Before Wrigley Became Wrigley

“This solid account of the early years of the Chicago Cubs’ beloved Wrigley Field will delight fans who have been looking for a World Series championship since 1908. . . . Deveney gives an excellent and thoroughly detailed account of the ‘winding path’ that led the Cubs to that piece of land.”— Publishers Weekly

“With Charlie Weeghman, the passionate but certainly flawed visionary at the center, the cast of characters (crooked politicians, ballplayers, officials) richly enliven this nuts-and-bolts tale of how deals were done and dreams were held together with spit and glue. Verdict: Compulsory for Chicago Cubs fans.”—Library Journal

“A fascinating historical tale...[T]he book really does read like a novel.”
-Bleacher Report

“Before Wrigley Became Wrigley proves once again the more things change in Chicago, the more they stay the same. Sean Deveney’s dogged research and eye for detail make this little-known tale of Chicago's two biggest vices—politics and the Cubs—a fascinating and timely read, particularly as the Jumbotron era approaches.” –Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, Cubs beat writer

“Remember when the Cubs played on the West Side of Chicago, and a new ballpark opened on the North Side for a Federal League team to put down its roots and challenge the status quo of the major leagues? Of course you don’t, because it was a hundred years ago. But the birth of baseball’s most hallowed—and maybe accursed—ground is a wild tale, and in Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney chronicles how it happened, from a lunch-counter magnate taking on baseball’s big boys to the eventual, and at the time unthinkable, move of the Cubs to the corner of Clark and Addison. Baseball wouldn’t be the same without this story.” –Jesse Spector, Sporting News baseball insider

“Wrigley Field is an iconic stadium, perhaps the most well-known American sports arena in the world. In Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney paints a picture of how Wrigley as we know it came into being—and how it nearly didn’t come into being at all. It is a must read for fans everywhere!” –David Kaplan, co-host of Cubs pregame and postgame shows, Comcast Sports Chicago

“In Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney has a fascinating story about the origins the game’s most classic ballpark. Read it and you’ll understand how baseball’s early years shaped what is now Wrigley Field, which has endeared itself to fans as a reasonable stand-in for the Cubs (who apparently had their fill of World Series titles by the time the park opened).” –Steve Aschburner, Author, Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger

“Sean Deveney delves into a trove of historical documents to assemble an entertaining narrative of Chicago’s much loved sports venue against the background of corrupt city politics and a colorful ensemble of players, in and out of baseball (including the immortal Tinker, Evers, and Chance) presented decade by decade.” — The Daily Beast

“This is an immersive look back at the political intrigue—from the clubhouse to City Hall—that pitted the owners of the fledgling National and American leagues against the upstart American Association and Federal League. . . . [I]t’s an excellent read.” — Chicago Sun-Times

“This solid account of the early years of the Chicago Cubs’ beloved Wrigley Field will delight fans who have been looking for a World Series championship since 1908. . . . Deveney gives an excellent and thoroughly detailed account of the ‘winding path’ that led the Cubs to that piece of land.”— Publishers Weekly

“With Charlie Weeghman, the passionate but certainly flawed visionary at the center, the cast of characters (crooked politicians, ballplayers, officials) richly enliven this nuts-and-bolts tale of how deals were done and dreams were held together with spit and glue. Verdict: Compulsory for Chicago Cubs fans.”—Library Journal

“A fascinating historical tale...[T]he book really does read like a novel.”
-Bleacher Report

“Before Wrigley Became Wrigley proves once again the more things change in Chicago, the more they stay the same. Sean Deveney’s dogged research and eye for detail make this little-known tale of Chicago's two biggest vices—politics and the Cubs—a fascinating and timely read, particularly as the Jumbotron era approaches.” –Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, Cubs beat writer

“Remember when the Cubs played on the West Side of Chicago, and a new ballpark opened on the North Side for a Federal League team to put down its roots and challenge the status quo of the major leagues? Of course you don’t, because it was a hundred years ago. But the birth of baseball’s most hallowed—and maybe accursed—ground is a wild tale, and in Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney chronicles how it happened, from a lunch-counter magnate taking on baseball’s big boys to the eventual, and at the time unthinkable, move of the Cubs to the corner of Clark and Addison. Baseball wouldn’t be the same without this story.” –Jesse Spector, Sporting News baseball insider

“Wrigley Field is an iconic stadium, perhaps the most well-known American sports arena in the world. In Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney paints a picture of how Wrigley as we know it came into being—and how it nearly didn’t come into being at all. It is a must read for fans everywhere!” –David Kaplan, co-host of Cubs pregame and postgame shows, Comcast Sports Chicago

“In Before Wrigley Became Wrigley, Sean Deveney has a fascinating story about the origins the game’s most classic ballpark. Read it and you’ll understand how baseball’s early years shaped what is now Wrigley Field, which has endeared itself to fans as a reasonable stand-in for the Cubs (who apparently had their fill of World Series titles by the time the park opened).” –Steve Aschburner, Author, Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger

“Sean Deveney delves into a trove of historical documents to assemble an entertaining narrative of Chicago’s much loved sports venue against the background of corrupt city politics and a colorful ensemble of players, in and out of baseball (including the immortal Tinker, Evers, and Chance) presented decade by decade.” — The Daily Beast

“This is an immersive look back at the political intrigue—from the clubhouse to City Hall—that pitted the owners of the fledgling National and American leagues against the upstart American Association and Federal League. . . . [I]t’s an excellent read.” — Chicago Sun-Times