A
Nice Little Place on the North Side by George F. Will
Social and political commentator George F. Will has
written a splendid and entertaining book on the history and people surrounding
Wrigley Field. With glimpses into the
lives of Philip Wrigley, Hack Wilson, and Scott Joplin, George outlines the way
Wrigley Field shaped the imagination and psyche of so many luminaries. Centering his narrative around the rise and
fall of the Cubs, including many disastrous years, Will writes with an eye
towards the way Wrigley shaped its many players and attendees.
George gets into a time when owner Philip Wrigley
wanted to advertise for the sole purpose of bringing more women to the
ballpark. From a doggerel in a Chicago
Paper,
“I
saw a wounded baseball fan tottering down the street.
Encased
in bandages and tape, wounded from head to feet,
And
as I called the ambulance, I heard the poor guy say:
“I
bought a seat in Wrigley Field, but it was ladies’ day (36).”
The
goal for Philip Wrigley was to get as many women into the stands to not only
boost sales but bring the whole family to the ballpark. Will writes, “In 1930, the twelve ladies’
days drew 240,000 women…(35).” Although
the free or less admission price for women went away, Wrigley was invested in
advertising to reach the masses for a product on the field that wasn’t always
the best.
Under
the ownership of Bill Veeck Jr. the beauty of Wrigley blossomed in its
appearance. Borrowing an idea from Perry
field in Indianapolis, Veeck decided to plant ivy on the outfield to enhance
the greenery of the ballpark. Veeck made
many changes during his tenure as owner of the Cubs, eventually buying up the
White Sox as well.
Will
gets into movement to integrate baseball with the coming of Jackie Robinson
into baseball in the 40’s. Will writes, “Why
had so many people flocked to Wrigley Field to see their Cubs lose their fifth
in a row? Well, this was the arrival of
Jackie Robinson, 46,000 fans crammed into Wrigley to see Jackie play ball (72),
You
get a sense of the desperation and the torrid losing that the Cubs have endured
through the years. Yet, the book is also
filled with years when the Cubs were in contention. Will has written not so much a book about
Wrigley particularly, but of the people who have shaped and influenced Wrigley
and the Cubs.
Thanks
to Blogging for Books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest
review.
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