Table of Contents
Prologue: Omaha 1
I A Blessed Child
Chapter 1 1717 Fairmount 9
Chapter 2 Booker T. 23
Chapter 3 On the Road 35
Chapter 4 Leaving Home 40
II Apprenticeship
Chapter 5 Monarchs of All They Surveyed 51
Chapter 6 Army Life 62
Chapter 7 "Going to Chicago, Sorry I Can't Take You" 72
III Ernie Banks and Mr. Cub
Chapter 8 North Side, South Side 87
Chapter 9 The Master Builder 95
Chapter 10 Future Shock 107
Chapter 11 MVP! MVP! 112
Chapter 12 The Slough of Despond 124
Chapter 13 The Once and Future Cub 131
Chapter 14 Let's Play Two 140
Chapter 15 The Rock of the Family 151
Chapter 16 Bright College Days 159
Chapter 17 "He Was Why We Fell in Love with the Game" 173
Chapter 18 The Lull Before the Storm 184
IV Himself
Chapter 19 Taking Over 197
Chapter 20 "Daddy, Where Were You?" 209
Chapter 21 Teammates 220
Chapter 22 And Yet So Far 229
Chapter 23 The Most Unpopular Man in Chicago 242
Chapter 24 "This Is Not an Eighth-Place Team" 252
V The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
Chapter 25 "Change the Flag!" 259
Chapter 26 Bleacher Bums 268
Chapter 27 In the World 278
Chapter 28 "Break Out the Champagne" 284
Chapter 29 A Bunch of Old Men 302
Chapter 30 Questions and Answers 323
Chapter 31 Riding the Pines 336
Chapter 32 Sunday in America 345
Chapter 33 Coda 354
VI Being Ernie Banks
Chapter 34 Man at Work 361
Chapter 35 Family Ties 379
Chapter 36 "How's Your Wife?" 388
Chapter 37 Rounding Third 397
Epilogue: Graceland 408
Acknowledgments 415
Sources 423
Index 435