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The Arm
- Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Thing in Sports
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
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Publisher's summary
Yahoo's lead baseball columnist offers an in-depth look at the most valuable commodity in sports - the pitching arm - and how its vulnerability to injury is hurting players and the game, from Little League to the majors.
Every year, Major League Baseball spends more than $1.5 billion on pitchers - five times more than the salary of every NFL quarterback combined. Pitchers are the game's lifeblood. Their import is exceeded only by their fragility. One tiny band of tissue in the elbow, the ulnar collateral ligament, is snapping at unprecedented rates, leaving current big league players vulnerable and the coming generation of baseball-playing children dreading the three scariest words in the sport: Tommy John surgery.
Jeff Passan traveled the world for three years to explore in depth the past, present, and future of the arm and how its evolution left baseball struggling to wrangle its Tommy John surgery epidemic. He examined what compelled the Chicago Cubs to spend $155 million on one arm. He snagged a rare interview with Sandy Koufax, whose career was cut short by injury at 30, and visited Japan to understand how another baseball-mad country treats its prized arms. And he followed two major league pitchers, Daniel Hudson and Todd Coffey, throughout their returns from Tommy John surgery. He exposes how the baseball establishment long ignored the rise in arm injuries and reveals how misplaced incentives across the sport stifle potential changes.
Injuries to the UCL start as early as Little League. Without a drastic cultural shift, baseball will continue to lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually to damaged pitchers, and another generation of children will suffer the same problems that vex current players. Informative and hard hitting, The Arm is essential listening for all who love the game, want to keep their children healthy, or relish a look into how a large, complex institution can fail so spectacularly.
"The Arm should be required reading for youth baseball coaches and parents with a child who appears to have a gift to throw a baseball. It also should be on the list for fans who want to understand why some of most expensive athletes in sports, pitchers, are such a fragile commodity." (Chicago Tribune)
;"By so thoroughly presenting a serious study of the arm — or more precisely, the elbow — Passan has written an important book. For arms, if there is Tommy John surgery, maybe we now also have Jeff Passan education." (Washington Post)
;"Sportswriter Passan delivers one of the more important books on baseball of the decade, a superbly researched and detailed look at the current "epidemic" of arm injuries in the sport." (Publisher's Weekly)
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The Last Folk Hero
- The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 22 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, the greatest athlete of all time streaked across American sports and popular culture. Stadiums struggled to contain him. Clocks failed to capture his speed. His strength was legendary. His power unmatched. Video game makers turned him into an invincible character—and they were dead-on. He climbed (and walked across) walls, splintered baseball bats over his knee, turned oncoming tacklers into ground meat.
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If you are a sports fan and over 35 years old, you have to listen/read this. Awesome!
- By betty sammons on 06-29-23
By: Jeff Pearlman
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The QB
- The Making of Modern Quarterbacks
- By: Bruce Feldman
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
The QB tells the story of the interlocking paths of the most fascinating characters involved in this secretive world, examining how advanced analysis has taken root in football. Manziel's portrait is the most intimate look at him yet, detailing all his talents and antics. In The QB, the stories of these men illustrate how high the stakes of the quarterback's game really are, taking readers on a compelling journey into the heart of America's beloved game.
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Interesting and entertaining
- By R. Koehler on 02-25-15
By: Bruce Feldman
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The Captain
- The Journey of Derek Jeter
- By: Ian O'Connor
- Narrated by: Nick Pollifrone
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Every spring, Little Leaguers across the country mimic his stance and squabble over the right to wear his number, 2, the next number to be retired by the world’s most famous ball team. Derek Jeter is their hero. He walks in the footsteps of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, and someday his shadow will loom just as large. Yet he has never been the best player in baseball. In fact, he hasn’t always been the best player on his team. But his intangible grace and Jordanesque ability to play big in the biggest of postseason moments make him the face of the modern Yankee dynasty, and of America’s game.
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Great book, terrible narrator.
- By Butter on 05-09-14
By: Ian O'Connor
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K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches
- By: Tyler Kepner
- Narrated by: Tyler Kepner
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than 300 people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today.
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Attn authors: please use professional narration.
- By Mark Erickson on 07-10-19
By: Tyler Kepner
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Long Shot
- By: Mike Piazza, Lonnie Wheeler
- Narrated by: Holter Graham, Mike Piazza
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Mike Piazza was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 baseball draft as a "courtesy pick". The Dodgers never expected him to play for them - or anyone else. Mike had other ideas. Overcoming his detractors, he became the National League Rookie of the Year in 1993, broke the record for season batting average by a catcher, holds the record for career home runs at his position, and was selected as an All Star 12 times. Mike was groomed for baseball success by his ambitious, self-made father in Pennsylvania, a classic father-son American-dream story.
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I only thought i knew the Mike Piazza story
- By James on 03-24-13
By: Mike Piazza, and others
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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
- Unabridged
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Overall
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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.
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Book with good premise follows through
- By Peter on 11-18-05
By: Buzz Bissinger
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The Last Boy
- Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood
- By: Jane Leavy
- Narrated by: Jane Leavy, John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Drawing on more than 500 interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of Mantle's life, mining the mythology of The Mick for the true story of a luminous and illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul.
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The Man Behind the Myth
- By Ray on 11-12-10
By: Jane Leavy
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Life Is Not an Accident
- A Memoir of Reinvention
- By: Jay Williams
- Narrated by: Jay Williams
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Like millions of kids before him, Jay Williams used to pretend he was making the game-winning shot while playing basketball in his Plainfield, New Jersey, backyard. Unlike almost all of those other kids, he kept right on making shots until he became an NCAA champion and two-time national player of the year at Duke and the number-two overall NBA draft pick in 2002.
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Taking ownership of mistakes
- By ladybug on 07-20-16
By: Jay Williams
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As They See 'Em
- A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires
- By: Bruce Weber
- Narrated by: Charley Steiner
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Millions of American baseball fans know, with absolute certainty, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. As They See 'Em is an insider's look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America's favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true.
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Judging Umpires
- By Bruce on 11-28-09
By: Bruce Weber
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108 Stitches
- Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game
- By: Ron Darling, Daniel Paisner - contributor
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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This is New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated broadcaster Ron Darling's 108 baseball anecdotes that connect America’s game to the men who played it. Darling has played with or reported on just about everybody who has put on a uniform since 1983, and they in turn have played with or reported on just about everybody who put on a uniform in a previous generation. Like the 108 stitches on a baseball, Darling's experiences are interwoven with every athlete who has ever played, every coach or manager, and every fan.
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Meh
- By Amazon Customer on 04-13-19
By: Ron Darling, and others
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The Last Innocents
- The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers
- By: Michael Leahy
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Legendary Dodgers Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Dick Tracewski, and Tommy Davis encapsulated 1960s America: white and black, Jewish and Christian, wealthy and working class, pro-Vietnam and anti-war, golden boy and seasoned veteran. The Last Innocents is a thoughtful, technicolor portrait of these seven players - friends, mentors, confidants, rivals, and allies - and their storied team that offers an intriguing look at a sport and a nation in transition.
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Reliving my youth
- By PJ on 05-24-17
By: Michael Leahy
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Where Nobody Knows Your Name
- Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball
- By: John Feinstein
- Narrated by: John Feinstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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John Feinstein is one of the most influential sportswriters of the last three decades. In his masterful new audiobook, Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Feinstein delivers a fascinating account of the mysterious proving ground of America’s national pastime, pulling back the veil on the minor leagues of baseball.
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Living on the Cusp of a Dream
- By W Perry Hall on 04-09-14
By: John Feinstein
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Until It Hurts
- America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids
- By: Mark Hyman
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Every year, more than 3.5 million children under age 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse. Journalist Mark Hyman investigates the evolution of youth sports from mere games to full-on quests to turn children into tomorrow's superstar athletes by pushing them beyond physical and emotional limits. Opening up a crucial discussion about the perils of youth-sports culture today, Hyman offers the solutions and answers we need.
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Are We Pushing Young Athletes Too Far?
- By Susie on 01-04-13
By: Mark Hyman
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Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball.
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Three Ten Year Updates Give Bouton a 5th Star
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Narrarators have never watched baseball. Ever!
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Wonderful detail on baseballs past and future
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From the New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than 300 people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today.
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Banana Ball
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For his entire childhood, Jesse Cole dreamed of pitching in the Majors. Now, he has a life in baseball that only he could have imagined: he met the love of his life in the industry; they shaped Savannah, Georgia’s professional team into the league champion Savannah Bananas; and now the Bananas have restyled baseball itself into something all their own: Banana Ball.
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Moneyball
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- Unabridged
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Moneyball reveals a quest for something as elusive as the Holy Grail, something that money apparently can't buy: the secret of success in baseball. The logical places to look would be the giant offices of major league teams and the dugouts. But the real jackpot is a cache of numbers collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers, and physics professors.
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Excellent Book, Outstanding Narration, Sloppy Edit
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Future Value
- The Battle for Baseball's Soul and How Teams Will Find the Next Superstar
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- Narrated by: Perry Daniels
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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For the modern major-league team, player evaluation is a complex, multipronged, high-tech pursuit. But far from becoming obsolete in this environment - as Michael Lewis' Moneyball once forecast - the role of the scout in today's game has evolved and even expanded. Rather than being the antithesis of a data-driven approach, scouting now represents an essential analytical component in a team's arsenal. Future Value is a thorough dive into the world of the contemporary scout - a world with its own language, methods, metrics, and madness.
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Fantastic material needing an accompanying PDF
- By Tyler Burch on 08-27-20
By: Eric Longenhagen, and others
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Heads-Up Baseball 2.0: 5 Skills for Competing One Pitch at a Time
- By: Dr. Ken Ravizza, Dr. Tin Hanson
- Narrated by: Michael Haytack
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
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Overall
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Join more than 145,000 players and coaches who have found playing heads-up baseball helps them overcome the failure, frustration, and fear the game throws at you each day and instead play with confidence, consistency, and composure under pressure. Talent, strength, and great mechanics don't matter if you can't compete in games. Developed by working with elite players and coaches over the past 40 years, the strategies and tools in this audiobook (an "upgrade" to the classic 1994 edition) arm you with the approach you need to find out how good you can be at baseball.
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Solid work. Good food for the brain.
- By Jeff Cooper on 01-02-21
By: Dr. Ken Ravizza, and others
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The Cubs Way
- The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse
- By: Tom Verducci
- Narrated by: Tom Verducci
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions.
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The best baseball book I’ve ever read
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What listeners say about The Arm
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Jonathan Love
- 06-29-16
Baseball's Version of, 'Born to Run'
Wow, what an eye opening book. It seems like we just keep fighting nature and evolution. Luckily we have intelligent and passionate researchers who actually ask the question, "Why" instead of being content with the status quo. As mentioned in the headline, Christopher McDougall's, 'Born to Run' and Passan's, 'The Arm' have much in common; albeit different parts of the body, writing style and thesis.
Where McDougall identifies a complex problem, provides historical background, collects empirical and anecdotal data, as well as provides logical solutions to counter the initial problem set, Passan captures the problem and anecdotal information, but doesn't really present a solution. Essentially he is just stating that there is a really big problem, and nobody really knows what the solution is and unfortunately, it seems, nobody really cares. He does identify the challenges with overcoming this, but one is left feeling empty with this complex problem. It seems that Major League Baseball is in its infancy in just acknowledging the problem, but for such a profit oriented organization to simply accept Tommy John surgery as the rule rather than the exception seems counter intuitive.
The narrator was great and I had no difficulty listening at 3x speed.
I did only give four stars for the story, but that is based on a comparison to, 'Born to Run'. Christopher McDougall is a better story teller and I personally found more value in 'Born to Run' than 'The Arm' as I have not been, nor will I ever be, a MLB pitcher. However, I run daily and therefore subject to those injuries and 'fixes'.
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- TSPANG75
- 07-07-16
Best baseball book in years....
Must read for anyone with kids in baseball. Specialization and travel ball are ruining the sport.
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- Andrew
- 07-26-23
Insider perspective at the world of baseball pitching
I really enjoyed Passan’s thorough perspective on how the pitching arm is the most important commodity in all of sports. The book looks at the crazy culture of youth sports and the detriment it causes for young athletes; the decision- making from GMs to invest millions on top arms; the world of sports science and how arms have been repaired; and the psychology of pitchers overcoming injuring. I really recommend this book for baseball fans that enjoy and insider perspective on the sport. This book is to pitcher’s arm as moneyball was to saber metrics
decision-making of GMs, the
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- John
- 07-01-16
The Arm
I thought this book was amazing it showed a whole dark side of baseball yet it also showed the great was to start fixing a big problem. It had me cheering for those two guys to make it. I really enjoyed this and if you're a baseball fan there should be no reason you shouldn't enjoy. The way it was told was great. It's just an all around great book, I hope everyone gets a change to read
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- RT
- 05-08-22
Exceptional book.
I came looking for some insight on how to approach teaching my son the best practices for pitching and left with much more knowledge and a greater appreciation for the realities of the enigma of the perfect pitch and the arm than i anticipated. Thanks for writing this book!
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- Chris
- 02-25-17
Baseball at its best
Would you listen to The Arm again? Why?
If you are interested in baseball and its current trends, specifically arm care, this is a must read. It is amazingly through in its documentation. But no it will not tell you how to prevent elbow injuries. But, you will have an amazing understanding of them
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-20-20
Baseball pitching Arm good read!
All baseball parents and coaches should read / listen to this book! it reveals many interesting studies and information.
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- John Cannon
- 10-11-23
Insights into Pitching and Recovery of the UCL
Overall, I liked the book The Arm by Jeff Passan. The author provides a comprehensive account of the journey from a blown UCL to rehabilitation and the triumphant return to the mound. The book successfully conveys the primitive understanding we have of the throwing motion and its profound impact on the body's biology. It's an informative read for parents concerned about their children's well-being in the world of baseball and for anyone eager to delve into pitching biomechanics, even though it was written seven years ago.
One of the book's strong points is the author's generous use of examples, which helps readers visualize the process. The journey is vividly portrayed, making it easy to empathize with the challenges faced by pitchers. I'd recommend taking a few minutes a look up on youtube a video on "Tommy John Surgery" -- it helps with the visualization of much of the descriptions.
However, a minor criticism lies in the author's downplaying or total avoidance of natural healing methods. While he acknowledges the efficacy of blood platelet therapy, and does highlight a couple instances when someone did not undergo surgery, there's an evident absence of discussion about the role of proper nutrition, low level laser therapy, and alternative bodywork in the recovery process. This one-sided perspective limits the book's holistic approach to injury management. I do appreciate he is focusing on peer reviewed research, but only in a certain medical lane.
Furthermore, the author's dismissive attitude toward certain alternative medical practices, like the suggestion that scoliosis may negatively affect biomechanics, is regrettable. While some ideas might sound unconventional, it's crucial to recognize that there's a body of peer-reviewed research supporting unconventional approaches that the author labels as "quackery."
Another comment that hasn't aged well, in my opinion, is the author's comparison of certain viewpoints to those who consider opposition to vaccination as well as some holistic approaches as 'quackery' and moronic thinking. It's reasonable to present both sides of a controversial issue, but the author's apparent medical bias hampers his ability to view these topics objectively. I do not think he believes there is any controversy.
In conclusion, "The Arm" is a valuable resource for those seeking to understand the intricate world of baseball, especially the biomechanics of pitching. However, readers should approach the book with an awareness of the author's biases and consider seeking additional resources for a more balanced perspective on injury management. Despite these criticisms, the book's core content remains informative and relevant in 2023, making it a worthwhile read for baseball enthusiasts and aspiring pitchers.
The narration by Kevin Pierce delivers a great performance. Easy to listen to, good voice inflection. I do wonder on some phrases, specifically when author quotes an individual whether the narration conveys the tone intended. But, that is being picky and his voice is great for non-fiction material.
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- DavidF
- 10-10-24
It Was Fine, But…
It was well-researched and even entertaining until it started explaining Trevor Bauer and his training method. I know hindsight is 20/20 and this came out before Bauer’s suspension, but it still made me cringe.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-04-16
Well Told Review About Baseball's Biggest Problem
Where does The Arm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I haven't listened to many, maybe just 3 or 4, so this ranks at the top as the one I've enjoyed the most so far. Very entertaining and informative listen.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Arm?
The trials the two pitchers of rehabbing after having Tommy John Surgery. I was rooting for them the whole time.
Which character – as performed by Kevin Pierce – was your favorite?
Todd Coffey
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It gave me a new perspective on what pitchers go through when dealing with the Tommy John Injuries. It made me frustrated right along with them.
Any additional comments?
Includes a lot of historical perspective about baseball in general which I liked.
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