That first homer ... a nice baseball memory.

Not only have the Cubs been painful to watch, the last series before the break was absolutely unwatchable in any way. Ugly, uglier, and ugliest in three games against the Pirates. But then came the All-Star break. Hurray! Home Run Derby! Pure escape! Hurray! Never mind that only one Cub was selected for the NL All-Star... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
July 13, 2017 at 10:49 am
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Trade Wade Davis?

While driving around town the other day, I decided to listen to baseball talk radio, something I almost never do. Within about three minutes I was reminded just why I almost never listen to sports talk radio. The conversation turned to the possibility of basically dismantling this year’s Cubs team, including trading Wade Davis, in order... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
June 20, 2017 at 11:14 am
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Cover Story -- restoring a vintage 1908 photograph

Several years ago I found this image and used it in a Power Point presentation about the year 1908. This is Times Square with the first ever New Years Eve ball illuminated atop the NY Times Building. But look closely. There are no people in the square. What's up?
Since my new novel, Called Out, was published, several have commented that they like the cover and asked how it came to be. (BTW, you can purchase the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble right now! $15.45 — cheap!) The cover was designed by Jeanne Sullivan (yes, relation) Meissner and Willy Brese, with Sarah Koz... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
May 26, 2017 at 9:02 am
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What we talk about when we talk about Cubs

(apologies to Raymond Carver) Since Game 7 all we’ve talked about around here is Game 7, with the occasional Game 5 thrown in. Well, we’re almost a month into the new season and so I thought I’d ask the usual comment-providers what’s on their minds concerning the 2017 Cubs, in at least 25 words.   Son of Admin... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
April 28, 2017 at 11:25 am
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Cubs Opening Night - images from around the ballpark

Final touches. Clock tower, new administration building.
My cell phone told me it would stay above 60 degrees all evening. My cell phone lied. I took the 152 Addison bus east to Wrigley Field. They dropped us off a block away because the area around the ballpark was sealed off by police. It was warm. I thought I’d have to take my... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
April 11, 2017 at 10:01 am
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Game 7 - the best photograph ever

Every picture tells a story … Last Sunday we were in our car listening to Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer on the radio. The Cubs were piling up the runs, eventually scoring 22. Blowout games like that can cause an announcer’s mind to wander to things other than the play-by-play. Thus once again, as has happened so... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
April 2, 2017 at 3:02 pm
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The Cranes of Wrigleyville

Take the bus to the ballpark and what do you see?
When you approach the ballpark these days, you see a strange sight that you might only expect to see downtown, in Streeterville, or perhaps in the West or South Loop. Cranes loom high above Addison and Clark. It’s odd to see them in a Chicago neighborhood. The blocks around Wrigley Field are changing in a way that... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
February 24, 2017 at 2:41 pm
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Reliving the Cubs' World Series Game 7. We missed the final play.

(Admin note: Many of you have asked about the publication date for my new novel Called Out. We are going into the last proofing phase and so the book is on track for a May1, 2017 release date. Click here to read more about it. And now, on to today’s blog …) Last week I called... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
February 9, 2017 at 12:00 pm
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Crowd size controversies. 108 since 1908, part XXXII (the last).

The City of Chicago estimated that 5 million people celebrated the Cubs’ first World Series Championship in 108 years by lining the parade route and attending the rally in Grant Park on November 4, 2016. Almost immediately I saw postings on Facebook and elsewhere that expressed profound doubt that a crowd almost twice the size... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
January 31, 2017 at 2:35 pm
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CALLED OUT - new novel dramatizes 1908 Cubs championship season

You might say, “There was already plenty of drama in 1908,” when the Cubs last won a World Series until last year. “Why do you need to ‘dramatize’ those events?” And you would be right. But we might counter with, “But that’s what makes it such rich material for a historical novel.” Amika Press thinks... Read more »
By Floyd Sullivan,
January 12, 2017 at 3:30 pm
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