The Catcher Was a Spy

The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg

By: Nicholas Dawidoff

Narrated by: Jeff Kramer

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The only Major League ballplayer whose baseball card is on display at the headquarters of the CIA, Moe Berg has the singular distinction of having both a 15-year career as a catcher for such teams as the New York Robins and the Chicago White Sox and that of a spy for the OSS during World War II. Here, Dawidoff provides "a careful and sympathetic biography" ( Chicago Sun-Times) of this enigmatic man.

©1994 Nicholas Dawidoff (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Excellent

Fascinating and very well researched biography. Narrator handles it very well. Was made into a movie that came out in 2018.

Interesting person fair book

The brainiest guy in baseball who also worked for OSS during WW2
An interesting character but not worth a whole book

Baseball & Espionage: A Few of my Favorite Things

I only discovered this book after someone shared a short article about Moe Berg and I decided I wanted to know "Moe".

Another review complained about the incessant interruption of baseball statistics, but I found that to be pertinent in describing Berg's career ups and downs. Plus, I love statistics as any real fan does. But, honestly, they are neither a distraction nor overwhelming for even a novice fan of the game.

Where the other review did get the book right was the later half. Although I didn't stop listening nor was I tempted, the entire last half of the book focused on the rest of Berg's life; the part that wasn't about Baseball or Espionage. Berg lived a life of a Vagabond after WWII, living off the good will of others who thoroughly enjoyed his company and stories. However, the book becomes rather dull, much like Berg's repetitious stories that became tiresome after hearing it over and over again. For that, the story received a four star rating from me.

The first half of the book is really the heart and soul of this story. Regardless of the veracity of Moe's anecdotes as well as his proficiency as a baseball player, this is an inimitable tale of an eccentric, yet interesting person.

Excellent

The catcher was a spy
Tracing this you might even know why
He carried a gun to shoot down Germans
And some are Horst
And some were Herman’s

The catcher was a spy

Very interesting book. yet a sad, almost tragic life which was a life in which berg frritted away the last third, sans happiness, sans love, sans joy.

Excellent, except for the last chapter

If you are interested in Moe Berg, this is a great book. Just throw out the last chapter with all of its psychological belittling of Mr. Berg.

horrible narration!

for a book about a highly educated man who spoke several languages it is beyond me why Audible picked a narrator that was not up to the task. this man mispronounced literally hundreds of words. it was hard to pay attention to the story because of this jarring set mispronunciations.

As for the story, it should have been drastically edited. it was fairly interesting in the first third and then tapered off into banality for the remainder.

Need some editing

Audible needs to go and edit thus production. There are numerous times that the narrator repeats sections.

More baseball and later life struggles than espionage

This book covers more of Berg’s baseball career and post war troubles than it does his espionage career. It is also less detailed regarding his WWII service than the other parts of his life. So, if you are interested in his espionage career, try another source. I enjoyed the movie version; however, the book makes clear that most of it was made more dramatic for effect and was only partially based in fact. The book gives a fuller view of his overall life, which was less than admirable, so I guess that is why they mostly left it out of the movie.

Extraordinary person ; but an Enigma

Very well read book. Moe Berg's accomplishments were many. But, sadly he was socially challenged. He came from a family where love was not an ingredient shared with each other.No one could ever get close to this mysterious man. He chose not to work after the war and live as a wanderer and depended on the kindness and benevolence of others. He could have been so much more.