Chicago Cubs: Baseball on Catalina Island (Images of Baseball) Paperback – Illustrated, April 12, 2010

Item as described, with prompt shipping - two thumbs way up!

First heard about Catalina Island-Cubs connection in one of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosche books (a Google search showed this was not fiction). Though I prefer a traditional narrative, this book, pictures with commentary, is both interesting and informative.

This is an interesting book of the history of the Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island. Some of the interesting information that is in this book includes the following: The Cubs were among the first baseball teams to fly. From 1921 to 1951, the Chicago Cubs spent Spring Training on Catalina Island with the exception of World War II from 1943 to 1945. The Cubs and the White Sox met in a crosstown World Series in 1906, The landmark Catalina Casino opened in 1929. At that time, it was the tallest building in Los Angeles County. The Cubs' uniforms weren't numbered until 1932 Practice usually took about four hours each day. After that, players could explore the tourist attractions. Catalina's golf course is one of the two oldest golf courses in the state of California, dating back to 1892. The other one is on an island-Mare Island, near San Francisco. The Cubs often encountered world famous celebrities while they were at Catalina. The Wrigley Building Tower in Chicago was the first air-conditioned Chicago office in Chicago. In 1952, the Cubs moved their Spring Training site to Arizona.

Excellent review of a historic baseball francchise