Helen Plum Library

It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. How did a team of untested young players and carefully selected veterans come together to break the longest championship drought in professional sports? Beginning with Theo Epstein's first season as team president in 2012, sportswriter Tom Verducci shows how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking when planning the path to a championship. Epstein focused...

After his first Cubs game when Rich Cohen was eight, his father asked him to make a promise. "Promise me you will never be a Cubs fan. The Cubs do not win," he explained, "and because of that, a Cubs fan will have a diminished life determined by low expectations. That team will screw up your life." Here he captures the story of the team, its players and crazy days-- not just what happened, but what it felt like and what it meant. He searches for the...

Chronicling a century of highs and lows at Wrigley Field, George Will explores the home of the hapless Chicago Cubs in relation to his upbringing, the growth of Chicago, the history of baseball, and the nature of sports fandom

"Biography of baseball manager Joe Maddon. With his irreverent personality, laid-back approach, and penchant for the unexpected, Joe Maddon is a singular presence among Major League Baseball managers. Whether he's bringing clowns and live bear cubs to spring training or leading the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years, Maddon is always one to watch. In Try Not to Suck, ESPN's Jesse Rogers and MLB.com's Bill Chastain fully...

"How did the Chicago Cubs transform themselves from one of the worst organizations in baseball to a dynasty in the making? In The Plan, legendary Chicago sports personality David Kaplan takes you inside the Cubs organization with unparalleled access, including in-season and post-World Series interviews with Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Joe Maddon, the players, industry insiders, and more. Kaplan shares how the Cubs devised their audacious...

Discusses the author's life and career, including his role as "Grandpa Rossy" on the Chicago Cubs 2016 championship-winning team In 2016, the Cubs ended a 108-year curse, winning the World Series in a history-making, seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. One of the many storylines to Chicago's fairytale season was the late-career renaissance of David Ross, the 39-year-old catcher who had played back-up for 13 of his 15 pro seasons. Beyond...

2016 World Series Champions takes fans out to the ball game and right down to the field-level action. Published in partnership with MLB and researched and written by their own in-house team of committed and knowledgeable baseball experts, this commemorative keepsake offers fans not only a detailed game-by-game recap of the World Series Champion's run through the annual Fall Classic, but also a history of the World Series. With more than 200 incredible...

"The definitive and revealing biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, one of America's most iconic, beloved, and misunderstood baseball players, by acclaimed journalist Ron Rapoport"-- Ernie Banks played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in... but he spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs, who didn't win a pennant in his adult lifetime. His enthusiasm endeared him to...