Book Review: Wrigley Field's Last World Series

by Jonathan Leshanski
January 20, 2006

Book Review:
Wrigley Field’s Last World Series: The Wartime Chicago Cubs and the Pennant of 1945
By Charles N. Billington
Forward by Andy Palfko
Published by Lake Claremont Press
p. 306

Writing for At Home Plate and maintaining this website are labors of love. It’s clear from reading Wrigley Field’s Last World Series: The Wartime Chicago Cubs and the Pennant of 1945 is the same thing, a true labor of love written by a Cubs fan about his team, their last great season and the futility that has haunted the team since then. That alone makes this book a worthy read, but the writing and the story are what makes this book compelling.

Although this book focuses on the Chicago Cubs it provides a view not just of the team but of life and baseball during World War II. During the war baseball was different, but just how different it really was both for the players the the front offices is something few of us really can grasp. It was a time when wartime restrictions limited travel, manpower, and even the facilities where a team could train. Yet teams managed to field some decent squads during that time and provide a needed form of entertainment to a war torn nation. They also provided some great pennant races.

While the Cardinals were the great powerhouse team of the wartime years, they weren’t the only good team, plenty of other contenders, including the Reds, Pirates and Cubs tried to keep the National League interesting. For the Cubs, 1945 would prove to be a banner year; it was both the year that they won their last pennant, and the last time that they appeared in a World Series.

This is the story of that Cubs team and about the struggles the front office had endure to field a credible team, about those lost to the war effort, and those returning from the battlefields of Europe. It’s the story of a season in transition; about never knowing if your players might be drafted, and about a team who struggled to fill a roster in Spring Training yet managed to gel and upset the powerhouse teams of those years.

Stories of pennant drives are a dime a dozen. Some are written well and are compelling and then some are ho-hum, expected grist of a baseball book. This is one of the good ones. Author Charles Billington tried hard to keep the storyline fresh and manages to make you overlook the historical record that you know the team finished with and to read about the series and the players with a sense of anticipation.

One of the better devices that Mr. Billington uses is to intersperse brief biographies and stories of how a certain player ended up in a Chicago uniform and with the tales of games in which that player had a key role. He paints a picture of a team you would have liked to know, to have met or played with yourself, from the pinch hitter on the bench, to the owner, Phillip K. Wrigley, who was willing to personally distribute World Series tickets to the true faithful if only in order to assure that they were not the prey of scalpers, who were charging exorbitant amounts of money for the tickets they could obtain.

The book does have some weaknesses too; although no doubt some people will enjoy the very things I didn’t like including the comparisons of the team from 1945 and the team of 2003 which was a mere five outs away from a World Series appearance when the roof figuratively caved in on them. I found that chapter dragging and unnecessary in telling the story of the Chicago Cubs, or in explaining that the game has changed since then. Aside from that I thought the book was an enjoyable read.

Give Wrigley Field’s Last World Series: The Wartime Chicago Cubs and the Pennant of 1945 a solid 2 balls for its passion and portrayal of a different time and a look at baseball during one of the darkest periods of the past century. If you are a die hard Cubbies fan who doesn’t mind a little more suffering and rehearing the story of the billy goat curse mark it up another half ball.

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.