A Nice Little Place on the North Side

Wrigley Field at One Hundred

By: George Will

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

The New York Times-bestselling history of America's most beloved baseball stadium, Wrigley Field, and the Cubs’ century-long search for World Series glory

In A Nice Little Place on the North Side, leading columnist George Will returns to baseball with a deeply personal look at his hapless Chicago Cubs and their often beatified home, Wrigley Field, as it enters its second century. Baseball, Will argues, is full of metaphors for life, religion, and happiness, and Wrigley is considered one of its sacred spaces. But what is its true, hyperbole-free history?

Winding beautifully like Wrigley’s iconic ivy, Will’s meditation on “The Friendly Confines” examines both the unforgettable stories that forged the field’s legend and the larger-than-life characters—from Wrigley and Ruth to Veeck, Durocher, and Banks—who brought it glory, heartbreak, and scandal. Drawing upon his trademark knowledge and inimitable sense of humor, Will also explores his childhood connections to the team, the Cubs’ future, and what keeps long-suffering fans rooting for the home team after so many years of futility.

In the end, A Nice Little Place on the North Side is more than just the history of a ballpark. It is the story of Chicago, of baseball, and of America itself.

Critic reviews

Praise for George Will and A Nice Little Place on the North Side

“Fond yet surprisingly hard-hitting…an intelligent, tough little book.” –USA Today

“George Will is as serious about baseball as he is about the Constitution or foreign policy…. A Nice Little Place on the North Side is replete with the amusing trivia that in baseball constitutes lore.”—Wall Street Journal

“America’s leading poet of baseball” –Chicago Tribune, Printers Row Journal

“George F. Will’s wonderful book A Nice Little Place on the North Side reads like a history of a ballpark, but it’s really a fan’s interrogation of the most harrowing riddle: Why can’t the Cubs win?...[Will is] one of the great baseball writers.” –Commentary

“Will’s bow-tied, button-down prose wears quite well in this, his third insightful book about baseball, after Men at Work and Bunts. His eye for the game remains warm and acute, as do his conservative instincts.” –New York Times Book Review

“George Will is the most elegant of today’s political essayists, and with 'Men at Work,' 'Bunts' and this tribute to Chicago, the ballpark that graces it, and the fans who pack it to root for its hapless team, he can be counted among the best baseball writers to come down the pike…” –The Washington Times

“[Will’s] latest, A Nice Little Place on the North Side, will sit solidly on the bookshelf with his previous baseball classics…. As is always the case with Will, readers are treated to a mix of history, anecdotes, vignettes, cultural analysis, various informative diversions, and much wry humor.”—The American Spectator

“George F. Will is as eloquent on baseball as he is on politics.” –AARP Bulletin

“Required reading” –New York Post

A great read by a Master Author and Story Teller

“A Nice Little Place on the North Side” is a very good read about Wrigley Field, Chicago and baseball. But for me the other aspects of this book, the “back stories” about people, places, architecture, history, and the human perspectives are the gems presented and articulated by a master author and story teller. I found all the “extra” baseball stories imbedded in the history of Wrigley Field fascinating and interesting. There is a wealth of knowledge, stories, and perspectives on our human condition and life. I highly recommend. Experienced as an Audio book.

If you love the Cubs, Wrigley or George Will

If you could sum up A Nice Little Place on the North Side in three words, what would they be?

Not a great book but a pleasant diversion for baseball fans especially those who have sacrificed a few brain cells for Heilemann-doused Cubs games. Will is always fun to read and his love of baseball (and Wrigley and the Cubs) is clear and dominant.

Any additional comments?

The narration was pretty good but the narrator doesn't know enough about baseball to know how to pronounce Sutter (he pronounced it how it looks) or Alou (whom he called "A-lo-oo").

Not Just for Cubs Fans, but for Baseball Fans

This one reads, or, in this case, is read, like a pleasant day in at a ballgame. This is great for anyone that has baseball in their blood, but those that may enjoy it a bit more are the ones that appreciate the history of the game itself. It may not be my first choice for a teen playing ball, but for a uncle who knows the game, why, they need to get it in their hands, or ears, to enjoy with their morning coffee. And, again, this isn't just for Cubs fans.

It's EEE-lia, not Ah-LEE-ah

George Will has written a pleasant little collection of ramblings about Wrigley Field and its longtime tenants, the Cubs. Its target audience is devoted fans like me. Why Mr. Will didn't take five minutes to consult with the narrator, Mark Deakins, on how to pronounce the names of Lee Elia, Moises Alou, Elvin Tappe and others is hard to fathom. The ignorance of the narrator kept getting in the way of my enjoyment of this book, and made certain sections, like the description of the Alou/Bartman incident just cringe-worthy. George Will, are you listening?

Ball, outside.

I really wanted to like this book. I really want to like George will. But both come across as condescending. And the point of the book, if there is one, is contradictory. He argues against sentimentality. And then he waxes sentimental. He puts down the writing of others. And then he quotes them. He argues against using baseball as a metaphor for religion or spirituality. And then he argues that it is transcendent. He is an intelligent man for all that can be seen. And he seems to want something more from life. But his reason will not allow him to see it