About the Book
Before the Curse: The Chicago Cubs' Glory Years, 1870–1945 brings to life the early history of the much beloved and often heartbreaking Chicago Cubs. Originally called the Chicago White Stockings, the team immediately established itself as a powerhouse, winning the newly formed National Base Ball League's inaugural pennant in 1876, repeating the feat in 1880 and 1881, and commanding the league in the decades to come. The legendary days of the Cubs are recaptured here in more than two dozen vintage newspaper accounts and historical essays on the teams and the fans who loved them. The great games, pennant races, and series are all here, including the 1906 World Series between the Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Of course, Before the Curse remembers the hall-of-fame players--Grover Cleveland Alexander, Gabby Hartnett, Roger Hornsby, Dizzy Dean--who delighted Cubs fans with their play on the field and their antics elsewhere. Through stimulating introductions to each article, Randy Roberts and Carson Cunningham demonstrate how changes in ownership affected the success of the team, who the teams' major players were both on and off the field, and how regular fans, owners, players, journalists, and Chicagoans of the past talked and wrote about baseball.
Table of Contents:
CoverTitle PageCopyright PageContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTSINTRODUCTION. The Chicago Cubs: From Early Excellence to the Golden Age to That Darn Goat1 TITLE TIME?Comments of the Cincinnati Press on the Late Base-Ball Match—Chicage Times, 18702 BASEBALL, CELEBRATED AND LAMPOONEDThis National Game—New York Times, 1881America's National Game—Outing, 1888Fall Field Sport—Chicago Times, 18764 "CAP"Cap Anson of Marshalltown: Baseball's First Superstar—David L. Porter, Palimpsest, 1980Open Letter to Anson—Chicago Daily Tribune, 18975 THE $10,000 BEAUT!When Fans Roared "Slide, Kelly, Slide!" at the Old Ballgame—James A. Cox, Smithsonian, 1982Death to Kelly—Boston Daily Globe, 1894Part II. From the Colts to the Dynasty6 FROM TEETOTALING TO EGYPTThe Lessons of the League Campaign of 1888—Spalding's Official Baseball Guidebook, 1889The Great Baseball Trip Around the World in 1888-'89—Spalding's Official Baseball Guidebook, 18897 HOT TIME AT THE HOT SPRINGSStart Play This Week: Orphans Finish Their Training at Hudson Hot Springs—Chicago Daily Tribune, 1898 CHI-TOWN FANDEMONIUMNearly Everybody in Chicago is Crazy About Baseball—Chicago Daily Tribune, 1906Frantic Rooters Crowd the Field—Chicago Daily Tribune, 19069 EVERS ON THE GLORY YEARSTouching Second: The Science of Baseball—John J. Evers and Hugh S. Fullerton, 191010 BARTMAN'S GOT NOTHIN' ON MERKLEStory of the Merkle Game—I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1912Bluff of Giants Typical—I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune 1908Manager O'Day Takes from Evers Credit for Famous Merkle Play—Chicago Daily Tribune, 191411 CUBS, CHAMPIONS!Cubs Supreme in Baseball World— I. E. Sanborn, Chicago Daily Tribune, 190812 CENTENNIAL BROWNThree-Fingered Immortal—Ed Burkholder, Sport, 195313 POLITICS AT THE PARKPresident's Day at Chicago—Spalding's Official Baseball Guide, 1910Part III. From the Hangover through the Roaring Twenties14 OH MY! IT'S O'DAY!Evers Deposed as Cubs Leader; O'Day Gets Joh—Sam Weller, Chicago Daily Tribune, 191415 GROVER'S HIGHS AND LOWSHis Own Worst Enemy—Andrea I. Paul, Nebraska History, 199016 SHARE SQUABBLE AT THE SERIESAdjustment Today, Players' Demand—Melville E Webb Jr., Boston Daily Globe, 1918Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1918: A New Kansas City Piece by Ernest Hemingway—George Monteiro, AmeRonald Reagan: Above All, the Gipper was a Good Sport—Gary Peterson, 200418 HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, MAJESTIC LIFEWrigley Spent Fortune to Make Cubs Champs—James Crusinberry, Chicago Daily News, 1932Busher Joe McCarthy—Joe Willimas, Saturday Evening Post, 193920 HAYMAKER HACKHack Wilson Fined $100—Chicago Daily News, 1929Part IV. From Depression-Era Greatnes to That Darn Goat21 RAJAH IN CHARGEM'Carthy Likely To Go; Hornsby Rumored for Job—Chicago Daily News, 193022 DID HE CALL IT?Home Runs by Ruth, Gehrig Beat Cubs, 8-5—Edward Burns, Chicago Daily Tribune, 193223 WHAT DEPRESSION? THIRD WORLD SERIES IN SEVEN YEARSAll World Thrilled By Big Series—Gene Morgan, Chicago Daily News, 1935Well-Spent Dime—Ron Coons, Louisville Courier-Journal & Times, 197525 SPEAKIN' OF HARTNETTGabby Likes 'Em Hot—Warren Brown, Saturday Evening Post, 193926 SWOONIN'The Decline and Fall of the Cubs—Stanley Frank, Saturday Evening Post, 194327 MAYBE NEXT YEAR?Back Cubs with Heagy Betting—John P. Carmichael, Chicago Daily News, 1945NOTESINDEXback cover
About the Author :
Randy Roberts is Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University and the author of Joe Louis: Hard Times Man.Carson Cunningham is an assistant professor of history at Depaul University and the author of American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Beijing.
Review :
"An exceptional anthology. . . .Before the Curse presents a team in full."--Journal of Sport History
"Full of lively newspaper accounts and vintage articles, Before the Curse: The Chicago Cubs' Glory Years, 1870–1945 will draw a wide audience among baseball scholars and, of course, Cubs fans."--David Zang, author of Sports Wars: Athletes in the Age of Aquarius
"This book delights because it brings a collection of primary journalism to the baseball history buff and Cubs fans in easy bite sizes."--Library Journal
