Any baseball fan knows of the ongoing struggle over decision making between managers, who like to go with gut feelings, and non-playing analysts, who scrutinize statistics. Pete Larkin's narration of this discussion isn't flashy, but he does the job steadily, much like the book's subjects do theirs. The account humanizes the people who pore over minutiae, giving personality to the number-crunchers who analyze data for the sake of helping a team. It focuses on how the Pittsburgh Pirates improved under Clint Hurdle, who came to embrace the role of data. Larkin doesn't try to imitate the people quoted and his timbre is a bit nasally, but he keeps the listener's interest with his emotional inflection. It's an interesting listen for fans who want to understand what causes defensive shifts and the like.
Pub Date: May 19, 2015
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427265517
Publisher: Macmillan 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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