One for the Record

Rick Adamson narrates this collection of essays from renowned sports enthusiast and author George Plimpton--some published here for the first time. Every American sports fan of a certain age knows of Al Downing, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who gave up the tie-breaking 715th home run to Hank Aaron on April 8, 1974, to surpass Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record. However, we don't know what Downing--and, for that matter, all of Major League baseball, the pitchers, the batters, the managers--were thinking. As the subtitle says, here is the inside story. Adams narrates with a broadcaster's sense of drama and a good feel for a special moment in American cultural history. It's a very American story, read by a very American voice. B.P. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine