Baseball Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball's Color Barrier

In the April of 1945, exactly two years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball, liberal Boston City Councilman Izzy Muchnick persuaded the Red Sox to try out three black players in return for a favorable vote to allow the team to play on Sundays. The Red Sox got the councilman's much-needed vote, but the tryout was a sham; the three players would get no closer to the major leagues. It was a lost battle in a war that was ultimately won by Robinson in 1947. This book tells the story of the little-known heroes who fought segregation in baseball, from communist newspaper reporters to the Pullman car porters who saw to it that black newspapers espousing integration in professional sports reached the homes of blacks throughout the country. It also reminds us that the first black player in professional baseball was not Jackie Robinson but Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, and that for a time integrated teams were not that unusual. And then, as segregation throughout the country hardened, the exclusion of blacks in baseball quietly became the norm, and the battle for integration began anew.

Ted Reinstein (Author), Jw Hathaway (Narrator)

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The Baseball 100

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "An instant sports classic." —New York Post * "Stellar." —The Wall Street Journal * "A true masterwork…880 pages of sheer baseball bliss." —BookPage (starred review) * "This is a remarkable achievement." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of the 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will. Longer than Moby-Dick and nearly as ambitious,The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter and lifelong student of the game Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the sport through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book's introduction, Pulitzer Prize–winning commentator George F. Will marvels, "Posnanski must already have lived more than 200 years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?" Baseball's legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game's all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, unfairly forgotten All-Stars, talents of today, and more. He doesn't rely just on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players' origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball's past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the twenty-first- century game compared to Greg Maddux dueling with the juiced hitters of the nineties? How do the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth's? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history? No compendium of baseball's legendary geniuses could be complete without the players of the segregated Negro Leagues, men whose extraordinary careers were largely overlooked by sportswriters at the time and unjustly lost to history. Posnanski writes about the efforts of former Negro Leaguers to restore sidelined Black athletes to their due honor, and draws upon the deep troves of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and extensive interviews with the likes of Buck O'Neil to illuminate the accomplishments of players such as pitchers Satchel Paige and Smokey Joe Williams; outfielders Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cool Papa Bell; first baseman Buck Leonard; shortstop Pop Lloyd; catcher Josh Gibson; and many, many more. The Baseball 100 treats readers to the whole rich pageant of baseball history in a single volume. Chapter by chapter, Posnanski invites readers to examine common lore with brand-new eyes and learn stories that have long gone unheard. The epic and often emotional reading experience mirrors Posnanski's personal odyssey to capture the history and glory of baseball like no one else, fueled by his boundless love for the sport. Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who have played it.

Joe Posnanski (Author), Cary Hite (Narrator)

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Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir

Greg Larson was a starry-eyed fan when he hurtled headfirst into professional baseball. As the new clubhouse attendant for the Aberdeen IronBirds, a Minor League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, Larson assumed he'd entered a familiar world. He thought wrong. He quickly discovered the bizarre rituals of life in the Minors: fights between players, teammates quitting in the middle of the games, doomed relationships, and a negligent parent organization. Despite the team's struggles and his own lack of baseball talent, he yearned to join the exclusive fraternity of professional ballplayers. Like most Minor Leaguers, the gravitational pull of baseball was still too strong for Larson-even if chasing his private dream might cost him his girlfriend, his future, and, ultimately, his love of the game. That is, until an unlikely shot at a championship gives Larson and the IronBirds one final swing at redemption. An unflinching look at the harsh experience of professional sports, Clubbie will be a touchstone in baseball literature for years to come.

Greg Larson (Author), Kyle Tait (Narrator)

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Tokyo Junkie: 60 Years of Bright Lights and Back Alleys ... and Baseball

Tokyo Junkie is a memoir that plays out over the dramatic sixty-year growth of the megacity Tokyo, once a dark, fetid backwater and now the most populous, sophisticated, and safe urban capital in the world. Follow author Robert Whiting (The Chrysanthemum and the Bat, You Gotta Have Wa, Tokyo Underworld) as he watches Tokyo transform during the 1964 Olympics, rubs shoulders with the Yakuza and comes face to face with the city's dark underbelly, interviews Japan's baseball elite after publishing his first bestselling book on the subject, and learns how politics and sports collide to produce a cultural landscape unlike any other, even as a new Olympics is postponed and the COVID virus ravages the nation. A colorful social history of what Anthony Bourdain dubbed, "the greatest city in the world," Tokyo Junkie is a revealing account by an accomplished journalist who witnessed it all firsthand and, in the process, had his own dramatic personal transformation.

Robert Whiting (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Memories from the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting

In this second in a series of Baseball Hall of Fame books, celebrate the larger-than-life role played by radio and TV announcers in enhancing the pleasure of our national pastime. Commemorate the 100th anniversary of baseball broadcasting. The first baseball game ever broadcast on radio was on August 5, 1921, by Harold Wampler Arlin, a part-time announcer on Pittsburgh's KDKA, America's first commercially licensed radio station. The Pirates defeated the Phillies 8-5. An insider's view of baseball. Now listen to Memories from the Microphone and experience baseball from author Curt Smith. He has spent much of his life covering baseball radio and TV, and previously authored baseball books, including the classic Voices of The Game. Relive baseball's storied past through the eyes of famed broadcasters. Organized chronologically, Memories from the Microphone charts the history of baseball broadcasting. Enjoy celebrated stories and personalities that have shaped the game-from Mel Allen to Harry Caray, Vin Scully to Joe Morgan, Ernie Harwell to Red Barber.

Curt Smith (Author), Barry Abrams (Narrator)

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COVID Curveball: An Inside View of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Season

A riveting inside account of the most unforgettable season in Los Angeles Dodgers history, from the COVID-delayed start through the incredible playoff run, by the broadcaster who saw it all. Amid strict new rules and Coronavirus outbreaks on other teams that wreaked havoc on the schedule, the Dodgers maintained a laser focus as a team and organization, and ultimately, won the first bubbled playoffs in the history of Major League Baseball. In COVID Curveball, author and Dodgers' broadcaster Tim Neverett takes us through this unprecedented season, offering exclusive access and firsthand, edge-of-your-seat, play-byplay coverage of the surreal days and weeks that led up to the dramatic championship climax. It's a highly entertaining, often humorous chronicle of the quirky nature of the season, the goings-on behind the scenes at the stadium and MLB at large, as well as the unique chemistry forged in the diverse and dynamic clubhouse. Along with insights into the potent lineup that produced jaw-dropping moments by Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger, the book also celebrates the incredible achievements of Clayton Kershaw that cemented his Hall-of-Fame legacy, and the remarkable job done by Dave Roberts and the Dodgers' executives and ownership. Highlighted by empty stands, remote broadcasts, and relentless testing, 2020 was perhaps the strangest baseball season ever ... but it produced the most savored World Series celebration in the history of the game.

Tim Neverett (Author), Tim Neverett (Narrator)

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Till the End

A raw, compelling memoir of baseball, family, fame, addiction, and recovery, by one of the most beloved baseball players of his generation How does it feel to be born with enormous gifts, in a life shadowed by tragedy? What does it mean when the gift that opens the world for us is not enough to stop us from losing the things we love? And what new gifts do we find in that loss? Baseball had been CC Sabathia's life since he was a kid in gritty, baseball-obsessed Vallejo, California. He was a star by the time he was a preteen and a professional athlete when he was still a teenager. Everything he knew about how to be a person-an adult, a husband and father, a leader-he learned in rhythm with the baseball season, the every-fifth-day high-intensity spotlight of a starting pitcher, all while dealing with one of the sport's most turbulent eras: racism in a sport with diminishing black presence; the era of performance-enhancing drugs; and the increasing tension between high-value contracts and sports owners who moved players around like game pieces. But his biggest struggle was with his own body and mind: Buoyed his whole life by talent and a fiery competitive spirit, CC found himself dealing with the steady and eventually alarming breakdown of his own body and his growing addiction in a world that encouraged and enabled it. Till the End is the thrilling memoir of one of the most beloved players in the game, a veteran star of the sport's marquee team during its latest championship era. It's also a book about baseball-about the ins and outs of its most important and technical position and its evolution in this volatile era. But woven within it is the moving, universal story of resilience and mortality and discovering what matters. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com

Cc Sabathia, Chris Smith (Author), Cc Sabathia, Guy Lockard (Narrator)

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Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide: Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving

Prepare your home and family for any life-threatening pandemic or natural disaster with this step-by-step survivalist guide filled with techniques, strategies, and DIY projects from a lifelong prepping expert. The preparation you make for a hurricane, earthquake or other short-term disaster will not keep you alive in the event of widespread social collapse caused by pandemic, failure of the grid or other long-term crises. Government pamphlets and other prepping books tell you how to hold out through an emergency until services are restored. This book teaches you how to survive when nothing returns to normal for weeks, months or even years, including: Practical water collection for drinking and hygiene Storing, growing, hunting and foraging for food First aid and medical treatments when there's no doctor Techniques and tactics for fortifying and defending your home Community-building strategies for creating a new society

Jim Cobb (Author), Todd Ethridge (Narrator)

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Baseball Is Back: A Complete Guide to Baseball in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Summer Games

Join me on this journey as I document the Road to Tokyo for the many teams that hope to compete on the Olympic stage at the summer games. I have traveled from Italy to Mexico, prior to the shutdown, then back to Florida as the tournament schedule resumed, to not only report on the events, but also to get a true authentic understanding of what baseball brings to these various cultures around the world. As someone who has played and coached in nine different countries on six continents, I am not only passionate about the game of baseball and how it can impact our personal development and growth in life, but I am also excited about the international growth and expansion of the game, as I believe that baseball can bring about a change for good to everyone involved around the world.

Jacob Gardner (Author), Jacob Gardner (Narrator)

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Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing

The definitive insider story of the cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball in 2019, bringing down high-profile coaches and players, and exposing a long-rumored 'sign-stealing' dark side of baseball. By the fall of 2019, most teams around Major League Baseball suspected that the Houston Astros had been stealing signs for several years. The Astros had won the 2017 World Series and made the playoffs the next two seasons. All the while, opponents felt that Houston's hitters knew what pitches were coming. The ensuing scandal rivaled that of the 1919 'Black Sox' and the more recent steroid era, and became one of the most significant that the game had ever seen. The fallout ensnared many other teams, either as victims, alleged cheaters or both. The Los Angeles Dodgers felt robbed of a World Series title, and fended off accusations about their organization. Same for the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox were soon under investigation themselves. The New York Mets lost a promising manager before he ever managed a game. Andy Martino, an award-winning journalist who has covered Major League Baseball for more than a decade, has broken numerous stories about the Astros and sign-stealing in baseball. In Cheated, Martino takes readers behind the scenes and into the heart of the events that shocked the baseball world. With inside access to the people directly involved, Martino breaks down not only exactly what happened and when, but reveals the fascinating explanations of why it all came about. The nuance and detail of the scandal reads like a true sports whodunnit. How did otherwise good people like Astros' manager A.J. Hinch, bench coach Alex Cora and veteran leader Carlos Beltran find themselves on the wrong side of clear ethical lines? And did they even know when those lines had been crossed? Cheated is an explosive, electrifying read.

Andy Martino (Author), Andy Martino (Narrator)

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Power and Pinstripes: Untold Stories of Berra, the Boss, and Building a Yankees Dynasty

No team in American sports has as storied a history as the New York Yankees, winners of twenty-seven World Series. As the strength and conditioning coach for the Yankees for parts of three decades, Jeff Mangold was firmly imbedded in building the dynasty of the 1990s and 2000s. In Power and Pinstripes, Mangold shares priceless stories from his fourteen seasons behind the scenes in the Bronx. Mangold had a front-row seat to the daily drama of George Steinbrenner's revolving door of managers-Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, and Lou Piniella-in the 1980s. Then, when he returned to the Yankees in 1998, he joined a juggernaut of a team and was tasked with maintaining the health of a star-studded roster including the Core Four of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. Mangold shares personal tales of finding his way with stars like Dave Winfield and Ron Guidry, motivating personalities like David Wells, and facing a thorny challenge that later became a scandal when Roger Clemens and other Yankees arrived at spring training with their own personal strength coaches in tow. Yankees fans will not want to miss this unique perspective on the franchise during one of baseball's most exciting and controversial eras.

Jeff Mangold, Peter Botte (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

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Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game

The 'fresh and fascinating' (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland), 'splendid and brilliant' (Philadelphia Daily News) history of the early game by the Official Historian of Major League Baseball. Who really invented baseball? Forget Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown and Alexander Cartwright. Meet Daniel Lucius Adams, William Rufus Wheaton, and other fascinating figures buried beneath the falsehoods that have accrued around baseball's origins. This is the true story of how organized baseball started, how gambling shaped the game from its earliest days, and how it became our national pastime and our national mirror. Baseball in the Garden of Eden draws on original research to tell how the game evolved from other bat-and-ball games and gradually supplanted them, how the New York game came to dominate other variants, and how gambling and secret professionalism promoted and plagued the game. From a religious society's plot to anoint Abner Doubleday as baseball's progenitor to a set of scoundrels and scandals far more pervasive than the Black Sox Fix of 1919, this entertaining book is full of surprises. Even the most expert baseball fan will learn something new with almost every page.

John Thorn (Author), Joe Barrett (Narrator)

Audiobook

Baseball Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation