Three Nights in August

Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager

By: Buzz Bissinger

Narrated by: Jeffrey Nordling

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author captures baseball's essence in this account of a dramatic three-game series viewed through the eyes of legendary St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Through 25 years of managing, Tony La Russa has won more games than any current manager. He's the most strategically adept and arguably the smartest manager in baseball, and he still believes that games are won not by statistics, but by the hearts and minds of the players.

Given unprecedented access to La Russa and his team, best-selling journalist Bissinger captures baseball's strategic and emotional essence. We watch from the dugout as La Russa's Cardinals take on their archrivals, the Chicago Cubs, in a thrilling three-game series.

Some of the greatest players of our time grace the lineups: Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Scott Rolen, Mark Prior. La Russa, a 40-year veteran of the game, shows why he's so revered. And Bissinger's laser-beam focus uncovers surprising truths about the pathology of slumps, the art of beanball retaliation, the eccentricities of pitchers, and the timelessness of the game. His swinging prose brings every moment gloriously to life.

©2005 Tony La Russa and H.G. Bissinger (P)2005 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Enthralling." (Booklist)
"Mixing classic baseball stories with little-known details and an exclusive perspective, this work should appeal to any baseball fan." (Publishers Weekly)
"With a knack for detail, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author picks apart the fundamentals of the game, enters the mind of one of baseball's greats, and provides the reader with a front row seat. His ability to bring to life America's pastime is wholly provocative and excruciatingly detailed." (Bookmarks Magazine)

The Best

I have been a baseball fan all of my life. I have played baseball, coached and managed youth baseball teams. This is the best book on the Game that I have ever read or listened to. It is superbly written and wonderfully read. It is so much more than a just a look into one man's life in the Game, it is a timeless look into the intricacy and beauty of baseball.

Classic Baseball

Well written, well narrated. Good baseball story no matter how long ago the game was played. Go Cards!

Why we love Baseball!

This book is about everything that is great and not so great about baseball. Great to listen too because it reveals the why and how this great game works and why we love it so much. The best insight about what really goes on behind the scenes and in front of the fan. If you want to learn and be entertained then this is one of the best listens I have had the pleasure to put on my iPod. Beautiful!

Beautiful baseball. Go Cardinals

loved it! Larussa is one of the greatest managers of all time! Go Cardinals! 11 world series rings!

narration

well written and an excellent narrator. kept you engaged the whole time and wonderful side strories.