Sweet Lou and the Cubs: A Year Inside the Dugout

By George Castle

Book Overview

Sweet Lou and the Cubs chronicles from the inside-out Lou Piniella's stirring and celebrated quest to reverse the team's fortunes after a record 100 years without a World Series championship. Drawing on the story of Piniella's Cubs debut in 2007 and his history as baseball's ultimate firebrand, veteran Cubs reporter George Castle gives fans the real story behind the building of the best Cubs team in decades. In riveting detail he traces how the Cubs swept into the 2008 playoffs as the favorite to represent the National League in the World Series, but then went down in shocking defeat--leaving millions of fans to pin their wounded hopes on the prospects of their remade team finally turning the tide in 2009. . . .

This is sports writing at its best, focusing on Piniella's old-school style and baseball scientist's mind; wild swings in the Cubs' win-loss fortunes; the inside scoop on a Cubs' front office that has been dramatically more aggressive than its predecessors; the byplay of daily clubhouse life and profiles of key players; and Piniella's colorful proclamations and homespun philosophy, along with his interactions with his coaches, the team, ball-club executives, media, fans, and celebrity hangers-on.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599215268
• ISBN13: 9781599215266
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Must-Read for Every Cubs Fan

"Sweet Lou and the Cubs: A Year Inside the Dugout" is a great way to greet the new 2009 baseball season. George Castle goes back in history and follows Lou Piniella from his playing days up to the end of the 2008 Cubs season, and along the way we get an insight into both the man and the sport he loves. There are also some great stories that feature several Cubs players, and a look at a season that had so much promise but ended with so much heartache. This is a great read for those of us who love baseball, love the Cubbies, and love the characters that make it great, like Piniella.