Description
Book SynopsisThe last time the Chicago Cubs played in the World Series, World War II had just ended. The last time they won a World Series, World War I had not yet begun. But from 1906-1910 the Cubs not only played in the World Series four of the five years, they won two World Championships, as well. It was a time when the Cubs ruled baseball, and no one could have imagined the roller coaster adventures that were ahead for this grand old franchise.In The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty: Before the Curse, Hal Bock tells the story of this legendary team, the characters who were central to its success, and the misfortunes which have plagued the team ever since. Stars such as pitcher Mordecai Three Finger Brown and the double-play combination of Tinker to Evers to Chance are profiled, as are opponents who caused the Cubs unending headaches, like superstar pitcher Christy Mathewson and immortal shortstop Honus Wagner. A chronology and cast of characters set the stage for the reader before Bock delves into the
Trade ReviewVeteran sports writer Hal Bock does an impressive job of chronicling how the team was put together and why that level of success couldn't be sustained.... Just as delightful, though, is the way the early chapters illuminate how strikingly different baseball was in the early 20th century.... This book is a timely reminder of the first time [the Cubs] ruled the baseball universe. * MLB.com *
Hal Bock has wonderful tales to tell. If you want to find out about baseball, the superstars and the secrets that produce the losers and the winners, [purchase his book!] * The Island Now *
Great book; fascinating read! * WGN Radio *
The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty is definitely a terrific read for that Cubs fan in your life. It will be mostly painful, but it brightly illuminates the time when the Cubs were a feared force in MLB. * The Mighty Quinn Media Machine *
This book could not have picked a better year to be published (2016). Having the good fortune to capitalize on the Chicago Cubs breaking the curse that has hampered them for decades.... If anyone really enjoyed this years World Series victory, then they should check this book out. It transports the reader to a time when World Series victories were the norm for the Cubs, not some sort of a once in a lifetime moment. A very enjoyable walk down memory lane that is well worth the time reading it. * Gregg's Baseball Bookcase *
Not until 1950 did the New York Yankees pass the Chicago Cubs for most pennants won with 17. The Cubs! Who would believe it today!? Hal Bock, one of the great historians of the game, takes us back to the streets of The Windy City when the Cubs ruled baseball, and Tinker-Evers-Chance knew how to spin a double play. This charming book puts us right in the grandstand and reminds us why baseball is timeless. -- Marty Appel, author of Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss
As the Cubs enter upon a promising new era, Hal Bock recalls for us their golden days of yore. When they were good, as he winningly relates, they were very, very good, even if when they were bad they were horrid. In The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty he may well provide a glimmer of tomorrow. -- John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball
As World Series glory continues to elude them, highly respected baseball historian Hal Bock brings to life again the Chicago Cubs’ greatest era with this important baseball book. Yes, there really was a time when the Cubs ruled the baseball world and Bock captures it all in this wonderful retrospective, liberally sprinkling previously untold nuggets of history about the early Cub Hall-of-Famers, Tinker, Evers, Chance, King Kelly, and Mordecai Brown, as well as informatively chronicling the Cub pathos ever since. -- Bill Madden, 2010 J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner and author of New York Times bestsellers Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball and Zim: A Baseball Life
In The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty: Before the Curse, Hal Bock casts an insightful and appreciative eye on a time and a team when baseball was defining itself as the national game. Bock’s fast-paced narrative brings baseball history alive with great stories and a memorable and most colorful cast of characters. -- Paul Dickson, author of Bill Veek: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick and The Dickson Baseball Dictionary
Table of ContentsForeword by Joe Mantegna Acknowledgments Cast of Characters Chronology Chapter 1: Prelude to a Dynasty Chapter 2: Assembling the Dynasty Chapter 3: Who’s Hitless Now? Chapter 4: Revenge Chapter 5: Once More with Feeling Chapter 6: 104 Wins Are Not Enough Chapter 7: And Then . . . Chapter 8: Curses, Cats, and Other Calamities Chapter 9: After the Dynasty Chapter 10: Faces of the Franchise—Old and New Chapter 11: The Other Guys Chapter 12: Where They Played—Then and Now Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
