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[ADORKABLE GRRL]

WRIGLEYWORLD by Kevin Kaduk

There are few pains worse in life than that of being a heritage Cubs fan.

By "heritage" I mean that my parents are Cubs fans, their parents were Cubs fans and I was born in Chicago, so I have little other choice than to be a Cubs fan myself.

I have sports secrets. One being that I am in love with NHL hockey & professional boxing - the blood and guts make me happy - kind of odd for a pacifist. Another being that I am a sucker for any sappy movie which involves kids and baseball. The third being that I happen to have an extensive collection of books on the topic of my favorite baseball team - The Chicago Cubs.

But, enough about my closet sportsfandom - onto this terrific book.

If you are at all interested in the Cubs or in Wrigleyville (the pro se neighborhood which surrounds the famed stadium) or in the history of Chicago baseball - this is a book you must read.

The author, a young whippersnapper of a sports writer, Mr. Kevin Kaduk decided in 2004 that he was going to ditch his day job and spend an entire baseball season living in Wrigleyville and going to Cubs games -- not to cover the team -- but, instead to get inside the mind of the fans which make the Cubs so famous throughout the world.

It is funny. It is touching. It stars a cast of characters from the royal presence of Cubs All-Stars Ryne "Ryno" Sandberg and Ron Santo to the eclectic oddballs such as the Ballhawks (guys who stand outside Wrigley trying to catch homers which come over the fence) and Ronnie "Woo Woo" Williams. It takes you onto the famous rooftops, into the bars and on the road for historic stadium comparisons. It is peppered with history and the evolution of Kaduk's Cub fandom via sweet anecdotes from childhood that most Chicagoland boys (and many girls) have stored in their back pockets.

The baseball (and, the fact that the Cubs once again blew a chance to go to the big show in 2005 through bad coaching and the Tribune Corporation's lack of interest in building a winning ball club as opposed to turning the stately and historic Wrigley into a Disneyland attraction of a ballpark) is secondary to the story of the fan...

And, it is wonderful. As someone who's loved the Cubs for their entire lifetime - someone who stood outside Wrigley (unable to afford more than the train ticket to get there) the fateful night of the "Bartman" incident in 2003 and had her heart broken into a million pieces as the first real chance her team has seen in her lifetime to make an appearance in the World Series was washed down the drain - it was so awesome to read a book which totally gets what it is like to be a Cubs fan.

Not to mention it is peppered by amusing FAQ's which the author was asked by his friends and family (who thought his idea to take a year off to watch the Cubs was nuts) during the writing of the book... amusing.

Young, cool, Chicago resident - Cubs fan.

"Patience young grasshopper."

Right...

This book is an A+ on my list.

Yay, Kevin Kaduk!
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HER ROYAL KATENESS, QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS