The Bullpen Gospels
Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran
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Narrated by:
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Ray Porter
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By:
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Dirk Hayhurst
About this listen
Upon its release, The Bullpen Gospels was a direct hit to the New York Times best seller list. With comparisons to Jim Boutons’s Ball Four, The Bullpen Gospels is slated to be a classic of the genre.
From the humble heights of a Class-A pitcher’s mound to the deflating lows of sleeping on his gun-toting grandmother’s air mattress, veteran reliever Dirk Hayhurst steps out of the bullpen to deliver the best pitch of his career—a raw and unflinching account of his life in the minors.
Whether training tarantulas to protect his room from thieving employees in a backwater hotel or absorbing the gentle mockery of some not-quite-starstruck schoolchildren, Hayhurst reveals a side of baseball—and life—rarely seen on ESPN.
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Story
In the pageantry of baseball, one select group is virtually unknown in the outside world, derided by fans, faced with split-second choices that spell victory or defeat. These men are up-close observers of the action, privy to inside jokes, blood feuds, benches-clearing brawls, and managers’ expletive-filled tirades. In this wonderful memoir, Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey takes us within baseball as you’ve never seen it, with unforgettable inside stories of baseball greats such as Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Whitey Herzog.
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The Best? Possibly.
- By Rick on 07-12-14
By: Doug Harvey, and others
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The Bad Guys Won
- A Season of Brawling, Boozing, Bimbo Chasing, and Championship Baseball with Straw, Doc, Mookie, Nails, the Kid, and the Rest of the 1986 Mets, the Rowdiest Team Ever to Put on a New York Uniform - and Maybe the Best
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Jeff Pearlman
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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It was 1986, and the New York Mets won 108 regular-season games and the World Series, capturing the hearts (and other assorted body parts) of fans everywhere. But their greatness on the field was nearly eclipsed by how bad they were off it. Led by the indomitable Keith Hernandez and the young dynamic duo of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, along with the gallant Scum Bunch, the Amazin's left a wide trail of wreckage in their wake-hotel rooms, charter planes, a bar in Houston, and most famously Bill Buckner and the hated Boston Red Sox.
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Maybe 3.5
- By Lifeisshort on 02-15-22
By: Jeff Pearlman
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Playing With the Enemy
- A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams
- By: Gary Moore
- Narrated by: Toby Moore
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1940, at just 15 years old, small-town baseball star Gene Moore was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who saw in him the potential to become one of the great catchers of all time. Before that could happen, though, WWII intervened. Gene's story, a surprising paean to the power and humanity of a game, is told here by his son, a first-time author who exhibits the confidence and pacing of a pro.
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Inspirational Story
- By Lynn on 10-08-13
By: Gary Moore
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The Keeper
- A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them
- By: Ali Benjamin, Tim Howard
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 2014, Tim Howard became an overnight sensation after more than 10 years as one of America's leading professional soccer players. His record-breaking 15 saves for the United States national team against Belgium in the World Cup electrified a nation that had only recently woken up to the Beautiful Game after decades of hibernation. In this inspiring and candid memoir, the beloved US and Everton goalkeeper finally allows himself to do something that he would never do on the field: He drops his guard.
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Tim Howard Saves more then Goals!
- By Ron on 12-16-14
By: Ali Benjamin, and others
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Shattered
- Struck Down, But Not Destroyed
- By: Frank Pastore, Ellen Vaughn
- Narrated by: Frank Pastore
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Shattered is part sports audio book, because you’ll go on road trips, enter clubhouses, and walk on the fields of professional baseball. It’s part romantic novel, because you’ll journey with two young kids who fall in love and eventually elope, evading not only her family, but the law as well - for she was only 16. It’s also a story of brokenness, betrayal, and burn-out. If you were raised in a dysfunctional family, if you’ve ever had your dreams fall apart, been betrayed by close friends, or hit the psychological “wall” in your professional career, this is your audio book too.
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Loved it
- By Jim Battle on 01-29-23
By: Frank Pastore, and others
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Missing Links
- By: Rick Reilly
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Missing Links is the story of four middle-class buddies who live outside Boston and play golf together at Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Links and Deli, not so fondly known as Ponky. An 18-hole garbage dump with hazards that include a concrete river surrounded by a chain-link fence and the pillars of the elevated train that runs through the course, it is reputed to be the worst golf course in America.
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"F" word is pervalent in the story...
- By Todd and Gabriela on 09-04-11
By: Rick Reilly
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The Chicken Runs at Midnight
- A Daughter’s Message from Heaven That Changed a Father’s Heart and Won a World Series
- By: Tom Friend, Tim Kurkjian - foreword
- Narrated by: Ben Holland - foreword, Mark Schlicher
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Weaving baseball history with personal memoir, this book is one that will make you thrill to victory, believe in hope, stand up to cheer for what is good in peoples' lives. It's a powerful story of redemption and faith that reminds us that God can work in our lives even when we think it's too late to change - and sometimes he sends us signs from heaven if we only have eyes to see.
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not really a sport's fan
- By virginia loranger on 09-24-20
By: Tom Friend, and others
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Wherever I Wind Up
- My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball
- By: R. A. Dickey, Wayne Coffey
- Narrated by: Ben Hunter
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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> The Glass Castle meets Ball Four as Mets knuckleballer R. A. Dickey weaves searing honesty and baseball insight in this memoir about his unlikely journey to the big leagues. An English Lit major at the University of Tennessee, Dickey is as articulate and thoughtful as any professional athlete in any sport - and proves it page after page, as he provides fresh and honest insight into baseball and a career unlike any other.
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Marred (for me) by unfortunate performance issues
- By Anthony on 03-28-13
By: R. A. Dickey, and others
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The Best in the World
- At What I Have No Idea
- By: Peter Thomas Fornatale, Chris Jericho
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The Best in the World chronicles some of the incredible and often preposterous highlights of Jericho's recent career, including how Mickey Rourke challenged Jericho to a match then backed out; his escape from the 2010 Icelandic volcanoes in a broken-down, European rental-car shuttle; his encounters with Bob Barker, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Al Sharpton, and Mike Tyson; and his on-again, off-again relationship with WWE chief Vince McMahon.
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Among the Best Wrestling Autobiographies
- By VC on 09-04-16
By: Peter Thomas Fornatale, and others
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The Keeper - Young Readers' Edition
- The Unguarded Story of Tim Howard
- By: Tim Howard
- Narrated by: William Harper
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In this heartwarming and candid memoir, Tim Howard does something he would never do on a soccer field: he drops his guard. As fiercely protective about his privacy as he is guarding the goal for the US national team and for Everton in the English Premier League, Howard opens up for the first time about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette's syndrome defied the odds to become one of the world’s premier goalkeepers.
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Don't judge a book by it's cover.
- By Anonymous User on 08-17-17
By: Tim Howard
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This Book Has Balls
- Sports Rants from the MVP of Talking Trash
- By: Michael Rapaport
- Narrated by: Michael Rapaport
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In This Book Has Balls, Rapaport uses his signature smack-talk style and in-your-face humor to discuss everything from why LeBron will never be like Mike to how Tiger needs the ladies to get his golf game back and how he once thought Mary Lou Retton was his true love. And, of course, why next year will be the year the New York Knicks win the championship. This book is a series of rants - some controversial, some affectionate, but all incredibly hilarious.
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Gringo Mandingo Mike Rapaport does it again!
- By Kathryn Lara on 10-24-17
By: Michael Rapaport
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Checked
- By: Cynthia Kadohata
- Narrated by: John Kroft
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Hockey is Conor's life. His whole life. He'll say it himself, he's a hockey beast. It's his dad's whole life too - and Conor is sure that's why his stepmom, Jenny, left. There are very few things Conor and his dad love more than the game, and one of those things is their Doberman, Sinbad. When Sinbad is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad's chemotherapy. But without hockey to distract him, Conor begins to notice more. Like his dad's crying bouts, and his friend's difficult family life.
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Best Book
- By Patrick Smith on 01-30-24
By: Cynthia Kadohata
What listeners say about The Bullpen Gospels
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elexis Ann
- 05-31-21
Incredible
Very well written and a wonderfully told story! I enjoyed every minute of it! I love baseball, but this book was so much more than a baseball story!
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- Rod Perlmutter
- 01-23-21
Funny, bawdy, and thoughtful
Ray Porter's performance perfectly captured Dirk Hayhurst's humor, fear, sarcasm, sadness, & love during his struggles both in minor league baseball and in life. Some of it made me laugh out loud. Since the subject matter is men in their 20s, the humor is occassionally puerile and vulgar, but not enough to spoil Hayhurst's engaging tone, anecdotes, and characters. I deliberately did not look up Hayhurst's career stats or personal information because I wanted the plot to tell me about his success or failures. And I won't tell you, either.
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- devin chambers
- 10-06-21
Grand Slam!!!
Very well written and very well read book! Lots of highs and deep lows! Fun listening!!!
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- Craig Stevens
- 05-13-21
so much more than baseball
The baseball stories I came for were there and what I expected to hear and brought a smile to my face, what I didn't expect was to to learn about life. about what is important and how we all come to that point at a moment in our own lives. How to deal with frustrations and work though the struggles. fun, entertaining and great narration.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-22-23
Great Story in Baseball
It’s a very real look into people in baseball, specifically minor leaguers. Definitely worth a read/listen. Great story.
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Overall
- Susan
- 10-19-10
Outstanding book very well written
Dirk Hayhurst is outstanding. A life lesions book that happens to be about a journey through the minor leagues of major league baseball. My son played college baseball and told many of the same types of stories. Some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. The ending ties it all together. I will continue to recommend this book to anyone who will listen.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Robert
- 08-06-12
A great baseball read
What did you love best about The Bullpen Gospels?
Not your typical story of boy made good through sports. Hayhurst's self doubt and his ability to overcome it makes for a much more interesting story than the sophmoric pranks of minor leaguers. However, some of the antedotes about his teammates had me in tears I was laughing so hard.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bullpen Gospels?
The spiderman incident and Hayhurst's revenge with a real spider
Any additional comments?
While it appears that Hayhurst's career as a pitcher may be over (I don't think he is pitching in the 2012 season), I cannot wait to read and hear more from him in the future whether it is about baseball or other topics. I find his humor and self exploration to be honest and refreshing.
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- BNK
- 09-27-20
GREAT Baseball book better story...
I have been through a number if baseball books this year including Ball Four. This was a great book start to finish. The narration was incredible and the story was even better. I am surprised this book hasnt received more attention...
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- David E.
- 09-28-21
Honest and open
Some tough chapters at times. Not because they were poorly written in any way just his life. You can really feel the emotions whether they are good or bad. Overall a pretty good view inside the life of a MiLB player.
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- Jaime L Parady
- 06-22-21
best narrated fratire
I have over 50 Audio books under my belt. This was by far the best narrated. The reader's voices enhanced this fratire beyond its means
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