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Crack of the Bat: A History of Baseball on the RadioThe crack of the bat on the radio is ingrained in the American mind as baseball takes center stage each summer. Radio has brought the sounds of baseball into homes for almost one hundred years, helping baseball emerge from the 1919 Black Sox scandal into the glorious World Series of the 1920s. The medium gave fans around the country aural access to the first All Star Game, Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, and Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the
The crack of the bat on the radio is ingrained in the American mind as baseball takes center stage each summer. Radio has brought the sounds of baseball into homes for almost one hundred years, helping baseball emerge from the 1919 Black Sox scandal into the glorious World Series of the 1920s. The medium gave fans around the country aural access to the first All-Star Game, Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, and Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World." Red Barber, Vin Scully, Harry Caray, Ernie Harwell, Bob Uecker, and dozens of other beloved announcers helped cement the love affair between radio and the national pastime. Crack of the Bat takes readers from the 1920s to the present, examining the role of baseball in the development of the radio industry and the complex coevolution of their relationship. James R. Walker provides a balanced, nuanced, and carefully documented look at radio and baseball over the past century, focusing on the interaction between team owners, local and national media, and government and business interests, with extensive coverage of the television and Internet ages, when baseball on the radio had to make critical adjustments to stay viable. Despite cable television's ubiquity, live video streaming, and social media, radio remains an important medium through which fans engage with their teams. The evolving relationship between baseball and radio intersects with topics as varied as the twenty-year battle among owners to control radio, the development of sports as a valuable media product, and the impact of competing technologies on the broadcast medium. Amid these changes, the familiar sounds of the ball hitting the glove and the satisfying crack of the bat stay the same.Purchase the audio edition.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 05/01/2015
ISBN: 9780803245006
Pages: 344
Weight: 1.44lbs
Size: 9.29h x 6.20w x 1.20d
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4.6 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Great Seller and Product
Size: 2.32 Pound (Pack of 1), Style: New
Wonderful customer service!! I needed to refund as I ordered by mistake, and they refunded right away!! Will order again from this seller.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Wow. This book takes time to read!!
Format: Hardcover
Ordered The Unseen Realm (Expanded Edition) and it turned out to be one of the more thought-provoking reads I’ve come across on biblical theology.
What stood out most is how much it stretched my thinking on the heavenly council. The way the author walks through Scripture and builds that framework forces you to slow down and reconsider passages you may have read many times without catching the broader context.
It’s detailed, but not in a way that feels inaccessible. There’s a lot of depth here, especially if you’re willing to follow the argument and check the references. It doesn’t just make claims—it works through them.
I didn’t agree with every conclusion, but that didn’t take away from the value. If anything, it pushed me to think more carefully and engage the material at a deeper level.
Compared to other books in this space, this one stands out for how it ties together Old and New Testament themes in a more cohesive way.
For the price, it’s a great value. There’s a lot of substance here, and it’s the kind of book you’ll likely revisit rather than read once and move on.
If you’re interested in the supernatural framework of Scripture and are open to having your assumptions challenged, this is a strong read.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Eye-opening Exposition of the Bible
Format: Paperback
I have the paperback which is 387 pages, plus Acknowledgments and Index. The book is well-written. I am a Christian and have read the Bible many times. Dr. Heiser's exposition on portions of the Bible were not something I had encountered before. I'll let Dr. Heiser speak for himself: "My goal is simple. When you open your Bible, I want you to be able to see it like ancient Israelites or first-century Jews saw it, to perceive and consider it as they would have. I want their supernatural worldview in your head." Pg. 13.
Genesis 6:1-5, Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32 and other Biblical passages, including New Testament passages reflect a worldview that at least to me was unfamiliar. His approach to exegesis of the Bible seems orthodox to me. Once again, I'll let Dr. Heiser speak for himself: "I still believe in the uniqueness of the God of the Bible. I still embrace the deity of Christ." Pg. 13. Nevertheless, looking at the Bible through this worldview is, for me, deeply affecting and not in a negative way.
The existence of a heavenly host, not all of which honor God, God's desire for an Eden even after the failure of the first Eden, and three rebellions, not just one, all based on divine Scripture, were deeply educational and enlightening to me. The author argues for his points carefully and cites numerous scholarly treatises to support his arguments.
The book also makes connections within the Bible to connect various passages, which a first-century Jew or Christian, assuming some literacy, would have recognized that a 21st century Christian, such as me, completely misses. The cosmic geography idea is not something I have encountered before.
The book also provides background on the interpretation of Hebrew words and the author is careful to focus the range of acceptable interpretations. Elohim, in particular, gets careful exposition.
If the topic interests you, I recommend the book highly. If you'd like to try out the late Dr. Heiser's thoughts first, he has a number of YouTube videos running from 15 minutes to 1+hour in length for you to watch.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Great Depth, Beautiful Edition.
Format: Hardcover
The deluxe hardcover is gorgeous, with art on the inside of the cover and diagrams and footnotes galore. I will say the footnotes get pretty deep, almost as many of them as there is "normal" text. But very, very well done deluxe anniversary edition. The content blows me away, and like Heiser says, I'll never read my Bible the same way again. Wouldn't recommend this book to most people, as sometimes I had to go back and re-read a passage, or got done with a footnote that was several paragraphs long and had to remember what the text was talking about before I got sidetracked by the footnote. But very glad I read it, very glad I own it. Also comes with a free digital download (though locked to their free app, Logos).
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Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2026
★★★★★ 5
The best book so far from Dr. Michael Heiser!! A MUST-HAVE!!
Format: Paperback
This book is a must have! Dr. Michael Heiser was a great scholar that gave truth to all he taught. His book is really filled with good in depth information where you get more understanding with what you read from Scripture. It gives great detail explanation of many topics and references to where you can look into Scripture. There's many footnotes in it as well from him. He has many different books written and I think this is his best. So YES this is a must have and you should get "The Unseen Realm" from Dr. Michael Heiser.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2026