Three Nights in August

Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager

By: Buzz Bissinger

Narrated by: Jeffrey Nordling

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author captures baseball's essence in this account of a dramatic three-game series viewed through the eyes of legendary St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Through 25 years of managing, Tony La Russa has won more games than any current manager. He's the most strategically adept and arguably the smartest manager in baseball, and he still believes that games are won not by statistics, but by the hearts and minds of the players.

Given unprecedented access to La Russa and his team, best-selling journalist Bissinger captures baseball's strategic and emotional essence. We watch from the dugout as La Russa's Cardinals take on their archrivals, the Chicago Cubs, in a thrilling three-game series.

Some of the greatest players of our time grace the lineups: Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Scott Rolen, Mark Prior. La Russa, a 40-year veteran of the game, shows why he's so revered. And Bissinger's laser-beam focus uncovers surprising truths about the pathology of slumps, the art of beanball retaliation, the eccentricities of pitchers, and the timelessness of the game. His swinging prose brings every moment gloriously to life.

©2005 Tony La Russa and H.G. Bissinger (P)2005 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Enthralling." (Booklist)
"Mixing classic baseball stories with little-known details and an exclusive perspective, this work should appeal to any baseball fan." (Publishers Weekly)
"With a knack for detail, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author picks apart the fundamentals of the game, enters the mind of one of baseball's greats, and provides the reader with a front row seat. His ability to bring to life America's pastime is wholly provocative and excruciatingly detailed." (Bookmarks Magazine)

The Best

I have been a baseball fan all of my life. I have played baseball, coached and managed youth baseball teams. This is the best book on the Game that I have ever read or listened to. It is superbly written and wonderfully read. It is so much more than a just a look into one man's life in the Game, it is a timeless look into the intricacy and beauty of baseball.

Classic Baseball

Well written, well narrated. Good baseball story no matter how long ago the game was played. Go Cards!

Why we love Baseball!

This book is about everything that is great and not so great about baseball. Great to listen too because it reveals the why and how this great game works and why we love it so much. The best insight about what really goes on behind the scenes and in front of the fan. If you want to learn and be entertained then this is one of the best listens I have had the pleasure to put on my iPod. Beautiful!

Beautiful baseball. Go Cardinals

loved it! Larussa is one of the greatest managers of all time! Go Cardinals! 11 world series rings!

Great Read

If you want to learn about the inner workings of baseball managing this is a great read.

Loved it great book

This book was excellent and I could not stop listening until I had it finished. As a baseball fan this is definitely one you will want to add to your collection.

Baseball fan must

This is a must listen for any baseball fan. I glimpse in to the thought process of a manager.

Nothing like it

The level of detail is fascinating. I enjoyed the book though it was, by its subject matter, somewhat dry. For anyone who is curious about the strategy of baseball that occurs behind the scenes, this is a good read.

3 nights in august

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's great book great inside of what goes on inside the mind of hall of fame manager!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

I <3 Baseball...but not this book so much.

I picked this book up in hopes that it would give me more insight to the mind of the man MLB named, The Genius. As a baseball coach, one can aspire to be as successful as Tony LaRussa. There are some good stories and the season detailed kept me interested, but I didn't ever get that feeling that I was learning something beyond I could have put together on my own by following the Cardinals via news, blogs, and online. If you are a Cards fan, then this will not disappoint. If you are a baseball fan, it's still worth a listen. It's not an any man baseball book like Moneyball though.