{"product_id":"9781250182036","title":"Ten Innings at Wrigley : The Wildest Ballgame Ever, with Baseball on the Brink","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTen Innings at Wrigley\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Kevin Cook\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe dramatic story of a legendary 1979 slugfest between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies, full of runs, hits, and subplots, at the tipping point of a new era in baseball history\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eIt was a Thursday at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, mostly sunny with the wind blowing out. Nobody expected an afternoon game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs on May 17, 1979, to be much more than a lazy early-season contest matching two teams heading in opposite directions—the first-place Phillies and the Cubs, those lovable losers—until they combined for thirteen runs in the first inning. “The craziest game ever,” one player called it. “And then the second inning started.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTen Innings at Wrigley\u003c\/i\u003e is Kevin Cook’s vivid account of a game that could only have happened at this ballpark, in this era, with this colorful cast of heroes and heels: Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Bruce Sutter, surly slugger Dave Kingman, hustler Pete Rose, unlucky Bill Buckner, scarred Vietnam vet Garry Maddox, troubled relief pitcher Donnie Moore, clubhouse jester Tug McGraw, and two managers pulling out what was left of their hair. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was the highest-scoring ballgame in a century, and much more than that. Bringing to life the run-up and aftermath of a contest \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e called “the wildest in modern history,” Cook reveals the human stories behind the game—and how money, muscles and modern statistics were about to change baseball forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Hugely enjoyable \u003c\/b\u003e. . . A natural raconteur with a \u003cb\u003ejaunty press-box style,\u003c\/b\u003e Cook . . . winningly captures the atmosphere of a looser, shaggier Wrigley, with off-duty waitresses and college students smoking pot in the bleachers and jawing at Phillies outfielders . . . A \u003cb\u003eraffish, freewheeling book.”\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Every year there is a new crop of baseball books of varying quality, with one or two of them rising above the pack. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTen Innings at Wrigley \u003c\/i\u003ewill be among the 2019 releases that will be read for years\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eTen Innings at Wrigley\u003c\/i\u003e does much more than give you a play by play of the game. . . . Most impressive about this book is how \u003cb\u003eCook delve[s] into the triumphs and tragedies of the protagonists.”\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003eDaily Herald\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Cook writes with a fan's heart and a journalist's eye about that memorable day but, more importantly, he plays up the inherent hope and optimism that baseball has.\" —\u003ci\u003ePop Matters\u003c\/i\u003e, Best Books of 2019: Non-Fiction  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Fine, tasty fare for dedicated baseball fans.”\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A slice of history fans of any team will relish.” —\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This book is \u003cb\u003ea must-read\u003c\/b\u003e for every baseball fan!” —\u003cb\u003eRyne Sandberg\u003c\/b\u003e, longtime Chicago Cubs second baseman and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A vivid tale of a dramatic contest.”\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Like the finest play-by-play announcers, [Kevin Cook] settles into a \u003cb\u003egood rhythm\u003c\/b\u003e, alternating between the action on the field and \u003cb\u003ecolorful asides\u003c\/b\u003e. . . . Cook makes good use of TV and radio broadcasts, as well as his own interviews with players and fans. He \u003cb\u003eturns some nice phrases\u003c\/b\u003e, too.” —\u003cb\u003eJonathan Eig\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cook will treat readers to all manner of baseball nuggets, like the kind of color commentator you like to have in the broadcast booth. . . . \u003cb\u003eThe tempo, the color, the tension\u003c\/b\u003e all combine to make manifest the \u003cb\u003eexcitement \u003c\/b\u003eas each batter [comes] to the plate.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Minneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There’s an enthusiasm throughout that is \u003cb\u003einfectious\u003c\/b\u003e, drawing the reader up into the whirlwind combination of time, place and participants. . . . \u003ci\u003eTen Innings at Wrigley\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ean engaging account\u003c\/b\u003e of one of MLB’s greatest games.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Maine Edge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Kevin Cook has taken one of the greatest box scores in baseball history and written \u003cb\u003ea wonderful book\u003c\/b\u003e that perfectly explains that day and that game. \u003cb\u003eIt is funny, it is personal, it is expertly researched. \u003c\/b\u003eI learned something on every page.” —\u003cb\u003eTim Kurkjian\u003c\/b\u003e, senior writer and analyst, ESPN, and author of\u003ci\u003e I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“This would be a great book even without my dad’s five RBIs!” \u003c\/b\u003e—\u003cb\u003eAaron Boone\u003c\/b\u003e, manager of the New York Yankees\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250182036\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Henry Holt and Co.","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40698668974286,"sku":"9781250182036","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_a214d779-85a2-44b7-9127-4cf523b1a6fb.jpg?v=1640493787","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250182036","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}