Charles N. Billington is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 40 years of experience in mental health. After graduating from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, he received his Masters Degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He has worked as an administrator, psychotherapist, and consultant, most recently specializing in work with the elderly.

 

A three-sport athlete in high school who played baseball at the collegiate level, he combined his background in sports and his interest in history with his work with senior citizens to write about Wrigley Field's last World Series, World War II–era baseball, and the 1945 Cubs. The fascinating recollections of two elderly baseball players who came to Mr. Billington for assistance and became the inspiration for Wrigley Field's Last World Series.

 

Billington grew up in the Chicago area. He and his wife live in the northern suburbs. He has two adult children. His hobbies include boating, playing the piano, and playing outfield in the Chicago North Men's Senior Baseball League.

 

For more on Charles Billington, his popular programs on Chicago sports history topics, and his piano recitals, visit his website.

In Print

• Chicago Tribune, Fred Mitchell’s “Around Town” column, September 29, 2005
• Chicago Tribune, Fred Mitchell’s “Around Town” column, April 7, 2005
• Chicago Tribune, “New in Paperback,” March 26, 2006
• Green Bay Press-Gazette, “Billington captures Cubs at high point,” July 17, 2005
• Post-Tribune, Northwest, IN, “Cubs’ near-miss in ’45 began 60-year drought,” July 3, 2005 
• Suburban Chicago Newspapers, July 28, 2005

 

Radio and Television Appearances

• ESPN Radio
• MCMY–AM, Ottawa, IL
• PBS, Springfield, IL
• WBIG–AM, “People to People,” July 26, 2005
• WGN–TV, Chicago, “Mid-Day Show, June 29, 2005
• KXEL–AM, Waterloo, IA
• WJOX–AM, Birmingham, AL
• KNFT Sports Talk, Silver City, NM
• WSCR–AM, “The Mike Murphy Show,” June 8, 2005
• WTTW–TV, Chicago Public Television, “Chicago Tonight,” July 27, 2005
• WBEZ–FM, Chicago Public Radio, “Eight Forty-Eight,” October 24, 2005
• Comcast Cable, “Pro Sports Report,” February 28, 2006
• WGN’s “Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan” September 2008

One of the best histories of our national pastime ever written

“I don't know how many books the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., has collected, but Wrigley Field's Last World Series belongs there.  .  .  . The story of the wartime Chicago Cubs and the pennant of 1945 is a classic. . . . Billington researched this project tirelessly and the result is one of the best histories of our national pastime ever written.”

—Corky Simpson, Tucson Citizen, “Cubs fans will be delighted by new book,” April 19, 2006

 

Required reading for baseball history buffs

“Required reading for baseball history buffs.”

—Harvey Frommer, Sportsology.net, July 7, 2005

 

Impeccable research...intimate, highly readable style...so full of color and layers

“In his fascinating study of the ballclub in its glory days between 1900 and 1945, Billington highlights proud facts that might seem the stuff of wistful fantasy to present-day fans. . . . Billington’s extensive baseball knowledge, drawn in part from bibliographical sources including contemporary newspapers and Major League publications and films, provides the fuel of enough baseball minutiae to keep a diehard fan chugging happily along from cover to cover. His engaging way with the narrative makes this book a perfect addition to the valuable historical library Lake Claremont has created with such consistent care: impeccable research mixed with obvious passion for the subject and an intimate, highly readable style. You don’t need to be a baseball fan to feel the excitement of the games and road trips Billington details; the insider’s familiarity with star players and stats; and the tension, sinking over time into perennial disappointment, as the beloved team suffers disadvantages beyond its control (World War II’s effect on its farm system) as well as bad management and stupid trade decisions. Billington’s style is so full of color and layers, the book could easily serve as the basis for an interactive sports history exhibit. . . . [His] skill in capturing the time and culture of his golden team, their fans, and even the wholesome ideal of the sport bursts in nonstop captivating tidbits throughout the book. . . . Lake Claremont Press hits another one out of the park.”

—Jean Kozlowski, Cricket in the Corner, “Hometown Homerun,” September 1, 2005

 

A gripping "I was there" account...an eloquent social commentary of the times

“Charles Billington, a history buff and mental health professional (which, some would say, are perfect qualifications to write about the Cubs), parlays his years of being a fan into a gripping, ‘I was there,’ account of the season. That the Cubs lost the World Series in seven games to the Detroit Tigers and have not gone back to the pinnacle since, only adds more poignancy to Billington’s narrative. Billington spares no effort to recreate the details of that magical season. . . . Billington intersperses his narrative with myriad interesting sidebars, many of which offer an eloquent social commentary of the times. . . . Billington’s love for history and the Cubs comes through convincingly in this interesting chronicle of an eventful year in Cubs history.”

—Ram Subramanian, Curled Up With a Good Book, July 25 2005

 

The definitive work

“Billington has written the definitive work on literally everything about the wartime Cubs.”  

—Dennis Anderson, Armchair Interviews, November 3, 2005

 

“The Chicago Cubs had the best hitting, pitching and fielding in the National League in 1945. The North Siders hit .277, posted a 2.98 earned run average, fielded at a .980 clip and lost to the Detroit Tigers in a seven-game World Series. First baseman Phil Cavarretta was presented with the NL MVP award in 1945. The team won its 16th pennant in its 70-year history. As Cubs fans know all too well, that was the team’s last NL flag and last appearance in the Fall Classic. A new 321-page book chronicles the feats of that 1945 team, puts baseball and World War II in perspective and analyzes the Cubs in the six decades since a pennant was last won at Clark and Addison.”

—Steve Krah, The Truth (Elkhart, IN), Local Sports, “Roundtable: New book chronicles Cubs’ history,” August 1, 2005

 

A page turner

“A page-turner.”

—Sheila Cull, Sports Fan Magazine, “Better Than a Night at Wrigley Field,” June 30, 2005

 

The writing and the story are what makes this book compelling

“Wrigley Field’s Last World Series . . . is a labor of love written by a Cubs fan about his team, their last great season and the futility that has haunted the team since then. That alone makes this book a worthy read, but the writing and the story are what makes this book compelling.”

—Jonathan Leshanski, At Home Plate, January 20, 2006

 

A great read!

“Wrigley Field’s Last World Series . . . is Charles N. Billington’s account of the ball club that brought the World Series to the ‘friendly confines’ of Wrigley Field . . . This book is a well researched review of the Cubs’ playing ability, as well as how owner, chewing gum mogul Phillip K. Wrigley handled the team, including the sale of World Series tickets to loyal and dedicated fans! . . . No matter who one roots for this baseball season, Wrigley Field’s Last World Series makes a great read! . . . [I]t’s a book that will give an urge to ‘Root, Root, Root for the Cubbies.’ And if they don’t win, then it’s not a shame . . . (to use a WWII-era phrase) it’s SNAFU!”

—Rich Borowy, Accessibly Live Off-line, Vol. 10, No. 28, July 11, 2005

 

It makes me wish that I could have a whole bookshelf of books, each putting the magnifying glass on a particular year

“Billington makes an astute observation that ’45 was the dividing line between the successful Cubs of the early 20th century and the crappy Cubs my father and I have been saddled with. . . . A wealth of information is provided about the effect of WWII on the team and the interesting circumstances around Spring Training of that year. . . . It makes me wish that I could have a whole bookshelf of books, each putting the magnifying glass on a particular year. Peanuts Lowrey and Bill “Swish” Nicholson would be proud of this book.”

—David M. Beyer, A View From the Bleachers, www.viewfromthebleachers.com, October 9, 2005

 

A trivia lover's delight

“Wrigley Field’s Last World Series will have you asking questions, foremost of which will likely be, ‘Has it really been that long since the Cubs were in the World Series?’ The book . . . is a trivia lover’s delight. . . . The book goes into great detail about the players and the games of that championship season. It explores how the first-rate Cubs came to lose to the mediocre Detroit Tigers. It also provides much insight into life during wartime.”

 —Donna Vickroy, The Daily Southtown, “Can’t get enough Cubs lore,” June 12, 2005

 

“Every ‘real’ Cub Fan ought to go out to Amazon today and plunk down the eleven and change [$16.95] that this large soft-cover goes for, to see for themselves the kind of clutch performance a real pennant winner requires.”

—Rob Letterly, Goat Riders of the Apocalypse, September 13, 2005