* Close on Updike, but no cigar

I went looking online to see if I could find an audio rendition of Updike’s essay, “Hub fans bid Kid adieu.” I know it was recorded during a Symphony Special performance of stories and poems about the national pastime (the recording was released in 2006), but wouldn’t you know it: the two portions of the program made available as separate podcasts omitted that particular piece.

If you can’t find it on iTunes (through Public Radio International), you can purchase it through Audible.com. It’s well worth the price. Just look at this lineup. In addition to Updike’s essay, read by Jack Davidson, you have:

Roger Angell and A. Bartlett Giamatti’s “Play by Play”
Rolfe Humphries’ “Polo Grounds” read by Fritz Weaver
Robert Francis’ “Pitcher” and “Base Stealer” read by Arthur French
Robert Fitzgerald’s “Cobb Would Have Caught It” read by Jonathan Hadary
Roger Angell’s “Game Six” read by the author
Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Glory” read by Isaiah Sheffer
W.P. Kinsella’s “The Thrill of the Grass” read by John Shea
Ken Kalfus’ “The Joy and Melancholy Baseball Trivia Quiz” read by Davidson
T.C. Boyle’s “The Hector Quesadilla Story” read by Jerry Zaks
Giamatti’s “The Green Fields of the Mind” read by the author

Here’s a sample from the Angell/Giammati segment:

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Tagged as: John Updike, Ted Williams

{ 2 comments }

1 * coffee January 30, 2009 at 2:00 am: John Updike’s passing is sad, but he left a ton of awesome work. “Immortality is nontransferrable” he said appropriately.
2 * pure acai berry February 10, 2009 at 2:59 am: Great site you have here. Enjoyed the post will bookmark. 🙂