Baseball Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

The Family Swap: The Bizarrely True Story of Two Yankee Baseball Players Who Decided to Trade Famili

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Despite the New York Yankees' storied history of abundant individual greatness and unrivaled team success, the 1972 squad was a pale imitation of the teams that had made the Bronx Bombers the most famous sports franchise in the world. The team was ready for change, and it came on January 3, 1973, when 42-year-old Cleveland-based businessman George Steinbrenner announced that he and a group of investors had bought the Yankees from the Columbia Broadcasting System for $10 million. But as much as Steinbrenner’s acquisition of the team would alter the course of baseball history, it was overshadowed in spring training by the surprise announcement of a transaction involving the team's pitching rotation. On March 5, left-handers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson, met with the press to announce the details of a trade they had finalized the previous October. This particular trade had been carried out without the knowledge or consent of general manager Lee MacPhail, and did not bring any new players to the team. Kekich and Peterson, friends and teammates since 1969, scandalized the sports world by announcing that each had moved out of his own home and taken up with the other’s wife and children. While the contents of this biography have been researched, this book is not endorsed or affiliated in any way with Mike Kekich or Fritz Peterson.

Frank Foster (Author), Digital Voice Mike G (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Eternal Summer

Was there ever a year in golf like 1960? It was the year that the sport and its vivid personalities exploded on the consciousness of the nation, when the past, present, and future of the game collided. Television, still a new medium, provided a fresh window to this fascinating show and enabled this "rich man's sport" to win over millions of new fans. Here was Arnold Palmer, the working man's hero, "sweating, chain-smoking, shirt-tail flying," winning, it seemed, every tournament with a last-second charge; grim Ben Hogan, Arnie's opposite, the greatest player of the '50s, a perfectionist battling the twin demons of age and nerves; and, making his debut in the big time, a chunky, crewcut college kid who seemed to have the makings of a champion-20-year-old Jack Nicklaus.

Curt Sampson (Author), Dennis McKee (Narrator)

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The Empire Strikes Out: How Baseball Sold US Foreign Policy and Promoted the American Way Abroad

'It's our game'America's game: it has the snap, go, fling of the American atmosphere'belongs as much to our institutions, fits into them as significantly as our Constitution's laws, [and] is just as important in the sum total of our historic life.''Walt Whitman on baseballIs the face of American baseball throughout the world that of goodwill ambassador or ugly American? Has baseball crafted its own image or instead been at the mercy of broader forces shaping our society and the globe? The Empire Strikes Out gives us the sweeping story of how baseball and America are intertwined in the export of 'the American way.' From the Civil War to George W. Bush and the Iraq War, we see baseball's role in developing the American empire, first at home and then beyond our shores. And from Albert Spalding and baseball's first World Tour to Bud Selig and the World Baseball Classic, we witness the globalization of America's national pastime and baseball's role in spreading the American dream. Besides describing baseball's frequent and often surprising connections to America's presence around the world, Elias assesses the effects of this relationship both on our foreign policies and on the sport itself and asks whether baseball can play a positive role or only reinforce America's dominance around the globe. Like Franklin Foer in How Soccer Explains the World, Elias is driven by compelling stories, unusual events, and unique individuals. His seamless integration of original research and compelling analysis makes this a baseball book that's about more than just sports. 'The Empire Strikes Out is a rare and wonderful combination of splendid scholarship and lively writing'A truly fine work. Highly recommended.''Roger Kahn, author of The Boys of Summer

Robert Elias (Author), William Hughes (Narrator)

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The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the Worl

The 1951 regular season was as good as over. The Brooklyn Dodgers led the New York Giants by three runs, with just three outs to go in their third and final playoff game. And not once in Major League Baseball's 278 preceding playoff and World Series games had a team overcome a three-run deficit in the ninth inning. But New York rallied, and at 3:58 p.m. on October 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson hit a home run off Ralph Branca. The Giants won the pennant. The Echoing Green follows the reverberations of that one moment, the "Shot Heard Round the World", from the West Wing of the White House to the Sing Sing death house to the Polo Grounds clubhouse, where a home run forever turned hitter and pitcher into hero and goat. It was also in that centerfield block of concrete that, after the home run, a Giant coach tucked away a Wollensak telescope. The spyglass would remain undiscovered until 2001, when, on the jubilee of that home run, Joshua Prager laid bare on the front page of the Wall Street Journal a Giant secret: from July 20, 1951, through the very day of that legendary game, the orange and black stole the finger signals of opposing catchers. The Echoing Green places that revelation at the heart of a larger story, re-creating in extravagant detail the 1951 pennant race and illuminating as never before the impact of both a moment and a long-guarded secret on the lives of Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca. A wonderfully evocative portrait of the great American pastime, The Echoing Green is baseball history, social history, and biography, and an irresistible listen from any angle.

Joshua Prager (Author), Joshua Prager (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris

The intriguing, inspiring history of one small, impoverished area in the Dominican Republic that has produced a staggering number of Major League Baseball talent, from an award-winning, bestselling author. In the town of San Pedro in the Dominican Republic, baseball is not just a way of life. It's the way of life. By the year 2008, seventy-nine boys and men from San Pedro had gone on to play in the Major Leagues—that means one in six Dominican Republicans who have played in the Majors have come from one tiny, impoverished region. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other San Pedro players who came up in the sugar mill teams flocked to the United States looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life. Because of the sugar industry and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into U.S. history. As with Mark Kurlansky's Cod and Salt, this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball.

Mark Kurlansky (Author), Ed Sala (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Dog Sox

This is a novel about a single-A baseball team in California called The Dog Sox. It is owned by a woman who received it as a birthday gift from her boyfriend. The team has a phenomenal pitcher with a very strange delivery and a drunken and abusive father. This is a love story about the sport of baseball, a story which is replayed every summer in every state. The characters come alive in this lively and often humorous novel

Russell Hill (Author), Jack Estes (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Death and Resurrection of Baseball

'A truly, well written, must-read book!' - Reader review A truly unique, and groundbreaking Sports Fiction, and Dystopian Book for Young Adults on up, suitable for Young Adults (YA) and adult fiction lovers everywhere! The Death and Resurrection of Baseball: Echoes from a Distant Past, is getting great reviews for its unique Sports Fiction storyline, and what-ifs: What if a Second Civil War is the endpoint in the current trajectory of America's divisiveness? What if early warning signs of baseball's popularity continue downward? What if among the personal and cultural casualties of a Civil War II, baseball was to die as a sport? The Death and Resurrection of Baseball take those what-if propositions and transports the reader 140 years from now into the futuristic United States of America to the year 2166. A United States that is far from our current recognition. In the year 2166, a post-Second Civil War United States of America is finally back on its feet. Among the countless personal and cultural casualties of the war, the sport of baseball has been dead for over a hundred years. 12-year-old Joe Scott lives in the northern Illinois city of McHenry and goes exploring in the woods one day in a no man's land that a hundred years earlier was the site of the bloodiest battle of the Second Civil War. While there, he discovers a relic from the distant past, from before the war. It sparks a search for its meaning. Little does he know that the wheels of Providence have been unwittingly set in motion, leading to a stunning discovery in Dyersville, Iowa. This second discovery has a direct connection with the relic found in McHenry. As events unfold, Joe finds himself at the center of the rediscovery of the sport of baseball, long lost and forgotten by the ravages of time and the lingering aftereffects of the Second Civil War.

William R. Douglas (Author), Rodney Tompkins (Narrator)

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The Dad Coach: How to Lead Kids to Succeed On and Off the Baseball Field

New York Times bestselling author Mike Matheny offers the definitive guide to coaching youth baseball and instilling positive values on and off the field. Before he became manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Mike Matheny penned a strongly worded letter urging parents and coaches to view youth baseball not as a stepping stone to the Major Leagues, but as a guide to teaching children discipline, the value of hard work, and the virtue of humility. That letter quickly went viral and became the basis of the New York Times bestseller The Matheny Manifesto. Now, in The Dad Coach, Matheny puts his philosophy into action and provides a step-by-step template for coaches and parents to develop solid fundamentals and a strong sense of character in their players, including: - Age-specific drills and exercises to develop skills, along with practice plans to help young ballplayers improve - Game preparation and evaluation techniques to help coaches stay on track and keep kids engaged - Advice on making coaching a meaningful investment of time and experience Combining Matheny's coaching expertise with the storytelling abilities of bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins, The Dad Coach is an engaging and essential resource for anyone, regardless of experience, who wants to coach their teams to success in baseball and life.

Jerry B. Jenkins, Mike Matheny (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Curse of the Bambino

The Boston Red Sox's loss to the New York Yankees in the final game of last year's playoffs has been called 'the game of the century,' evidence that the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is hotter than ever. In the wake of that defeat, author and Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy has updated his bewitching story of the curse that has lain over the Red Sox since they sold Babe Ruth to the hated Yankees in 1920. Here he sheds light on classic Sox debacles from Johnny Pesky's so- called hesitation throw, to the horrifying dribbler that slithered between Bill Buckner's legs, to last year's stunning extra-inning home run that kept the Sox without a World Championship for yet another year. Lively and filled with anecdotes, this is baseball folklore at its best.

Dan Shaughnessy (Author), Ken Coleman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse

With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions. It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. How did a team composed of unknown, young players and supposedly washed-up veterans come together to break the Curse of the Billy Goat? Tom Verducci, twice named National Sportswriter of the Year and co-writer of The Yankee Years with Joe Torre, will have full access to team president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Maddon, and the players to tell the story of the Cubs' transformation from perennial underachievers to the best team in baseball. Beginning with Epstein's first year with the team in 2011, Verducci will show how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking to turn around the franchise. Leading the organization with a manual called "The Cubs Way," he focused on the mental side of the game as much as the physical, emphasizing chemistry as well as statistics. To accomplish his goal, Epstein needed manager Joe Maddon, an eccentric innovator, as his counterweight on the Cubs' bench. A man who encourages themed road trips and late-arrival game days to loosen up his team, Maddon mixed New Age thinking with Old School leadership to help his players find their edge. The Cubs Way takes readers behind the scenes, chronicling how key players like Rizzo, Russell, Lester, and Arrieta were deftly brought into the organization by Epstein and coached by Maddon to outperform expectations. Together, Epstein and Maddon proved that clubhouse culture is as important as on-base-percentage, and that intangible components like personality, vibe, and positive energy are necessary for a team to perform to their fullest potential. Verducci chronicles the playoff run that culminated in an instant classic Game Seven. He takes a broader look at the history of baseball in Chicago and the almost supernatural element to the team's repeated loses that kept fans suffering, but also served to strengthen their loyalty. The Cubs Way is a celebration of an iconic team and its journey to a World Championship that fans and readers will cherish for years to come.

Tom Verducci (Author), Tom Verducci (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World W

In 1943, while the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were winning pennants and meeting in that year's World Series, one of the nation's strongest baseball teams practiced on a skinned-out college field in the heart of North Carolina. Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Johnny Sain were among a cadre of fighter-pilot cadets who wore the Cloudbuster Nine baseball jersey at an elite Navy training school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a child, Anne Keene's father, Jim Raugh, suited up as the team bat boy and mascot. He got to know his baseball heroes personally, watching players hit the road on cramped, tin-can buses, dazzling factory workers, kids, and service members at dozens of games, including a war-bond exhibition with Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium. Jimmy followed his baseball dreams as a college All-American but was crushed later in life by a failed major-league bid with the Detroit Tigers. He would have carried this story to his grave had Anne not discovered his scrapbook from a Navy school that shaped America's greatest heroes including George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John Glenn, and Paul "Bear" Bryant. With the help of insights from World War II baseball veterans such as Yankees legends Dr. Bobby Brown and Eddie Robinson, the story of this remarkable team is brought to life for the first time in The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II.

Anne R. Keene (Author), Anne R. Keene (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Closer

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball. Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time. With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings. In The Closer, Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam. When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

Mariano Rivera, Wayne Coffey (Author), Marvin L. Michael Kay, Michael Kay (Narrator)

Audiobook

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