McGinniss admits that he's obsessed with soccer. Why else would he go to an Italian mountain village to spend a season getting to know a previously obscure team that made headlines when it advanced to Italy's second-highest soccer league? But Dick Hill's spirited narration and McGinniss's boundless enthusiasm make it seem not that crazy a project. Hill captures the passion the players feel for the game, masters a plausible Italian accent, and gracefully handles the passages in which the conversation runs in Italian with English translation following. Memorable characters crowd the program, with Hill catching their essence, including the likable players; the frustrated author; the bullying, strong-willed coach; and the omnipresent owner and manager, who have other goals for the team besides winning the season. Spirit and passion give this program universal appeal, for it captures the human capacity to be dedicated to a cause.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
More books have been written about baseball than any other sport, and audiobooks such as this allow the genre to flourish. Former pitcher Ron Darling, now a broadcaster, had a distinguished career, primarily with the New York Mets. Darling has met just about everyone in the sport for nearly four decades and demonstrates his knowledge and connections with the anecdotes in this entertaining memoir. Narrator Malcolm Hillgartner's relaxed delivery sounds as though he is in the broadcast booth with Darling. Like most audio sports memoirs, this book succeeds because of the narrator's engaging style. Hillgartner recognizes that even the duller moments in baseball are bolstered by the legacies of so many who have played the game, and were fortunate to have crossed paths with the author.
Pub Date: April 2, 2019
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781721342457
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Willie Mays's baseball life was a long and rich one, worthy of multiple biographies. Known as a five-tool player--he could run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power--Mays enjoyed a long career. The tag-team narration here fits wonderfully: Larry Herron speaks in a serious and deep tone that is commanding, with appropriate doses of emotion. Julian McWilliams uses a higher voice for Mays who, in fact, does have a slightly high voice. Often, when people are quoted--like President Obama--imitations are used and fit seamlessly within the story. Off- and on-the-field anecdotes are interspersed with brief pieces of advice and mini-mantras from the baseball great.
Pub Date: May 12, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250240231
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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