When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906

by Bernard A. Weisberger

Book Overview

A fascinating look at the storied World Series of 1906--a thrilling contest between the Chicago Cubs and their upstart crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox. The local press nicknamed the Sox the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060592273
• ISBN13: 9780060592271
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

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This book covers all the bases

Author Bernard Weisberger does a workmanlike job of telling the story of the 1906 World Series when the mighty Chicago Cubs (116 wins) played the Chicago White Sox, the "hitless wonders" (.230 team batting average). Weisberger covers all the bases in explaining how the Cubs and White Sox were built and got to the World Series. He delves into Albert Spalding and Charles Comiskey, architects of the teams; the early years of baseball and its fledging leagues; the formation of the National League and American League; how the players were acquired; and what happened to the players after 1906. Surprisingly, the White Sox upset the Cubs, four games to two. Although the White Sox had Ed Walsh and Doc White, they had few notable players, particularly compared to the Cubs that featured Three-Finger Brown, Ed Reulbach, Frank Chance, Johnny Kling, Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker. This thin book, which includes a chapter on the White Sox winning the 2005 World Series, is probably best enjoyed by diehard Chicago baseball fans.

Thoroughly Enjoyed This Book

I couldn't disagree more with some of the critical reviews posted here about "When Chicago Ruled Baseball." I'm not exactly sure what some of the other reviewers were expecting from a book on this topic, but in my opinion everyone from serious students of baseball history to the casual fan will be very pleased. I'm a long-time Chicago baseball fan (since about 1956). I fancy myself as an amateur baseball historian, and I'm also an avid student of the Dead ball era, so this book was right up my alley. I thought it was entertaining, very well done, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I've read "The 1903 World Series" and "Autumn Glory" (as one reviewer suggested) and thought this book compares very well...if anything, I enjoyed it more. It was a fun book to read and I thought it captured just the right mix of relevant historical setting, delightful local color, extremely interesting character development, and in-depth baseball research. Mr. Weisberger writes in an engaging narrative style that flows very well and kept my attention throughout. I love books like this and it certainly deserves a second read. Apparently some of the other reviewers were expecting some sort of doctoral dissertation on the subject. I guess they're disapppointed. Everyone else will probably enjoy the book. I was familiar with all of the personalities in the book, but reading about them within the context of the 1906 pennant races and World Series, I feel I now have a much deeper appreciation for them all. Also, I have a much deeper appreciation for baseball as it existed in Chicago in the historic year of 1906. In spite of all the changes to the game, it's still amazing how similar the game was played over 100 years ago. This was all captured well in the book and Mr. Weisberger is to be commended. If you are serious student of the game, or if you just want to learn about the historic 1906 World Series, I'd highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

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When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906Great to do business with. speedy delivery Excellent condition

Chicago vs. Chicago

Long before the bitter rivalry evolved into its current state, the White Sox and Cubs met in the 1906 World Series. The city was entranced by the series. At the time, the event seemed as though it could be a regular occurence, but it turned out to be a novelty. Being that professional baseball was still in its embryonic stages, not a lot of information exists about the series. For this reason, Weisberger did a commendable job researching this third World Series. Much like life in 1906, baseball was much different then. Players often held other jobs and were often more accessable to the public. I appreciate Weisberger taking time to discuss the evolution of baseball that led toward the 1906 series. I found it really added to the story. Much of the information is gathered through newspaper archives which were surprisingly telling. The afterword, in which he talks about the players' fates after the series, was perhaps the most revealing. I was surprised by the short lives lived by many of the players though they did live in a world with poorer quality medical treatment. The background on many of the players does not come until the last chapter. Some of the other reviews are more critical of the book than me. The book is too short, though I might suggest this is because information is sparse. However my appreciation is seen through the eyes of a White Sox fan, so I may not be entirely objective.

Compelling subject matter rates 4 stars for Sox & Cubs fans; fewer for others

Having recently moved to Chicago and become a White Sox rooter during their Cinderella season of 2005, I eagerly anticipated using Bernard Weisberger's "When Chicago Ruled Baseball" as a means of introducing myself to the history of the city's two storied franchises. Certainly, the subject matter the book covers is worthy of a treatise, as the 1906 World Series between the Sox and Cubs was noteworthy from multiple perspectives. The book's compelling subject matter kept my interest, but if Weisberger had taken more time to polish his prose and delve into more detail, the book could have been much better. To his credit, Weisberger puts the 1906 World Series into historical perspective, and uses it as a springboard to discuss other important related subjects, including a portrait of turn-of-the-century Chicago (the 1906 World Series was just 35 years after the great Chicago fire); the genesis and formative early years of the major professional baseball leagues; and the formation of Chicago's two major league ball clubs (the original White Stockings who became the Cubs, and the upstart American League's White Sox). Each of these topics in and of itself is worthy of a book, and indeed Weisberger relies upon and cites several primary source books. So, "When Chicago Ruled Baseball" provides a surface-level overview of these subjects, along with game descriptions of the actual contests, drawn from newspaper accounts. It left me wishing for more. If Weisberger had delivered 284 pages of prose instead of 184 he would have been able to delve more deeply into each of the major subject areas, other than the game descriptions (lacking an audio or visual record of the games, there is only so much that can be perused from newspaper write-ups). My other major complaint is that the writing was unpolished and flat at times. "When Chicago Ruled Baseball" will be most appealing to, no surprise here, Sox and Cubs fans who don't already know the early history of their teams and their World Series appearances. That described me, so I am glad I read the book. Others might want to proceed cautiously, or choose to read one of the books that Weisberger relied upon.