The Baseball & Softball category has 196 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 329 ratings. The most-rated is Moneyball.
Making My Pitch: A Woman's Baseball Odyssey
Summary
Making My Pitch tells the story of Ila Jane Borders, who, despite formidable obstacles, became a Little League prodigy, MVP of her otherwise all-male middle school and high school teams, the first woman awarded a baseball scholarship, and the first to pitch and win a complete men’s collegiate game. After Mike Veeck signed Borders in May 1997 to pitch for his St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League, she accomplished what no woman had done since the Negro Leagues era: play men’s professional baseball. Borders played four professional seasons and in 1998 became the first woman in the modern era to win a professional ball game. Borders had to find ways to fit in with her teammates, reassure their wives and girlfriends, work with the media, and fend off groupies. But these weren’t the toughest challenges. She had a troubled family life, a difficult adolescence as she struggled with her sexual orientation, and an emotionally fraught college experience as a closeted gay athlete at a Christian university.
Making My Pitch shows what it’s like to be the only woman on the team bus, in the clubhouse, and on the field. Borders ultimately relates how she achieved self-acceptance and created a life as a firefighter and paramedic and as a coach and goodwill ambassador for the game of baseball.
The book is published by University of Nebraska Press.
©2017 Ila Jane Borders with Jean Hastings Ardell (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks
Ann Liguori's Audio Hall of Fame: Ted Williams
Summary
Ted Williams defined excellence in whatever he took on. Whether he was playing left field in the major leagues, or flying an airplane, Williams would not settle for second-best. He played 21 seasons with the Boston Red Sox in a career interrupted two times by service as a Marine Corps pilot. He is widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball, was a two-time American League MVP, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1941, he batted over .400 in a single season and no one has touched the record since. Ironically, Williams attributes the secret of his success to 'pure luck.' Here, Williams is interviewed in Boston during All-Star Week by Ann Liguori, award-winning luminary in sports broadcasting with a celebrated career that spans two decades. Liguori has interviewed some of the most legendary sports personalities, drawing out their success stories, their opinions on a variety of issues, and their love of the game.
©2009 Ann Liguori (P)2009 Ann Liguori
Last Out
Summary
If you are a baseball junkie, this program is for you. Producers Moira Rankin and Dan Collison explore the baseball fan's addiction to the game as they follow two die-hard enthusiasts to see how they endure the off-season. Along the way, they find solace in winter trade news, visit a psychologist, drop in on a support group, and reach nirvana and spring training. The Soundprint documentary series features the best work of top radio producers. The award winning documentaries are renowned for drawing the listener into the story with compelling interviews, authentic voices and rich sound. From memoirs to science, health and popular culture, Soundprint creates a powerful experience the listener will not soon forget. Here are some related Soundprint documentaries: The Baseball Plantation Produced by: Kathy McAnallyChicago: A Rookie Fan’s Love Story Produced by: Judith KampfnerHeavy Petting Produced by: Gemma HooleyHockey Diaries: Ready to Play Produced by: Gemma Hooley and Chris NelsonSoundprint Executive Producer: Bill SiemeringProducer: Moira RankinAudio Engineer: Anna Maria de FreitasAssociate Producer: Debra Morris
©1991 SMCI (P)2013 SMCI
Dinner with DiMaggio
Summary
The real Joe DiMaggio, remembered by the man who knew him best in the last decade of his life - candid and little-known stories about icons from Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and his Yankees teammates on the field to Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and other great celebrities off the field. Dr. Rock Positano, an internationally renowned foot specialist in New York City, was introduced to Joe DiMaggio by the dean of New York sports writers, Bill Gallo, in 1990. The Yankee Clipper's career-ending heel spur injury and botched surgeries brought them together. During the time Dr. Positano successfully treated the Yankee Clipper, a friendship slowly developed. As Dr. Positano would learn, DiMaggio moved very carefully and deliberately. Dinner with DiMaggio follows the story of their friendship from its starstruck beginning through all its highs and lows over the next decade. Forty years younger than DiMaggio, Dr. Positano became a surrogate son at a time when his actual son was suffering from substance-abuse problems. Positano's accounts of their times together reveal DiMaggio's many rituals and quirks: the same meals at the same restaurants, the same pals in New York and Florida, jacket and tie everywhere. At the pinnacle of his fame, DiMaggio had learned to be guarded and carefully managed his image and private life. As his trust in his young friend grew, DiMaggio opened up about Marilyn but also about his first wife, Dorothy Arnold, the mother of his son and the real love of his life. The Yankee Clipper knew everyone, and Positano shares never-before-told stories of famous people DiMaggio admired and those he didn't. This is DiMaggio as he really was: sometimes cranky and calculating but more often charming, generous, and loyal and always big-hearted when it came to kids. The stories and experiences he shared with Rock Positano comprise an intimate portrait of one of the great stars of baseball and one of the icons of the 20th century. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Rock Positano (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio
Mental Conditioning for Baseball
Summary
In Mental Conditioning for Baseball, Brian Cain, the foremost authority on mental toughness on the diamond, takes you through the process of developing mental toughness in yourself, your players, and your program as you learn how to truly play one pitch at a time. Matt Morse, former D1 baseball player and student of Brian Cain Peak Performance, brings his experiences in the mental game to Mental Conditioning for Baseball. He adds a tremendous perspective gained throughout his playing career, and offers simple strategies to maximize performance and master the mental side of the game. Join Cain and Morse as they train you to: Compete one pitch at a time and live in the present moment Become a machine of consistency by implementing routines into what you do each day Build championship character and redefine who you are as a program Enhance your skill of self-discipline and live a lifestyle of excellence Gain emotional control and become master of your mental game Implement a step-by-step process to take you from where you are to where you want to be Mental Conditioning for Baseball gives you incredible understanding and insight into the minds of the players you coach and human nature in general.
©2014 Brian Cain (P)2017 Brian Cain
El Cerrador: Mi vida (The Closer)
Summary
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 13-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 listeners 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. Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2014 Mariano Rivera (P)2014 Hachette Audio
Gil Hodges
Summary
Due to his achievements as a player and manager, as well as his sterling character, Gil Hodges deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than any other player. A towering figure during the Golden Era of the 1950s, Hodges was the Brooklyn Dodgers’ powerful first baseman who, alongside Jackie Robinson, helped drive his team to six pennants and a thrilling World Series victory in 1955. Fans never booed the beloved home run hitter from Indiana who married a Brooklyn girl and settled in their borough, and they famously prayed for him when he slumped. Dutifully following the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958, Hodges longed to return to New York City. He joined the original Mets team in 1962, and he finished his playing career with them. In 1968, he took over the manager’s spot on their bench. Under his steady hand, the Mets went from a joke to World Champions in 1969 - the Miracle Mets. Yet behind his stoic demeanor lay a man prone to anxiety and worry. Hodges was scarred by combat on Tinian and Okinawa during World War II, and his inner turmoil was exacerbated by tight pennant races and excruciating defeats. His sudden death in 1972 shocked his friends and family, and left a void in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. Acclaimed authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary delve into one of baseball’s most overlooked stars, shedding light on a fascinating life and career that even his most ardent fans never knew. An exciting biography that paints a portrait of an amazing era of baseball as much as it does an admirable player, Gil Hodges is sure to please fans of America’s pastime.
©2012 Tom Clavin and Danny Peary (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Baseball Maverick
Summary
In 2010 the New York Mets were in trouble. One of baseball's most valuable franchises, they had recently suffered an embarrassing September collapse and two bitter losing seasons. Their GM had made costly mistakes. And their principle owners were embroiled in the largest financial scam in American history. To whom did they turn? Sandy Alderson, a former marine who served in Vietnam and graduated from Harvard Law. In 1981 Alderson started in baseball with Oakland, where he led a revolution in the sport. The A's partnered with Apple, pioneered using statistical analysis, and became a powerhouse, winning the 1989 World Series. When new owners slashed payroll in the 1990s, Alderson's under-the-radar creativity and intelligent management were thrust into the spotlight. Granted unprecedented access to a working GM over several seasons, best-selling author Steve Kettmann traces Alderson's history and his renewal of the Mets despite a limited budget, through big trades that brought back high-profile prospects, to the development of young aces including Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler, and Jacob deGrom. Now the turnaround is almost complete. Baseball Maverick is a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at a Major League team and a fascinating exploration of what it means to be smart.
©2015 Steve Kettmann. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Honus Wagner
Summary
Honus Wagner, whose career in baseball (most of it with the Pittsburgh Pirates) stretched from 1895 to 1917, was the first American sports superstar of the twentieth century. One of the first five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its first year (1939), he was probably the best shortstop in baseball's history. His great career and the dawn of baseball as popular entertainment occurred simultaneously, and he has become an icon of the early game; his 1909 baseball card, one of which sold four years ago for $451,000, is a holy grail of American memorabilia. This first major biography shows why Wagner was America's favorite image of sport during baseball's transition to the modern era.
©1995 Dennis DeValeria and Jeanne Burke DeValeria (P)1996 Blackstone Audiobooks
Stan Musial
Summary
When baseball fans voted on the top 25 players of the 20th century in 1999, Stan Musial didn’t make the cut. This glaring omission - later rectified by a panel of experts - aised an important question: How could a first-ballot Hall of Famer, widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, still rank as the most underrated athlete of all time? In Stan Musial, veteran sports journalist George Vecsey finally gives this 20-time All-Star and St. Louis Cardinals icon the kind of prestigious biographical treatment previously afforded to his more celebrated contemporaries Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. More than just a chronological recounting of the events of Musial’s life, this is the definitive portrait of one of the game’s best-loved but most unappreciated legends, told through the remembrances of those who played beside, worked with, and covered “Stan the Man” over the course of his nearly seventy years in the national spotlight. Stan Musial never married a starlet. He didn’t die young, live too hard, or squander his talent. There were no legendary displays of temper or moodiness. He was merely the most consistent superstar of his era, a scarily gifted batsman who compiled 3,630 career hits (1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road), won three World Series titles, and retired in 1963 in possession of seventeen major-league records. Away from the diamond, he proved a savvy businessman and a model of humility and graciousness toward his many fans in St. Louis and around the world. From Keith Hernandez’s boyhood memories of Musial leaving tickets for him when the Cardinals were in San Francisco to the little-known story of Musial’s friendship with novelist James Michener - and their mutual association with Pope John Paul II - Vecsey weaves an intimate oral history around one of the great gentlemen of baseball’s Greatest Generation. There may never be another Stan the Man, a fact that future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols - reluctantly nicknamed “El Hombre” in Musial’s honor - is quick to acknowledge. But thanks to this long-overdue reappraisal, even those who took his greatness for granted will learn to appreciate him all over again.
©2011 Random House Audio (P)2011 George Vecsey
Cobb
Summary
As a boy in the 1890s he went looking for thrills in a rural Georgia that still burned with humiliation from the Civil War. As an old man in the 1960s he dared death, picked fights, refused to take his medicine, and drove off all his friends and admirers. He went to his deathbed alone, clutching a loaded pistol and a bag containing millions of dollars worth of cash and securities. During the years in between, he became, according to Al Stump, "the most shrewd, inventive, lurid, detested, mysterious, and superb of all baseball players." He was Ty Cobb. In Cobb, Stump tells how he was given a fascinating window into the Georgia Peach's life and times when the dying Cobb hired him in 1960 to ghostwrite his autobiography.
©1994 by Al Stump (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks
Mike Trout
Summary
Discover the Inspirational Story of Baseball Superstar Mike Trout! You're about to discover the incredibly inspirational story of baseball superstar Mike Trout. If you're reading this, then you must be a Mike Trout fan, like so many others. As a fan, you must wonder how this man is so talented and want to know more about him. Mike Trout is considered as one of the greatest young baseball players in the world, and it's been an honor to be able to watch him play throughout his young career. This audiobook will reveal to you much about Mike Trout's story and the many accomplishments throughout his career. Here is a preview of what you'll learn: Youth and Family Life High School and College Career Professional Career and Personal Life Legacy, Charitable Acts, and Much More! If you want to learn more about Mike Trout, then this book is for you. It will reveal to you many things that you did not know about this incredible baseball star!
©2013 Bill Redban (P)2015 Bill Redban
Ann Liguori's Audio Hall of Fame: Pete Rose
Summary
Pete Rose is best known for his many years with the Cincinnati Reds as a player and manager. His career began in 1963 and Rose earned his nickname "Charlie Hustle" for his brisk style of play, especially when stealing bases. Rose retired as a player in 1986 and moved to coaching. Three years later, his brilliant career was mired in a gambling scandal. This interview discusses his many different roles in sports, as a player, a manager and most recently as a radio broadcaster. Here Rose is interviewed by Ann Liguori, award-winning luminary in sports broadcasting with a celebrated career that spans two decades. Pete's feisty style comes across when Ann asks him about the gambling scandal and what he feels his chances are in ever getting into Baseball's Hall of Fame. Liguori has interviewed some of the most legendary sports personalities, drawing out their success stories, their opinions on a variety of issues, and their love of the game.
©2009 Ann Liguori (P)2009 Ann Liguori
The Final Game at Ebbets Field
Summary
The Dodgers’ final game in Brooklyn was played on September 24, 1957. From the author of The Giants of The Polo Grounds, here's a thoughtful, entertaining new account of that last game played by the Brooklyn Dodgers at baseball's fabled Ebbets Field. The Final Game At Ebbets Field starts this unique collection of true baseball stories. A treasure trove of new insights and details accompany this newly researched account. The book continues with a lively assemblage of true major league stories from the golden age of baseball, focusing on New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, with a touch of San Francisco at the conclusion. We meet the fascinating men and women of the first half of the 20th century. We get to know the people and places of a colorful bygone time: back when there were 16 teams and hundreds of legendary players. Meet, for example, the family that lived at a ballpark in New York, the female Olympic swimmer who became the pitcher and captain of the New York Female Giants. Spend time with championship Boston Red Sox team that featured the greatest everyday outfield ever. Go back to the day when John Dillinger played professional baseball and Al Capone asked a Chicago player for an autograph, a request that was not to be refused. Fly a single engine plane with Ruth Law, the skilled aviatrix who dropped a grapefruit from an airplane on the Brooklyn manager. Relive the torments of the A's owner who erected a spiteful wall in Philadelphia to prevent neighborhood fans from seeing his team's games. All these true stories and more are contained here, told in the wry amusing style of Noel Hynd, a former contributor to Sports Illustrated. The Final Game at Ebbets Field is an insightful romp through some of American baseball's quirkiest events. It’s a memorable listen! Come join us on a road trip into baseball's most colorful times.
©2019 Noel Hynd (P)2019 Noel Hynd
Pete Rose
Summary
Pete Rose played baseball with a singular and headfirst abandon that endeared him to fans and peers, even as it riled others--a figure at once magnetic, beloved and polarizing. Rose has more base hits than anyone in history, yet he is not in the Hall of Fame. Twenty-five years ago he was banished from baseball for gambling, then ruled ineligible for Cooperstown; today, the question "Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame?" has evolved into perhaps the most provocative in sports, a layered, slippery and ever-relevant moral conundrum. How do we evaluate the Hit King now, at a time when steroid cheats appear on the Hall of Fame ballot even as Rose is denied? What do we make of this happily unrepentant gambler, this shameless but beguiling showman whose post-baseball journey has led him to a curious reality show and to the streets of Cooperstown to hawk his signature, his story, himself? Best-selling author Kostya Kennedy delivers an evocative answer in his fascinating re-examination of Pete Rose's life; from his cocky and charismatic early years through his storied playing career to his bitter war against baseball's hierarchy to the man we find today--still incorrigible, still adored by many. Where has his improbable saga landed him in the redefined, post-steroid world? Do we feel any differently about Pete Rose today? Should we?
©2014 Kostya Kennedy (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
One Tough Out
Summary
For 19 seasons, Rod Carew was a maestro in the batter's box. Uncoiling from his crouched stance, he seemed to guide the ball wherever he wanted on the way to a whopping seven batting titles and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If only everything in life had been as easy as he made hitting look. In One Tough Out: Fighting Off Life's Curveballs, Carew reflects on the highlights, anecdotes, and friendships from his outstanding career, describing the abuse, poverty, and racism he overcame to even reach the majors. In conversational, confessional prose, he takes listeners through the challenges he's conquered in the second half of his life, from burying his youngest daughter to surviving several near-fatal bouts with heart disease. He also details the remarkable reason he's alive today: the heart transplant he received from Konrad Reuland, a 29-year-old NFL player he'd met years before. Carew explains how that astonishing connection was revealed and the unique bond he and his wife, Rhonda, have since forged with his donor's family. An important thread running through this mosaic of Carew's life is his faith. He illustrates how his mother instilled those beliefs during their darkest days and how conversations with God helped him fight off every curveball life has thrown his way.
©2020 Rod Carew and Jaime Aron (P)2020 Recorded Books
A False Spring
Summary
In A False Spring, Pat Jordan traces the falling star of his once-promising pitching career, illuminating along the way his equally difficult personal struggles and quest for maturity. When the reader meets Jordan, he is a hard-throwing pitcher with seemingly limitless potential, one of the first "bonus babies" for the Milwaukee Braves organization. Jordan’s sojourn through the lower levels of minor-league ball takes him through the small towns of America: McCook, Waycross, Davenport, Eau Claire, and Palatka. As the promised land of the majors recedes because of his inconsistency and lack of control, the young man who had previously known only glory and success is forced to face himself.
©1975 Pat Jordan (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Here's the Catch
Summary
In time for the 50th anniversary of the Mets' miraculous 1969 World Series win, right fielder Ron Swoboda tells the story of that amazing season, the people he played with and against (sometimes at the same time), and what life was like as an "Every Man" ballplayer. Ron Swoboda wasn't the greatest player the Mets ever had, but he made the greatest catch in Met history, saving a game in the 1969 World Series, and his RBI clinched the final game. By Met standards that makes him legend. The Mets even use a steel silhouette of the catch as a backing for the right field entrance sign at Citi Field. In this smart, funny, insightful memoir, which is as self-deprecating as a lifetime .249 hitter has to be, he tells the story of that magical year nearly game by game, revealing his struggles, his triumphs, and what life was like for an everyday, Every Man player, even when he was being platooned. He shows what it took to make one of the worst teams in baseball and what it was like to leave one of the best. And when he talks about the guys he played with and against, it's like you're sitting next to him on the team bus, drinking Rheingold. This is a book anyone who loves the game will love as much.
©2019 Ronald Swoboda (P)2019 Tantor
Intangiball
Summary
Intangiball tracks the progress of the Cincinnati Reds through five years of culture change, beginning with the trades of decorated veterans Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. It also draws liberally from such character-conscious clubs as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays. Author, sportswriter, and eternal fan of the game Lonnie Wheeler systematically identifies the performance-enhancing qualities (PEQs) that together comprise the "communicable competitiveness" that he calls "teamship."
©2015 Lonnie Wheeler (P)2015 Tantor
Try Not to Suck
Summary
With his irreverant personality, laid-back approach, and penchant for the unexpected, Joe Maddon is a singular presence among Major League Baseball managers. Whether he's bringing clowns and live bear cubs to spring training or leading the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years, Maddon is always one to watch. In Try Not to Suck, ESPN's Jesse Rogers and MLB.com's Bill Chastain fully explore Maddon's life and career, delving behind the scenes and dissecting that mystique which makes Maddon so popular with players and analysts alike. Packed with insight, anecdotes, and little-known facts, this is the definitive account of the curse-breaker and trailblazer at the helm of the Cubs' new era.
©2018 Bill Chastain and Jesse Rogers (P)2018 Tantor