Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Review of "My Cubs"

When a team wins a championship, that will usually bring out a flurry of books and other materials on that team within months of the win.  This has been the case for the Chicago Cubs and given their large fan base and the long length of their championship drought, it was just a matter of time before I started finding books on the Cubs. This is a good quick read written by a long time fan.  Here is my review of "My Cubs."


Title/Author:
“My Cubs: A Love Story” by Scott Simon

Tag
Baseball, professional, memoir, Cubs

Publish date:
April 11, 2017

Length:
155 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
Many fans of any sport have a team that they “love.” In the case of Scott Simon, a National Public Radio personality, that team is the Chicago Cubs. This book is a collection of stories, reflections and accounts of Simon’s team.

Simon tells of his family connection to two people who played big roles in the history of the team: former first baseman and manager Charlie Grimm and former Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse. Grimm was married to a good friend of Simon’s mother and Brickhouse was a godfather.  The tales of “Uncle Charlie” and “Uncle Jack” were interesting and added to the intimacy of the tales.

The writing was not especially insightful, especially the recap of the team’s most exciting moment in 108 years, the night when they won game 7 of the 2016 World Series. They were, however, something that a fan would write when reliving a great memory.  The reverence that Scott feels for the Cubs is very evident throughout the book.  One of the more clever aspects is that many of the infamous moments in the team’s history- the Curse of the Billy Goat during the World Series in 1945, the black cat as Shea Stadium in 1969 and the eighth inning meltdown in game 6 the 2003 National League Championship Series – are written to the same cadence as the famous “Tinker to Evers to Chance” poem.

The best line in the book comes near the end when Simon explains why he has the feelings for the team that he does.  He explains that his “feeling for the Cubs is love, not loyalty. It has not always been pure pleasure to be a Cubs fan, but it’s never been a chore…” That one line explains much about the author, the book and what means to love one’s team.  Most baseball fans can relate to this sentiment and therefore will enjoy this book written by a fan that truly illustrates a fan’s point of view.

I wish to thank Blue Rider Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-cubs-scott-simon/1125289573?ean=9780735218031


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