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The Baseball 100
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 30 hrs and 46 mins
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The Baseball 100
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Summary
New York Times Best Seller
Winner of the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year
“An instant sports classic.” (New York Post)
“Stellar.” (The Wall Street Journal)
“A true masterwork…880 pages of sheer baseball bliss.” (BookPage, starred review)
“This is a remarkable achievement.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
A magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of the 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will.
Longer than Moby-Dick and nearly as ambitious,The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter and lifelong student of the game Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the sport through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book’s introduction, Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator George F. Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than 200 years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?”
Baseball’s legends come alive in this book, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, unfairly forgotten All-Stars, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t rely just on records and statistics - he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the 21st-century game compared to Greg Maddux dueling with the juiced hitters of the '90s? How do the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth’s? Which player in the top 10 most deserves to be resurrected from history?
No compendium of baseball’s legendary geniuses could be complete without the players of the segregated Negro Leagues, men whose extraordinary careers were largely overlooked by sportswriters at the time and unjustly lost to history. Posnanski writes about the efforts of former Negro Leaguers to restore sidelined Black athletes to their due honor, and draws upon the deep troves of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and extensive interviews with the likes of Buck O’Neil to illuminate the accomplishments of players such as pitchers Satchel Paige and Smokey Joe Williams; outfielders Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cool Papa Bell; first baseman Buck Leonard; shortstop Pop Lloyd; catcher Josh Gibson; and many, many more.
The Baseball 100 treats listeners to the whole rich pageant of baseball history in a single volume. Chapter by chapter, Posnanski invites listeners to examine common lore with brand-new eyes and learn stories that have long gone unheard. The epic and often emotional listening experience mirrors Posnanski’s personal odyssey to capture the history and glory of baseball like no one else, fueled by his boundless love for the sport.
Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who have played it.
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What listeners say about The Baseball 100
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shambaccathewookie
- 04-10-21
A Comprehensive And Loving Remanence of Baseball
This book is a love letter to baseball, and it’s many characters along the years. Kinda like a Ken Burns documentary that examines the back of each baseball card. Each of the 100 players examined gets a essay that gives you the essence of you that player was, what he did, and his importance to the game. Stats are given to buttress the argument for the position where each player lands on the list, but are not leaned on as to not bore the listener. Great for the old baseball card collector in me.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 10-03-22
An Audible Slog
I am a baseball fan. I admire the legends that Joe Posnanski has listed in his book.
The methodology that Joe used to rank the players is arbitrary and up for debate which is a fun way to approach this book.
It is NOT an easy book to listen to….I wish I had purchased a hard copy to go over some of the statistical rationale he used for his choices.
The book narrator didn’t know how to pronounce some of the legendary names and it drove me crazy. Nap Lajoe…Bill Veeck and Buzzie Bavasi prime examples…..
Save the 20+ hours of listening…buy the hard copy book.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-01-23
Outstanding Baseball Book
Have been a baseball fan for over 70 years. This book was fascinating and an amazing compilation of baseball information. Written in a fun, interesting style. Thank you Joe Ponanski.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren Williams
- 28-01-23
Great Book
Technically it is not the performer's fault. The editors missed the mark on spicing numerous times. I realize it's a very long book, but it does take away from the experience when the "record skips."
By the way the book is excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael James
- 14-01-23
Beautiful stories of the hearts!!
Highly recommend this, intelligent, playful, and inquisitive historical read on the greatest baseball players to ever play between the lines.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Library Bob
- 12-01-23
The narrator should know baseball history
Excellent book, but the narrator butchered probably 100 names. I guess the most obvious is Bill "Veeek." If you do not know his name and refer to SABR as S-A-B-R instead of "saber," you really know little about baseball history. Quite the opposite of the author, who does an extraordinary job weaving these narratives. Sign me up to narrate any baseball book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Neil E Roghair
- 20-12-22
Pure Joy for The Baseball Fan
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in years. So many great baseball stories. Highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dale berg
- 19-12-22
Love of the game
There couldn’t be a more beautiful sport than baseball. This is an exploration of why that’s true.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Q
- 26-10-22
Fantastic!
What a enjoyable and educational listen! It was like a travel through times of my youth and before!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Billy
- 24-10-22
I want more
The only thing that disappointed me was when it ended.
Now what do I listen to.