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Start giftingRed Barber
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreBorn and raised in rural Mississippi and the even balmier climes of central Florida, Red Barber, at the age of thirty-two, became one of New York City's most influential citizens as the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But behind all the base hits, balls, and strikes lies a compelling story that dramatizes the shifting expectations and roles of a public figure—the sports broadcaster—as he adapted to complex cultural changes throughout the course of twentieth-century American life.
Red Barber follows the trajectory of Barber's long career from radio and television play-by-play man for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Yankees to his work calling college and professional football games, his nine-year tenure as director of sports for CBS Radio, and his second acts as an Episcopal lay reader, sportswriter, and weekly guest with Bob Edwards on NPR's Morning Edition. This talented public figure was also a private man committed to rigorous self-examination and willing to evolve and grow under the influence of changing times.
Ultimately Red Barber traces the career of a true radio and television pioneer who was committed to the civic responsibility of mass media. Barber firmly believed the most important role of a broadcaster was telling the truth and promoting public well-being.
Judith R. Hiltner is professor emeritus of literature and languages at Saint Xavier University and the author of books and articles on American literature and culture, including critical and biographical studies of Herman Melville, Philip Freneau, and Deborah Sampson.
James R. Walker is professor emeritus of communication at Saint Xavier University and a past executive director of the International Association of Communication and Sport. He is the author of several books, including Crack of the Bat: A History of Baseball on the Radio, and coauthor of Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television.
Phil Thron is a classically trained actor who has worked on stage, TV, and behind the microphone for several decades. A voracious reader and a devoted chatterbox, bringing these skills to the world of audiobook narration was a natural evolution, and for several years now, a wonderful obsession. Now, nothing gives him more pleasure than bringing authors' worlds to life and getting listeners to "lean in." When he's not recording from his home studio in New Jersey, Phil can be found playing tennis, reading or listening to books, watching movies, spending time with his family, and, perhaps, playing guitar. Badly. Really badly. Don't laugh, it's just an unfortunate truth.