Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero

He was The Kid. The Splendid Splinter. Teddy Ballgame. One of the greatest figures of his generation, and arguably the greatest baseball hitter of all time. But what made Ted Williams a legend - and a lightning rod for controversy in life and in death? What motivated him to interrupt his Hall of Fame career twice to serve his country as a fighter pilot; to embrace his fans while tangling with the media; to retreat from the limelight whenever possible into his solitary love of fishing; and to become the most famous man ever to have his body cryogenically frozen after his death? New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville, who wrote the celebrated Sports Illustrated obituary of Ted Williams, now delivers an intimate, riveting account of this extraordinary life. Still a gangly teenager when he stepped into a Boston Red Sox uniform in 1939, Williams's boisterous personality and penchant for towering home runs earned him adoring admirers-the fans-and venomous critics-the sportswriters. In 1941, the entire country followed Williams's stunning .406 season, a record that has not been touched in over six decades. At the pinnacle of his prime, Williams left Boston to train and serve as a fighter pilot in World War II, missing three full years of baseball. He was back in 1946, dominating the sport alongside teammates Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. But Williams left baseball again in 1952 to fight in Korea, where he flew thirty-nine combat missions-crash-landing his flaming, smoke-filled plane, in one famous episode. Ted Willams's personal life was equally colorful. His attraction to women (and their attraction to him) was a constant. He was married and divorced three times and he fathered two daughters and a son. He was one of corporate America's first modern spokesmen, and he remained, nearly into his eighties, a fiercely devoted fisherman. With his son, John Henry Williams, he devoted his final years to the sports memorabilia business, even as illness overtook him. And in death, controversy and public outcry followed Williams and the disagreements between his children over the decision to have his body preserved for future resuscitation in a cryonics facility-a fate, many argue, Williams never wanted. With unmatched verve and passion, and drawing upon hundreds of interviews, acclaimed best-selling author Leigh Montville brings to life Ted Williams's superb triumphs, lonely tragedies, and intensely colorful personality, in a biography that is fitting of an American hero and legend.

Leigh Montville (Author), Philip Bosco (Narrator)

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Funny Cide: How a Horse, a Trainer, a Jockey, and a Bunch of High School Buddies Took on the Shieks

They had no business being there. They were up against million-dollar horses owned by patricians, oilmen, Arab sheiks, and Hollywood producers. They were ten regular guys, and all they wanted was to win a race. Instead, they won the hearts of America. In 2003, a three-year-old with the unlikely name of Funny Cide became "the people's horse," the unheralded New York-bred gelding who-in a time of war and economic jitters-inspired a nation by knocking off the champions and their millionaire owners and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown. Trained by a journeyman who'd spent over 30 years looking for "the one," ridden by a jockey fighting to come back after years of injuries and hard knocks, and owned by a band of high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, New York, Funny Cide became a hero and media sensation. Now, Sally Jenkins, award-winning co-author of Lance Armstrong's #1 bestseller It's Not About the Bike, tells the inside story of the Funny Cide team's ups and downs against overwhelming odds, illness, and even scandal, to capture the imagination of millions. It's a new American classic for the underdog in all of us.

, LLC Funny Cide Ventures, Sally Jenkins (Author), Jamey Sheridan, Jamie Sheridan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero

He was The Kid. The Splendid Splinter. Teddy Ballgame. One of the greatest figures of his generation, and arguably the greatest baseball hitter of all time. But what made Ted Williams a legend – and a lightning rod for controversy in life and in death? What motivated him to interrupt his Hall of Fame career twice to serve his country as a fighter pilot; to embrace his fans while tangling with the media; to retreat from the limelight whenever possible into his solitary love of fishing; and to become the most famous man ever to have his body cryogenically frozen after his death? New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville, who wrote the celebrated Sports Illustrated obituary of Ted Williams, now delivers an intimate, riveting account of this extraordinary life. Still a gangly teenager when he stepped into a Boston Red Sox uniform in 1939, Williams’s boisterous personality and penchant for towering home runs earned him adoring admirers--the fans--and venomous critics--the sportswriters. In 1941, the entire country followed Williams's stunning .406 season, a record that has not been touched in over six decades. At the pinnacle of his prime, Williams left Boston to train and serve as a fighter pilot in World War II, missing three full years of baseball. He was back in 1946, dominating the sport alongside teammates Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. But Williams left baseball again in 1952 to fight in Korea, where he flew thirty-nine combat missions—crash-landing his flaming, smoke-filled plane, in one famous episode. Ted Willams's personal life was equally colorful. His attraction to women (and their attraction to him) was a constant. He was married and divorced three times and he fathered two daughters and a son. He was one of corporate America's first modern spokesmen, and he remained, nearly into his eighties, a fiercely devoted fisherman. With his son, John Henry Williams, he devoted his final years to the sports memorabilia business, even as illness overtook him. And in death, controversy and public outcry followed Williams and the disagreements between his children over the decision to have his body preserved for future resuscitation in a cryonics facility--a fate, many argue, Williams never wanted. With unmatched verve and passion, and drawing upon hundreds of interviews, acclaimed best-selling author Leigh Montville brings to life Ted Williams's superb triumphs, lonely tragedies, and intensely colorful personality, in a biography that is fitting of an American hero and legend.

Leigh Montville (Author), Philip Bosco, Scott Brick (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Last Season

With the honesty and insight that are his hallmarks, one of the most successful coaches in the history of basketball, nine-time NBA Champion coach Phil Jackson, offers his personal account of the extraordinary ride of the 2003-2004 Los Angeles Lakers. Though familiar with high-profile, high-pressure seasons and the coaching of gigantic personalities, nothing could have prepared Phil Jackson for the high-wire act of the Lakers' 2003-2004 season. In THE LAST SEASON, Jackson tells the inside story of the season that proved to be the final one for the Lakers dynasty, from the signing of the future Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton and the bombshell news of the felony sexual-assault charges against Kobe Bryant to the NBA finals and the team's ultimate dismantling. Jackson discusses it all - juggling enormous egos, public feuds, injuries, contract disputes and chronic team dysfunction - with his trademark honesty and depth of insight.

Phil Jackson (Author), Stephen Hoye (Narrator)

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The Stone Cold Truth

He's wrestled under many names, "Stunning" Steve Austin, The Ringmaster, he even wrestled for a time under his own name, Steve Williams. But to fans he is and will always be Stone Cold Steve Austin. His quick wit and colorful use of language combined with his everyman character captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Steve grew up in a small town in Texas. Always a fan of wrestling, Steve seized the chance to study wrestling at a school in Dallas. His ability to take the bumps and hard falls required by his new profession, and his never-say-die attitude, connected him with the fans and his fellow wrestlers. His capricious firing by the WCW, World Championship Wrestling, lead to his being hired by World Wrestling Entertainment. However, it was Steve's own ability inside the ring and his quick-witted responses that lead to his becoming one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. It seemed nothing could stop the Texas Rattlesnake, except himself. In 2001 Steve's life seemed to spiral out of control and he walked away from it all. Now, with his triumphal return to the world of professional wrestling, he is finally ready to tell his story, his way. The Stone Cold Truth is an unvarnished take on his life, his loves, and his days as a wrestler told in a way that only he could, and you know it's the truth "'cause Stone Cold says so!"

Steve Austin (Author), Steve Austin (Narrator)

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My Losing Season

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply affecting coming-of-age memoir about family, love, loss, basketball-and life itself-by the beloved author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini During one unforgettable season as a Citadel cadet, Pat Conroy becomes part of a basketball team that is ultimately destined to fail. And yet for a military kid who grew up on the move, the Bulldogs provide a sanctuary from the cold, abrasive father who dominates his life-and a crucible for becoming his own man. With all the drama and incandescence of his bestselling fiction, Conroy re-creates his pivotal senior year as captain of the Citadel Bulldogs. He chronicles the highs and lows of that fateful 1966-67 season, his tough disciplinarian coach, the joys of winning, and the hard-won lessons of losing. Most of all, he recounts how a group of boys came together as a team, playing a sport that would become a metaphor for a man whose spirit could never be defeated. Praise for My Losing Season "A superb accomplishment, maybe the finest book Pat Conroy has written."-The Washington Post Book World "A wonderfully rich memoir that you don't have to be a sports fan to love."-Houston Chronicle "A memoir with all the Conroy trademarks . . . Here's ample proof that losers always tell the best stories."-Newsweek "In My Losing Season, Conroy opens his arms wide to embrace his difficult past and almost everyone in it."-New York Daily News "Haunting, bittersweet and as compelling as his bestselling fiction."-Boston Herald From the Hardcover edition.

Pat Conroy (Author), Chuck Montgomery (Narrator)

Audiobook

On the Big Blackfoot: Readings, Interviews and Reflections

In this archival recording, Norman Maclean reflects about his father, his brother, Paul, and the fly fishing that united them to one another and the natural world. Interwoven throughout are the musings and memories of his own son, Chicago Tribune journalist John Maclean, son remembers father, father recalls brother. Set against the gurgling sounds of the Big Blackfoot River, their voices recount a bittersweet love across the generations. It's a story sure to leave the listener, like Norman Maclean, "haunted by waters."

John MacLean, Norman MacLean, Norman Maclean (Author), John MacLean, John Maclean, Norman Maclean (Narrator)

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My Losing Season

Pat Conroy (Author), Jay O. Sanders (Narrator)

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Denzel Washington

Anne Hill (Author), J.D. Jackson (Narrator)

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Pete Hamill on Eddie Stanky

It's a cold spring day in 1944. A young Pete Hamill is with his father watching the Brooklyn Dodgers play the Boston Braves. The wartime teams are just dismal - many major league players are serving their country and the teams have been clogged with has-beens and guys that are 4-F. But Pete's father tells him to "watch this little guy." His name is Eddie Stanky. An ex-soccer player, Stanky bounced around the minor leagues until getting the call to the majors. He was small, but played with intensity. He risked beanings by crouching over the plate. He slid hard into second base to break up the double play. Instead of hitting home runs, he'd draw a walk, and then steal second. He wasn't a great player, but his intangibles made him stand out. Eddie Stanky represents the twilight of Hamill's youth and his growing appreciation of his father through his admiration of Stanky. A time before Jackie Robinson; before the hated Giants and before the demise of Ebbets Field. This story will appeal not only to baseball fans, but to anyone who has rooted for the underdog.

Pete Hamill (Author), Pete Hamill (Narrator)

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Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer, here is the definitive story of Joe DiMaggio's life -- the story that DiMaggio never would tell. This groundbreaking biography of DiMaggio -- from his first game with the Yankees in the 1930's through his rise to national hero status, and onto his lonely and mysterious death last year -- reveals startling information about his life, but becomes much more than one man's story. In Cramer's hands, DiMaggio's complicated life befomes, too, the story of America's media machine, the invention of a national celebrity in America, and the ways in which fame can both build and destroy.

Richard Ben Cramer (Author), Richard Ben Cramer (Narrator)

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You Go Girl! Winning the Woman's Way

Girls' athletic participation in school and community sports programs is skyrocketing. Girls now comprise 33 percent of all high school athletes, representing a dramatic increase from four percent who participated in 1971, the year before the enactment of Title IX. You Go, Girl! is a collection of first person insights, thoughts, and stories from successful women in the world of sports. Athletes, coaches, and sports executives talk about their lives, their dreams, their frustrations, and disappointments, as well as their victories and passions, practice habits, and perspectives. Their stories will inspire, teach, motivate, encourage, and challenge any reader, male or female. Among the women who have contributed their personal anecdotes and insights are: Mia Hamm (soccer); Gabrielle Reece (beach volleyball); Marion Jones (sprinter and long jumper); Kerri Strug (gymnastics); Chris Evert (tennis); Nancy Lopez (golf); Picabo Street (Olympic gold medal skier) and many others. Most of today's young women went through school after the 1972 passage of title IX: the same cannot be said of their mothers. This book provides a powerful opportunity to close that gap.

Charlie Jones, Kim Doren (Author), Matilda Novak (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir