In 1929, the Cubs lived up to everything they had been building towards, setting attendance records and winning the national league. Their magical season was sandwiched between some of the most exciting municipal series ever played in Chicago.

Historian Ed Hartig returns to discuss how the Cubs took over as the city’s darlings while the White Sox stumbled. And the early 30’s also marked the deaths of a few Chicago legends, who are remembered in this episode.

Extra Notes

• During the late 20’s, there was an unsuccessful media push to restart local city series around baseball. The Yankees and Giants were both opposed. As was St. Louis Cardinals manager Sam Breadon, who claimed that the public had enough baseball.
• In 1928, Hack Wilson famously got into a fight with a milkman, who called him “a fat so and so.” There was talk of the White Sox holding a pregame parade of milk trucks before game one of the city series but there is no evidence that they went through with it.
• Both Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field added upper decks in 1927, part of the reason that city series attendance numbers spiked over the next few years.
• Running totals through 1931 (including ’06 World Series):
  • Series – White Sox 12-6-1
  • Games – White Sox 67-52-3

Sources and generally good reading*

Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club: Chicago & the Cubs During the Jazz Age by Roberts Ehrgott

Crack of the Bat: A History of Baseball on the Radio by James R. Walker

*Many books were used to research features of several episodes of this podcast. Each book will be listed only once.

Featured Songs

“I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” by Ben Bernie
“Moonlight Saving Time” by Guy Lombardo
“Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” by Art Landry’s Orchestra
“St. James Infirmary” by Louis Armstrong
“Black and Tan Fantasy” by Duke Ellington
“Happy Days are Here Again” by Ben Selvin
“Blue Skies” by Irving Berlin & Fritz Kreisler
“On the Sunny Side of the Street” by Teddy Wilson

^{Would-be pugilists Hack Wilson and Art Shires (National Baseball Hall of Fame)}