Cubs Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan!

by Lew Freedman

A one-stop record containing everything Cubs fans want to know about their favorite baseball team, this resource is packed with anecdotes, history, explanations of traditions, statistics, trivia, and photos.

Genres: Sports

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book by a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team written for other fans. It is a disjointed, nonsequential rendition of some of the high points in the history of the team. It includes descriptions of some of the great players that donned the uniform, such as Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Greg Maddux and Ron Santo. Although there have only been a few championship caliber teams in the last half-century, as Freedman points out, the Cubs were once a powerhouse. They are also a very old franchise, one of the pioneers of major league baseball.
There are many repeats, albeit in slightly different contexts. Popular Cubs announcer Harry Caray is the subject of a lengthy bio, it would have better if there was more coverage of his fellow legend of broadcasting, Jack Brickhouse.
This is light sports reading at its best. Nothing heavy or controversial, very little in the way of dirty laundry regarding the players and a book that you can read in snippets. Fans of baseball in general and the Cubs in particular will enjoy it.

[James Hastings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Decent book, but go Birds.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history of the (former!) "lovable losers" with all the thrills and heartbreaks along the way. Although written ten years before their World Series championship, the stories about famous Cub players and managers (such as Santo, Jenkins, Sosa, Banks, Durocher, Sandberg, "Tinker, Evers & Chance", et al) are still an entertaining read.