By: Tom Verducci

As a lifelong Cubs fan, before 2016, I was used to the phrase “wait until next year.” As a kid I would get annoyed with my father when he would say “wait until next year” when we were halfway through the year. (My parents were proudly “die hard Cubs Fans” #99 and #100) Then came 1984 and the series in San Diego. Then 1989. 2003. And then I could understand my Dad’s feelings on 1969, on the Lou Brock trade, etc.. Then came Theo Epstein. And then the curse was broken in 2016… I can’t express my feelings on that World Series win. By far the most important sports memory in my life.

I couldn’t bring myself to read any of the multitude of books that came out in the wake of the Championship. Call it a hangover from winning and not wanting reality to set in; and now enough time has passed that I am reading them in preparation for the new baseball season. The Cubs Way is regarded as the best chronicle of the Cubs that year. It details Theo Epstein’s coming to the Cubs after the 2011 and his building the team “The Cubs Way”, framed around the games of the 2016 World Series. I am not going to pretend that I am neutral about the team and it was great to revisit that wonderful team and year.

375 Pgs.

5/5