Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball's immortal figures. Based on meticulous research and interviews with former teammates, family, two former presidents, and Aaron himself, The Last Hero chronicles Aaron's childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays'all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record. Bryant also examines Aaron's more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field when his playing days had ended, his rediscovery by a public disillusioned with today's tainted heroes, and his disappointment that his career home-run record was finally broken by Barry Bonds during the steroid era, baseball's greatest scandal. Bryant reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time'fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress'and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African-Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public spotlight. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.

Howard Bryant (Author), Dominic Hoffman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball

No owner has changed the landscape of sports more than New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. From the moment he bought the team in 1973 for $10 million, Steinbrenner's monomaniacal pursuit was to restore the most fabled franchise in baseball history to its former glory. Today the New York Yankees are worth more than $1 billion and are once again world champions. Award-winning sportswriter Bill Madden traces Steinbrenner from his early days in Cleveland through his years as a shipping magnate, a Nixon fund-raiser, and a champion horse breeder to the fateful moment when he bought the Yankees, even though his father disparaged George's desire to own a professional sports team as a "hobby." Over the next four decades, Steinbrenner's tumultuous reign included his epic battles with Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, even beloved Yankee captain Derek Jeter. His ruthless and free-spending tactics made him a lightning rod for controversy but they also paid off: Steinbrenner's Yankees have won seven championships and remain the gold standard in all sports. In the last few years, with his health declining, the Boss ceded control of the team to his sons, but not before lording over the team's historic transition from the House That Ruth Built to the House That George Built. Throughout his three decades of covering the Yankees, Bill Madden has cultivated hundreds of sources at every level in the organization, from the many managers and front-office personnel Steinbrenner has fired to the bat boys who are ever present in the locker room. All of them have colorful stories about the man with whom they have enjoyed a love-hate relationship, but it is the Boss himself whose voice rises above the rest. And when Steinbrenner decided to give his final print interview, he spoke to Madden to set the record straight on his extraordinary life and career.

Bill Madden (Author), Kerin McCue (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran

Upon its release, The Bullpen Gospels was a direct hit to the New York Times bestseller list. With comparisons to Jim Boutons's Ball Four, The Bullpen Gospels is slated to be a classic of the genre. From the humble heights of a Class-A pitcher's mound to the deflating lows of sleeping on his gun-toting grandmother's air mattress, veteran reliever Dirk Hayhurst steps out of the bullpen to deliver the best pitch of his career-a raw and unflinching account of his life in the minors. Whether training tarantulas to protect his room from thieving employees in a backwater hotel or absorbing the gentle mockery of some not-quite-starstruck schoolchildren, Hayhurst reveals a side of baseball-and life-rarely seen on ESPN. "One of the best baseball books ever written."-Keith Olbermann

Dirk Hayhurst (Author), Ray Porter (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Wit of Golf

Building on the huge success of THE WIT OF CRICKET, this is a collection of the funniest golf anecdotes, jokes and stories. A bumper bag of humorous anecdotes and amusing tales from golf's best-loved personalities that proves golf is a funny old game - birdies, bunkers and all! Read hilarious stories covering everything from caddies to the clubhouse by the game's all-time great characters, including Peter Alliss, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam. Enjoy the humour of legendary players such as Seve Ballesteros, Tony Jacklin, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods, as they share the funny side of playing in the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup. Laugh-out-loud at celebrity golfers Bruce Forsyth and Michael Parkinson's rib-tickling anecdotes about pro-am tournaments and club golf. THE WIT OF GOLF is a wonderful collection of jokes, stories and anecdotes, perfect for any golf fan.

Barry Johnston (Author), Peter Alliss, Robert Powell, Tim Brooke-Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron

In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron’s reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball’s immortal figures. Based on meticulous research and interviews with former teammates, family, two former presidents, and Aaron himself, The Last Hero chronicles Aaron’s childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays—all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth’s all-time home-run record. Bryant also examines Aaron’s more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field when his playing days had ended, his rediscovery by a public disillusioned with today’s tainted heroes, and his disappointment that his career home-run record was finally broken by Barry Bonds during the steroid era, baseball’s greatest scandal. Bryant reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time—fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress—and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson’s mission to obtain full equality for African-Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public spotlight. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon. From the Hardcover edition.

Howard Bryant (Author), Dominic Hoffman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tiger: The Real Story

At twenty, Tiger Woods made his debut in a Nike commercial. "Hello, World," he said. "Are you ready for me?" The world was ready. His handlers kept a tight rein on the private superstar, carefully controlling his media coverage. Although everyone recognizes Tiger Woods, his true character has remained a mystery. Tiger: The Real Story is the riveting story of this gifted athlete who tasted unprecedented success and fame. Using his storied golf career as a backdrop, it examines how the people closest to Tiger - an ambitious father, an ambivalent mother, and a starstruck wife - have shaped him into a complex and conflicted man. Central to the story is Tiger himself: how media hype and a sudden fall from grace have nearly destroyed his personal and professional life... and where he goes from here.

Steve Helling (Author), Kevin Kenerly (Narrator)

Audiobook

Start the Car

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of 'Bumble', the legendary SkySports cricket commentator who's one ball short of an over and delivers madcap moments galore in this ebullient, endearing and hilarious new book.David 'Bumble' Lloyd is a legend in our living rooms, a genuine 'good bloke' all cricket fans feel they know inside out because of his infectious, larger-than-life personality and that distinctive Lancashire burr.Bumble has become the one constant for passionate English fans in cricket's rapidly changing landscape. He has earned cult status as a commentator and pundit, with viewers loving his unerring dedication to the game's great fables.The World According to Bumble: Start the Car revels in the quirkier and humorous side of cricket, while offering behind-the-scenes action of Lloyd's years spent following cricket around the globe, from Accrington to Lahore.Bumble waxes lyrical on everything from the genius of Shane Warne to the merits of a Lancashire hotpot ... and the delights of finishing the day with a couple of pints and a curry.Enjoy the camaraderie that exists among the SkySports team - including former England captains Sir Ian Botham, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and David Gower - and laugh out loud at the stories and anecdotes which have forged Bumble's character.Whether he is holding up play to retrieve lost balls from the top of sight-screens, or enacting mock pitch reports from car parks, Bumble is capable of stealing the limelight at all times.

David Lloyd (Author), David Lloyd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story

Since 1950, the instantly recognizable voice of Vin Scully has invited listeners to 'pull up a chair' for his peerless play-by-play sports reporting. Recruited and mentored by the legendary Red Barber, Scully has narrated NBC Television's Game of the Week, twelve All-Star Games, eighteen no-hitters, and twenty-five World Series, describing players from Duke Snider to Orel Hershiser to Manny Ramirez, with hundreds in between. Scully has made every sportscasting Hall of Fame, received a Lifetime Emmy Achievement award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and been named the Sportscaster of the Twentieth Century by the American Sportscasters Association. This long overdue first biography of Vin Scully is written by Curt Smith, called 'the voice of authority on baseball broadcasting' (USA Today).

Curt Smith (Author), Don Leslie (Narrator)

Audiobook

Babe Ruth: His Life and Legend

Babe Ruth grew from his adolescence in a Baltimore orphanage into a baseball superstar and national treasure. But he was also a product of his time, the colorful 1920s and 1930s. A sparkling collage of narratives from "the Babe", those who knew him, and the media makes this an exceptional biography as well as a work of cultural history.

Kal Wagenheim (Author), Richard Davidson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life

Every morning more than three million listeners tune in to Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio—mostly to hear the Mikes’ (Golic and Greenberg) riotous back-and-forth on everything from why baseball managers should dress like real people to how to lose a fight with the wife with dignity. In Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life, the beloved mic jockeys put their unique stamp on, well, the rules for sports and life. In years on the road, in the studio, and at home, Greeny and Golic have learned that it’s all about the big stuff: separating order from chaos, ensuring our survival as a species, and keeping peace. If you’re one of Golic and Greeny’s legions of followers, you probably can’t get enough of this sort of provocative, hilarious, and occasionally obsessive stuff. And if you’re one of those fans who live by the rule “There oughta be a rule,” then Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life is the audio book for you.

Mike Golic, Mike Greenberg (Author), Mike Golic, Mike Greenberg (Narrator)

Audiobook

Willie Mays

Authorized by Willie Mays and written by a New York Times bestselling author, this is the definitive biography of one of baseball's immortals. Considered to be "as monumental -- and enigmatic -- a legend as American sport has ever seen" (Sports Illustrated), Willie Mays is arguably the greatest player in baseball history, still revered for the passion he brought to the game. He began as a teenager in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball's bold expansion to California. With 3,283 hits, 660 home runs, and 338 stolen bases, he was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that enraptured fans for more than two decades. Now, in the first biography authorized by and written with the cooperation of Willie Mays, James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player. Willie is perhaps best known for "The Catch" -- his breathtaking over-the-shoulder grab in the 1954 World Series. But he was a transcendent figure who received standing ovations in enemy stadiums and who, during the turbulent civil rights era, urged understanding and reconciliation. More than his records, his legacy is defined by the pure joy that he brought to fans and the loving memories that have been passed to future generations so they might know the magic and beauty of the game. With meticulous research, and drawing on interviews with Mays himself as well as with close friends, family, and teammates, Hirsch presents a complex portrait of one of America's most significant cultural icons.

James S. Hirsch (Author), Michael Boatman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Winning Through

In Winning Through Brian Irvine tells the truth about his life as a footballer. From family life in Airdrie we follow him as he realises his boyhood dreams. He becomes an international player with Aberdeen and Scotland. But he has to cope with bad times, and worse, when he is told he has a serious and possibly fatal illness. Finally he has to come to terms with the end of a long playing career. Brian's Christian faith and strong family ties help him to cope, and to 'win through'.

Brian Irvine (Author), Kenny Blyth (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir