Attention, Cubs fans’ new book on the 1908 season is just out. (I know
because I wrote it). It’s called Crazy ’08′ How a cast of cranks,
rogues, boneheads and magnates created the greatest year in baseball
history (HarperCollins, $24.95; foreword by Robert Creamer). The Chicago
Tribune reviewed it warmly on March 18, and Sports Illustrated liked
it, too (the March Madness cover).
The book takes you from the end of the 1907 World Series, through to
spring training, all the way to the Merkle game and then to the replay
of the Merkle game. The Cubs, of course, are front and center, with the
Giants in second place (just as they were that season) but the almost
equally fabulous American League race also gets covered. Moreover, I try
to give an idea of what America was like at the time, with short essays
on things like Chicago politics, anarchism, the City Beautiful, race in
baseball, and the financial panic of ’07.
The Cubs of this era were the 20th century’s first dynasty, winning
four pennants and two World Series in five years. They were renowned for
the fire of their play and the toughness of their spirit. These Cubs
just may be the finest National League team of the 20th century and 1908
is their finest hour. At least, that’s my case, and I’m sticking to it.
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