Where Nobody Knows Your Name

Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball

De: John Feinstein

Narrado por: John Feinstein

From the acclaimed #1 bestselling author . . . a riveting journey through the world of minor-league baseball

“No one grows up playing baseball pretending that they’re pitching or hitting in Triple-A.” —Chris Schwinden, Triple-A pitcher

“If you don’t like it here, do a better job.” —Ron Johnson, Triple-A manager


John Feinstein gave readers an unprecedented view of the PGA Tour in A Good Walk Spoiled. He opened the door to an NCAA basketball locker room in his explosive bestseller A Season on the Brink. Now, turning his eye to our national pastime, sports journalist John Feinstein explores the colorful and mysterious world of minor-league baseball—a gateway through which all major-league players pass in their careers . . . hoping never to return.
Baseball’s minor leagues are a paradox. For some players, the minors are a glorious launching pad toward years of fame and fortune; for others, a crash-landing pad when injury or poor play forces a big leaguer back to a life of obscure ballparks and cramped buses instead of Fenway Park and plush charter planes. Focusing exclusively on the Triple-A level, one step beneath Major League Baseball, Feinstein introduces readers to nine unique men: three pitchers, three position players, two managers, and an umpire. Through their compelling stories, Feinstein pulls back the veil on a league that is chock-full of gifted baseball players, managers, and umpires who are all one moment away from getting called up—or back—to the majors.
The stories are hard to believe: a first-round draft pick and pitching ace who rocketed to major-league success before finding himself suddenly out of the game, hatching a presumptuous plan to get one more shot at the mound; a home run–hitting former World Series hero who lived the dream, then bounced among six teams before facing the prospects of an unceremonious end to his career; a big-league All-Star who, in the span of five months, went from being completely out of baseball to becoming a star in the ALDS, then signing a $10 million contract; and a well-liked designated hitter who toiled for eighteen seasons in the minors—a record he never wanted to set—before facing his final, highly emotional chance for a call-up to the big leagues.
From Raleigh to Pawtucket, from Lehigh Valley to Indianapolis and beyond, Where Nobody Knows Your Name gives readers an intimate look at a baseball world not normally seen by the fans. John Feinstein gets to the heart of the human stories in a uniquely compelling way, crafting a masterful book that stands alongside his very best works.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[T]errific…[R]eading this book will make you fall in love with baseball all over again.”—The Denver Post

“One of the best sportswriters alive.”—USA Today

“Feinstein’s work, like that of the best American sportswriters, is richly detailed and emotionally articulate...Feinstein's storytelling is compelling, his understanding of the structural cruelties and emotional consequences of winner-takes-all competition acute.”—The Guardian (UK)

“Feinstein takes readers down the dusty roads of minor league baseball with a vivid look at the players dreaming of a shot at the big leagues.”
—Parade

“John Feinstein, one of our best-known sportswriters, explores…baseball’s International League, one of the two AAA leagues, just below the majors….With many of us counting down to opening day, this is a fitting time for a book whose subtitle might well be ‘hope springs eternal — every spring.’”
—The Washington Post

“[P]oignant … [2013] marked the 25th anniversary of ‘Bull Durham,’ and I’m pretty sure a lot of people still think that's how things go in the minors. Mr. Feinstein clears the perspective on the realities of minor-league life so that the reader can move on from Nuke LaLoosh imagery. And for the average baseball fan, this is no minor accomplishment.”
—The Wall Street Journal

Poignant

Feinstein captures the most emotionally vulnerable moments in the characters’ hands. Many players cry when they finally get the call to the Main Stage. And I cried listening to their stories.

Loved it!

These are great stories to listen to if you're a baseball junkie. If you played the game and had aspirations to be a MLB player as a kid, these stories put you on the bus.

Great book

This is a great book about people who are playing baseball simply for the love of the game. I would recommend it to fans and non fans alike - it really describes the grind of minor league ball, and not knowing what the future may hold.

Life in the minor leagues

What did you love best about Where Nobody Knows Your Name?

The variety of players covered from stars to people most folks have never heard of

What did you like best about this story?

The author obviously loves the minor leagues and was able to convey that through the stories of the players, managers, and umpires he covered

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was amazed at how few umpires that make it to AAA ever make the big leagues. I also never realized that if they don't get promoted in a few years they are basically fired by MLB.

Makes me appreciate what they go through to become big-league umps, just like the players.

Excellent

Interesting listen. The ins and outs of minor league baseball and the impacts on the players involved.

Brilliant inside look

As a baseball fan, I’ve never thought deeply about life in the high minors. This book was fascinating. The author masterfully wove together great stories of players, umpires, and broadcasters all heading in different directions. The final effect is to really let you feel what life is like in AAA. Superb and nuanced reading performance as well.

INTRIGUING

I never knew how tough it is to make it in the minor league. Loved it

A Great Book!

Few people probably understand the grind that it takes for most to live out their dream of making (and staying) in the MLB. Feinstein paints a brilliant picture of the road traveled by thousands trying to fulfill their dream of “making it” in baseball. The best part is that Feinstein profiles people in all walks of baseball from players and managers to umpires and grounds crew. Bottom line, there is no simple path to MLB, and Feinstein should be commended for compiling a great collection of stories for the rest of us to enjoy and appreciate. I would consider this a must read for anyone that is interested in the detailed realities of life in all levels of professional baseball.

Insightful read of AAA minor leage players/coaches

I really enjoyed this book. Its focus was primarily on those at the AAA level that had a taste of the majors. The book not only included players, but also coaches, umpires, and even grounds' crew and radio announcers, but the focus was on the players. It was about guys pursuing their dream of playing (and staying) in the majors. A lot of it was bitter sweat. It's incredible the amount of heartbreak that baseball players go through to try and reach the majors. The releases. The travel. The bouncing around. And while much of one's advancement is based on performance, there is still a certain amount of "being in the right place at the right time" - injuries that allow opportunities for others, and hot and cold streaks. If you are in to baseball, this book won't disappoint.

Please Do Us A Favor, John...

Feinstein's books are wonderfully and even exhaustively researched. Moreover, they provide marvelous insight into all of his chosen subjects. But his narration skills are indelibly boring. Please John. "Read by Author" is almost always a red flag with audio books, and we listeners know that. But evidently many authors and even publishers are somehow not grasping that fact. Perhaps it's ego or parsimony but writing talent and reading talent are almost always mutually exclusive. If I'm even a small sample, Feinstein would sell so many more audio books if he'd hire a pro to read them. Yes, I'm guilty of the irony/ paradox because I own, and have suffered through, many of his audio books only because the subject matter is fascinating. But even though he has my money I doubt that he'd like my using the word 'suffered' to describe his performance. He's simply not a pro. Not by any stretch. Would you ask your CPA to clean your teeth or spey your dog? Would Feinstein have the audacity to take infield practice with a pro team just because he wrote a book about baseball players? Just know that if you buy the audio version of one of his books, your listening experience will seem longer than the last day of school, or more accurately, longer than an evening with George "Goober" Lindsay." I'm utterly amazed at those who've given Feinstein good marks for his delivery. I'm being just slightly sarcastic when I ask if those people have only recently been connected to the grid.