I am sure that I would not have enjoyed this book as much as I did, if it was about the Dodgers or Red Sox, but that is because I am a die-hard Cubs fan. That said, this book is good, but still fell a little short for me.

On the plus side, it was a quick read and allowed me to idle several hours away over a rainy weekend. I enjoyed reading the stories and the backgrounds on the teams and players. The writing style is easy and accessible (much like the sports page) due in large part to Lew Freedman's many years covering sports as a print journalist.

However, I also found myself a bit disappointed after reading through the book. I actually recall watching (in person or on TV, or listening on the radio to may of these games). In many cases the excitement that I felt (at the time) or that I remembered (through the years) wasn't evident in the narrative. I suspect that the format of the book is to blame. Most chapters are fairly short (usually not more than 8pp). I know that there is more that the players could have said (I've been lucky enough to meet a couple and they all seem to have the ability to wax on about games) and certainly there is more that could have been gleaned from re-listening to the games and reading the box scores or paper accounts.

I don't know, but maybe 1/2 the stories and double the page count would have been a better format? In the end, my verdict is this is a fun (albeit superficial) read for most Cubs fans. Maybe pick up a used copy to read while your waiting for Ticket Master to load so you can actually buy tickets to a Cubs game... ( )