You Know Me Al
Ring Lardner
Read by Utek
Big, fat, dumb, lazy, vain, headstrong and cheap, Jack Keefe is a journeyman pitcher with the Chicago White Sox in the rowdy days of the Deadball Era, circa 1915, ruled by the likes of Ty Cobb and John McGraw. In You Know Me Al, we follow Jack Keefe's life on-field and off, via the letters Jack writes to his old chum Al in his home town of Bedford, Indiana.
Ring Lardner was a Chicago sportswriter who covered the White Sox, and he brought an insider's knowledge of clubhouse life together with his biting wit and gift for the vernacular to create a comic gem in You Know Me Al. The six Jack Keefe stories that compose this volume were originally written as individual magazine articles, but the epistolary format made it easy to collect them into a single running narrative covering Jack's first two years in the Big Leagues.
It isn't necessary to know baseball history to enjoy the book, which is as much about Jack's troubles with girlfriends, wives and babies as it is about the Chicago White Sox. For the baseball fan, however, this glimpse into a bygone era adds an extra layer of fascination. In any case, Lardner's portrait of the professional ballplayer as a dumb, drunken narcissist is as funny today as the day it was written. (Summary by Rick Rodstrom)
Dedicated prooflisteners: Rob Kunkel & Juli Carter (5 hr 7 min)
Chapters
| A Busher’s Letters Home | 48:34 | Read by Utek |
| The Busher Comes Back | 50:18 | Read by Utek |
| The Busher’s Honeymoon | 49:36 | Read by Utek |
| A New Busher Breaks In | 54:04 | Read by Utek |
| The Busher’s Kid | 51:40 | Read by Utek |
| The Busher Beats it Hence | 52:56 | Read by Utek |
Reviews
Very funny
tellmeatale
I really found this a very funny tale,and the narrator so fit this story I felt. I listened to this book in one sitting laughking all the way at Ray's craziness. Thanks to Rick Rodstrom for a very excellent read. I so had a very enjoyable afternoon of entertainment, on a rainy afternoon in September! I really urge you to have a listen, well worth it!
Old fashioned with a dry humor, especially for baseball lovers.
Chubber
Told through one side of a series of letters, a baseball pitcher from a small town tells his old friend back home about the ups and downs of professional ball. A case study in blind hubris with a comedic bent.
Great story and reader, not so good sound quality
TwinkieToes
Loved the story and the reader, but I'm only giving it 4 stars because the plosives (breaths directly hitting the mic, causing an explosive sound) were legion. It distracted from the otherwise superb recording. I would still recommend this highly, however.
Jack Keefe!
potuc
Fascinating look at the deadball era of baseball, although it is, of course comedic, there is also a wonderful sense of the olden times in this book. The funny bits are indeed funny, and the history is compelling. Very nice book and reading!
Ten stars!
lanternland
Love the book - and it is absolutely perfectly read by Rick Rodstrom! Update Nov 2012: I'm listening to it yet again. I think that Mr Rodstrom is the best character reader - accurate and funny - that I've ever heard!
LynninKS
Very.funny.baseball player story made by.the excellent reader. A good book.to listen to and I found it one of the most enjoyable books I have listened to on Librivox so far.
Robert S.
A comical story about an easily distracted MLB pitcher from the Indiana sticks in the early 20th century. Very well read, and performed, like audiobooks should be.
You know us Ring.
wagstaff
A great baseball story. A funny tale made all the more laughable by a wonderful reader.