In an effort to jump start my reading for 2009 I checked this book out from the Florence County Library. I've been reading The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and have lost interest so I decided this book would revitalize my reading habit.
The book chronicles the 2005 season of the Chicago Cubs from the perspective of Kevin Kaduk, the author. Rather than cover high school sports in the Kansas City metro area, he moves back to Chicago to attend as many Cubs games as he can. He gets an apartment in Wrigleyville and spends the summer scalping tickets, hitting all the neighborhood bars, and even goes on a road trip to the east coast for some baseball.
Rather than just chronicle his everyday experiences at the games, he examines the finer aspects of the neighborhood. He spends a whole series outside the park on Waveland Ave. with the Ballhawks, guys who go to almost every game and catch homers and batting practice balls for fun. He describes the vibe at each of the bars and the relationship between Sox and Cubs fans. Most of the tickets he gets from scalpers.
Any ardent baseball fan should consider reading this book. It's written for the pop culture junkies who enjoy David Sedaris and Chuck Klosterman. Anyone looking for a book to read in a day should check it out.
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