My book Wrigleyworld somehow turns 20 tomorrow.
Holy cow.
I’m still not sure how to feel about that.
It was only yesterday, but it was also a lifetime ago.
The 26-year-old writer who left a steady job in Kansas City to drink beer in the bleachers and sneak onto rooftops in the name of journalism is now a married father of two who lives in the same suburbs he poked fun at in his book.
The Cubs changed ownership, hired Theo Epstein to tear the organization down to the studs and then broke their World Series drought after 108 seasons in 2016. (I covered the home games with a job at Yahoo Sports I secured because of the book.)
As for Wrigley Field, it’s been completely revamped from the place I spent an entire summer. If you read “Wrigleyworld,” it ends with the ballhawks wondering how a simple expansion of bleacher capacity will affect the fabric of the neighborhood.
And, well, if you’ve been to Wrigleyville in the past decade, you know they didn’t stop at a few extra bleacher rows.
I wrote Wrigleyworld so long ago it’s more or less dropped off my resume.
It’s become a footnote and a stable of fun memories whenever I come across the box of remaindered copies in my crawl space.
That doesn’t mean it’s stopped being a pivotal moment in both my life and career.
Going through with a hare-brained idea to write a participatory journalism book while living in Lakeview was my first big bet on myself.
The ensuing contract with Penguin was proof I could win those bets.
That contract allowed me to return home with a $25,000 advance, which back then was more than enough to pay my $400 share of an apartment in a six flat at Wayne and Grace, procure tickets from the scalpers outside Murphy’s and buy beers in the bleachers, which seemed way too expensive back then at $5.50 a pour.
The book did fine. It didn’t turn me into the Chicago version of Bill Simmons and there are parts I would’ve written differently with more life experience.
But the book also found plenty of readers and opened doors for my career. I still get emails and DMs from people who recently found the book in a library or resale shop and enjoyed the ride as much as I did. I can also say that it landed me in Cooperstown … at one point you could buy Wrigleyworld in the Hall of Fame gift shop.
My career journey has been written across a variety of mediums and I’m glad that it includes a book. I don’t think there’s any truer test for your entire skillset than a blank Word document and an editor in New York trusting you to hit their deadline. I enjoyed both the pressure and the process.
Will I write another? I have what I think is a great book idea in my head, but I don’t know if it’ll ever get written. They don’t hand out book contracts as freely as they did in 2005 and my concept would require a little bit more than walking down Waveland and Sheffield with a notebook and baseball glove. (I’d also need more than $25K … ballpark beer prices now being what they are).
But even if that second book never happens, I will always have the experience of writing the first.
Happy 20th, Wrigleyworld.
Notes 🙌
• How long ago did the book come out? Here’s a digital photo of me doing a book signing at the Hudson Books in O’Hare that may as well have been produced on a daguerrotype.
I found it in my email from a publicist who said she’d taken it on her cell phone, which on second thought, actually looks pretty good for a 2006 cellphone camera pic.
• Also found while researching this post? The email a young Nick Friedell sent me in June 2006 after he read Wrigleyworld in just one day. We’ve now known each other for almost 20 years. As always, the real treasure ends up being the friends we make along the way.
Things I’m Currently Enjoying 🥇
• HBO’s “Born To Bowl” is living up to my expectations. I only wish it was being released faster than one half-hour episode each Monday.
• Big Ten teams showing out in the tournament, even if my Badgers declined to participate. It’s time to end the title drought.
• Wisconsin women’s hockey winning their ninth national title and the men’s team winning their first playoff game in 16 years last night. A trip to the Frozen Four is on the line against Michigan State tomorrow.
I’m building this newsletter in public. This edition went out to 97 people, up five from last week’s edition! Put me in triple digits by helping spread the word (and if you’re not signed up, you can do that here).
This newsletter was brought to you by …
Like coffee. Just smarter. (And funnier.)
Think of this as a mental power-up.
Morning Brew is the free daily newsletter that helps you make sense of how business news impacts your career, without putting you to sleep. Join over 4 million readers who come for the sharp writing, unexpected humor, and yes, the games… and leave feeling a little smarter about the world they live in.
Overall—Morning Brew gives your business brain the jolt it needs to stay curious, confident, and in the know.
Not convinced? It takes just 15 seconds to sign up, and you can always unsubscribe if you decide you prefer long, dull, dry business takes.