The Original Louisville Slugger cover art

The Original Louisville Slugger

The Life and Times of Forgotten Baseball Legend Pete Browning

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The Original Louisville Slugger

By: Tim Newby
Narrated by: Ray Montecalvo
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About this listen

Louis "Pete" Rogers Browning was one of the greatest baseball players of the nineteenth century. His skills with the bat made the difficult art of hitting a baseball appear easy. Over his thirteen-year career, he won three batting titles, finished in the top three nine times, and was one of the premodern era's greatest hitters. Browning is recognized as not only the namesake but also the genesis for the famed Louisville Slugger, as the Hillerich & Bradsby Company shaped the first ever custom-made bat based on his instructions. Browning's athletic prowess was overshadowed by his drunken adventures and struggles off the field. Known as the Gladiator, he drank tabasco sauce, washed his eyes with buttermilk, and named bats after biblical characters, all in an effort to improve his hitting. Few were aware that, behind the comedic persona, Browning suffered from mastoiditis, a devastating physical ailment that robbed him of his hearing, deprived him of an education, eroded his professional skills, and led to his heavy dependence on alcohol. Accounts of Browning's unconventional behavior were bolstered by his own outlandish storytelling. These stories were embellished by newspapers of the time, making him a legend.

Tim Newby addresses the myths surrounding the larger-than-life figure, uncovers the thin line between fact and fiction, and presents an extensive account of Browning—the man, and legendary ball player.

The book is published by The University Press of Kentucky. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2024 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2025 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"A joyous biography of an oft-overlooked sports legend..." (Foreword Reviews)

"A master storyteller, Newby has given us a swashbuckling, true adventure from big league baseball's fascinating paleolithic era." (Jerry Grillo, author of Big Cat)

"This is a must-read for every baseball and sports fan..." (David Wrobel, author of America's West: A History, 1890-1950)

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