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The 2005 baseball season ended like every other since 1908 for the Chicago Cubs--with no World Series title.
That summer had its share of drama for the Cubs--Derrek Lee emerged as a superstar, Greg Maddux tried to make it 18 straight seasons with at least 15 wins and the team watched as the crosstown rival White Sox won their first title since 1917.
But otherwise, the season was fairly uneventful. The Cubs sputtered their way to mediocrity, eventually dropping out of the wild-card race late in the season.
But for Kevin Kaduk, the Cubs' 2005 season was one of a kind.
Tired of missing out on Cubs games at Wrigley Field, Kaduk made up his mind to move back to his native Chicago and quit his sportswriting job at the Kansas City Star.
He rented an apartment in the neighborhood around the park--aptly named Wrigleyville--and decided to attend as many Cubs game as possible that summer.
Rarely holding tickets ahead of time, Kaduk went to 62 of the Cubs' 81 home games that season. Kaduk, 26, tells the story of his experiences that season in a wonderful new 288-page book called "Wrigleyworld."
Kaduk's book debunks one of the most common stereotypes used when writers compare fans of the Cubs and of the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox loyalists are typically portrayed as a tortured bunch whose happiness revolves around Sox wins and losses. Cubs fans, on the other hand, are described as lovable losers happy to sit back and enjoy the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
Not so, Kaduk shows. Instead, Cubs fans are an impassioned bunch frustrated by the team's inability to win it all. They're annoyed by tourists who come to Wrigley on weekends to swill beer, take pictures and barely watch the action on the field.
Kaduk's book paints vivid pictures of the various characters in and around Wrigley.
There's Ronnie "Woo-Woo" Wickers, who overcomes an abusive father and issues with substance abuse by establishing a niche as the city's most famous Cubs fan. The Ballhawks stand outside the bleachers on Waveland Avenue waiting for balls to clear the bleachers. Kaduk learns to scalp the scalpers, waiting for the perfect opportunities to buy low and gain entry into the park.
Kaduk also spends a chapter describing the rivalry between the White Sox and Cubs, showing how the fans tend to embody the characteristics of Chicago's North and South sides. Some even admit to liking both teams.
The author shows how changes at Wrigley--such as the remaking of the bleachers--are threatening the park's old-time feel.
Despite the changes, Kaduk determines that Wrigley is the country's best baseball park. He makes that decision after visiting Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards and PNC Park.
Part of Wrigley's charm, Kaduk shows, is the bar scene outside. There are countless numbers, and Kaduk seems to sample a good majority both before and after the Cubs play. He recounts numerous drunken adventures.
The book's last two paragraphs do well in summing up the Wrigley experience. As the Windy City winter sets in, Kaduk's memories turn to buying peanuts outside the park, getting smiles from tank-topped women, drinking beer and eating hot dogs, and heckling outfielders on a sun-filled day when the Cubs win.
"I dream about Wrigley, and everything seems possible," Kaduk writes.
Fans looking for every detail about the Chicago Cubs and their long history of average performances will want to look elsewhere. But those looking for the total Wrigley Field experience, as told by a passionate twentysomething Cubs fan, will surely enjoy it.
To reach BILL FREEHLING:
Email: bfreehling@freelancestar.com
Wrigleyworld : A Season By Kevin Kaduk (NAL, 304 pages, $23.95) |
