Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America

There was a recent paperback on this "trio of bear Cubs" in addition to a recent paperback on Johnny Evers both of which are wonderful books to read. We now have a hardcover on the men written by David Rapp which is also worthwhile to add to your ever-growing baseball book collection.This book begins with an introductory chapter on each of the players growing up in their respective area of the United States. It then goes on to cover their years with the Cubs with Frank Selee at the helm after making a name for himself in Boston. Selee emphasized a cleaner game of baseball as opposed to that played by the Gay 90's Orioles and McGraw's Giants. Due to health reasons Selee left the team and handed the reins over to Frank Chance where the Cubs won the National League pennant from 1906 through 1909 and winning the World Series in 1907 and 1908. The trio played their last game together in April of 1912 when Frank Chance announced his retirement as a player.The book goes into detail regarding the feud between Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers but happily they had a tearful reunion several years later. To me the most interesting part of the book is the description of the game in which Fred Merkle failed to touch second base against the Cubs at the Polo Grounds. This along with the post season playoff between the two teams can be found in several books but I found to be the best description I have read anywhere. I found it to be most interesting. I also enjoyed reading about sportswriters such as Hugh Fullerton and Charles Dryden, "the Mark Twain of baseball."This book will be a great addition to anyone's baseball library.

As a casual but enthusiastic student of the Deadball Era, I was pleased to learn more about this famous trio, which I first read about in the Encyclopedia of Baseball many years ago. The subtitle, which includes "...the Dawn of Modern America" was particularly attractive because I like social history; and because baseball was so popular at that time, much about American life can be gleaned from these accounts. The author provides substantial, but not overwhelming, descriptions of each man's upbringing, each of which occurred in different regions of the country and under much different circumstances. I've given 4 stars instead of 5 because I would have liked more coverage of the later seasons (1909-1912), which are treated rather briefly in Chapter 9. Still, for fans of the Deadball Era, it is a worthwhile, enjoyable read.

This is a great history of both the storied Cubs teams of the early 20th Century -- and that of the United States itself. Rapp lays out the landscape of American popular culture and shows how (improbably) how baseball morphed from a two-bit disreputable game to the national pastime. He then weaves the three very different backgrounds of the players who chance (pun intended) brought together in America's Second City. Rapp is a gifted writer who combines a baseball maven's keen eye for detail with a historian's ability to connect the dots of seemingly disparate events. It goes without saying that this is a must read for Cubs fans, but even my partner, who loves history and cares not a wit for baseball, was enchanted with this beautifully-written book.

Sure, they were a great double-play combination ... but in addition to their background and where they raised, this book does a terrific job at giving you an in-depth history of just how good all three were. Not only that, David Rapp dives in deep to reveal some very surprising information on how all three got along (or didn't get along) and why. Great book.

This a great book for any baseball fan! it follows the Chicago Cubs of 1906-1910 and their 4 pennants in 5 years under the playing of Tinker- Evans-Chance set in the context of the historical events of that day! Really enjoyed it!

A very basic book with little insight into what made the Cubs tick. I learned nothing new.

Learned many things about this double play combination.

Cubs fan? Great book.

This was a gift and he liked it very much.