad on Jun 2, 2006 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

One thing a lot of people forget...
... is that the Cubs won four pennants in five years (1906,07,08,10) and went 104-49 in 1909 and yet lost the pennant by 6.5 games to the Pirates who won 110 games.

Otherwise they could have won five straight pennants. Their average record over the five years was 106-47; they won over 100 each of those years except 1908 (99).

<sigh> Would that they could have even ONE of those years now.

by Al Yellon on Jun 2, 2006 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions  

intresting..
Sounds like a book I may have to buy!
Kindda says something about the state of the Cubs when they are playing a weekend series with the Cards starting tonight and not a word is spoken about it!! Enough said... :(

by gottheCubbieblues on Jun 2, 2006 12:28 PM CDT reply actions  

Let's get this thing started.

Chickaw!

(sound a Cardinal makes when attacking)

by AtlantaBird on Jun 2, 2006 2:19 PM CDT reply actions  

just for jessica
today's specials at Chicago Diner
Soup
Spicy Gazpaho, Confetti Chili
Apps,
Creamy Sunflower Seed Garlic Dip
Raw Entrees
Not Just Tuna Wrap
Entrees
Falafel Pita sandwich, Broccoli-Tofu Stir Fry, Garden Vegetable Cheese Burger, Enchilada Pie
Dessert
Chocolate Fruit n Nut Rum Balls

mmmmmm good

"In this life there are nothing but possibilities."

by flyball on Jun 2, 2006 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

attacking?
you mean when they leisurely pick a worm up off the ground?

by mike bornemann @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Jun 2, 2006 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions  

So?
Just go start it yourself by choking your bird...

by DudeVf1 on Jun 2, 2006 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions  

Thanks
I saw the headline for that but couldn't read it, I was hoping someone would post it on here.

Thats about what you would expect a GM or scout to say right now but I guarantee you that if both Wood and Prior (granted if he comes back at all) pitch well for the next 2 months and a team like the Mets or Yankees needs an extra arm at the deadline, they will pay more than they are saying right now.  I mean just look at the Mets, they traded away Scott Kazmir for freaking V. Zambrano, they'd be dumb enough to give up something more than a C- prospect for either pitchers.

by akcubfan on Jun 2, 2006 2:45 PM CDT reply actions  

Agree..
Teams over pay ofr pitching and if Wood pitches well then the Cubs are insane if they don't trade him for the highest value return.  Keeping this guy another year, wtf, why not say we just are too stupid to run a team?  I am hoping they will do the same with Rusch, he won't fetch much, but possibly a real MLB Bench player instead of our clowns.

by DudeVf1 on Jun 2, 2006 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions  

These comments...
... may seem a bit out of context, and the reason for that is that they are in response to someone who posted an entire copied/pasted article from ESPN.com.

Please, people. Doing that is a copyright violation and can get me and SB Nation into legal trouble.

If you want to link to other sites' articles, please post a LINK, and you can copy/paste SMALL PORTIONS of the articles, a paragraph or two.

Help me out here. I had to strip out the entire contents of the "Trade Value of Wood and Prior" diary because it was a copy/paste of an entire article.

Thanks.

by Al Yellon on Jun 2, 2006 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions  

Actually

According to the National Audobon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds, the Cardinal (whilst singing) sounds a series of sharp, mostly slurred whistles, "woit woit woit, chew chew chew," or "pitchew pitchew, tiw tiw tiw tiw."

Go Cards.

by AtlantaBird on Jun 2, 2006 3:33 PM CDT reply actions  

SKYLINE CHILI DIP

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 sm. box Skyline chili (frozen)
1 sm. onion, diced
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cheddar cheese, finely shredded
Defrost chili as directed on package. Set aside. Soften cream cheese in microwave. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 1-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle diced onions over cream cheese. Add chili on top. Finally, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Heat thoroughly in microwave (approximately 1 1/2 minutes). Serve with nacho chips.
she

by Sarah Hope on Jun 2, 2006 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions  

FYI
its pretty illegal to post an entire article written by someone other than yourself... and I believe it's particularly bad if in order to read the article in the first place you have to pay a company money..  
What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.

by Jerry Burnatterson on Jun 2, 2006 4:08 PM CDT reply actions  

Thanks...
... I have deleted the post in question, and there's a note above about this... again.

by Al Yellon on Jun 2, 2006 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions  

IMO
we have to take this kind of thing with a grain of salt.  no one is going to come out and say the highest price they would pay (even confidentially) for fear of raising the market value.

and to say that wood is on the decline is a bit disingenuous considering he hasn't even reached the age when most pitchers peak.

someone a while back posted the records of randy johnson and others when they were wood's age and wood definitely fared better.

prior is still a question mark because he missed a lot of games.  but again, getting hit in the arm with a line drive and falling over a second baseman hardly make him "injury prone."  i believe he missed more games due to accidents than pitching related injuries.

HaHa! Na, you're all right! -- Flexo

by kjk on Jun 2, 2006 4:50 PM CDT reply actions  

Thanks!
Thanks for mentioning this book; I'll have to pick it up, definitely.  There's something about baseball of that era, particularly of the Cubs, that excites me.  Why, just a few months ago I wrote a short story that had Merkle's Boner as its backdrop.  So, I'll have to add this to my list of books to buy, alongside Frank Deford's book about the New York Giants during the first decade of the twentieth century.

The Cubs/Sox series of 1906 sparks another thought--the City Series, the occasional post-season meetings between the Cubs and the Sox that ended a few decades ago.  A decade of in-season interleague play has made the idea of resurrecting the post-season City Series a non-starter, and I'm sure that the post-season television contracts would have something to say about that, too.  One can always dream, however.

by Allyn on Jun 2, 2006 9:18 PM CDT reply actions  

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