Home Game

Big-League Stories from My Life in Baseball's First Family

By: Bret Boone, Kevin Cook

Narrated by: Bret Boone

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

From the first third-generation baseball player in Major League Baseball history, a sometimes moving, always candid look at his family's 70 years in the world of professional baseball.

Bret Boone made history in 1992 as the first third-generation major leaguer in baseball history. A five-foot-ten firecracker who was spurned by scouts for his small size, supposed lack of power, and temper tantrums (one scout called him a "helmet-throwing terror"), Bret didn't care about family legacy; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a 14-year career that included three all-star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcoholism, and the ignominy of being traded for the infamous "player to be named later." Now that he's coaching minor leaguers half his age, and his 15-year-old son has the potential to be a fourth-generation major leaguer, Bret is ready to reflect on and tell the story of baseball from the perspective of his family's 70-year history in the sport.

Combining the brashness and candor of Ball Four with a dollop of Big Russ and Me sentiment, this book will trace the evolution of the game - on the field and behind the scenes - from Ray Boone's era in the 1950s to Bret and Aaron's era in the 90s and 2000s, when players made millions, dined on lobster in the clubhouse, injected themselves with PEDs, and had their choice of "Annies" - female clingers-on, or as today's players call them, "road beef." Along the way, the book will touch on pieces of Boone family lore, including Bret hitting zero dingers in a home run derby and Aaron's home run (if you don't know what this is referring to, then consult the nearest Red Sox fan). Blending nostalgia, behind-the-scenes profanity, close analysis of the game that only players can offer, and insight into baseball's ongoing evolution as a sport and a business, Bret Boone will offer a one-of-a-kind look at America's favorite pastime from a family who has seen it all.

©2016 Bret Boone (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Well, he admits it. He's not humble.

And he proves it here.
I'm a Mariners fan. I have a signed 8x10 photo of Bret in my cave. But this book has a few flies on it.
1) It offers nothing new.
2) It makes Bret sound like a know-it-all. Bret tells us that no sportswriter, broadcaster and very few other baseball people know much of anything about baseball . He repeatedly and unconvincingly tries to reverse most of the most familiar unwritten rules of baseball with a simple claim. "That's not true." This would be more effective if his evidence was ever more than a single Bret Boone story involving Bret Boone as a counterexample. A bit anecdotal.
3) Too much dependence on easy-to-lookup stats. How many times do we need to be told how many all-star games the three generations of Boone's collectively played in? Or how many Gold gloves? Or RBIs? In a short book -- shoot in ANY book -- once would work.
4) He does a very brief and unsatisfying job in dealing with the influence of steroids on the game. He's obviously supportive of roid suspects (Bonds) and convicts (AROD) -- as an aside he ranks AROD above Ken Griffey Jr as the best Mariner ever -- and almost dismisses the whispers about his own amazing transformation from pinger-hitter to dinger-hitter in the same timeframe.

Overall, this book really doesn't add much to baseball literature.

Good stories, but bad story teller

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

If you're a die hard baseball fan, you'll enjoy the stories. Takes a while to get past his ego though.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Bret is an awful narrator. I appreciate hearing from the horse's mouth, so to speak, but he's a pro ball player, not a narrator.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

awkward transitions, inconsistent speed, ultimately felt like they cut just before he asked for his check at the end.

Was Home Game worth the listening time?

Again, if you love baseball, you'll enjoy the stories.