George Will on baseball. Perfect. Los Angeles Times
In A Nice Little Place on the North Side, leading columnist
George Will returns to baseball with a deeply personal look at
his hapless Chicago Cubs and their often beatified home, Wrigley
Field, as it turns one hundred years old. Baseball, Will argues,
is full of metaphors for life, religion, and happiness, and
Wrigley is considered one of its sacred spaces. But what is its
true, hyperbole-free history?
Winding beautifully like Wrigley s iconic ivy, Will s meditation
on The Friendly Confines examines both the unforgettable stories
that forged the field s legend and the larger-than-life
characters from Wrigley and Ruth to Veeck, Durocher, and Banks
who brought it glory, heartbreak, and scandal. Drawing upon his
trademark knowledge and inimitable sense of humor, Will also
explores his childhood connections to the team, the Cubs future,
and what keeps long-suffering fans rooting for the home team
after so many years of futility.
In the end, A Nice Little Place on the North Side is more than
just the history of a ballpark. It is the story of Chicago, of
baseball, and of America itself."