I was shocked and saddened to learn this morning that the long-time sportswriter and author passed away yesterday at the age of 80.
Pepe was the epitome of the hard-working New York journalist, working for several papers, hosting his own radio show, and being one of those guys who seemed to know everyone.
I had the pleasure of doing a couple of Bookshelf conversations with Pepe who even as a senior citizen felt the need to stay active, reminding his fans what a great writer he was with books like and . He was always looking for his next project.
The Pepe baseball bibliography includes both his own work and as the “as told to” guy, with such titles — mostly on the New York teams and athletes he covered — as Core Four: The Heart and Soul of the Yankees Dynasty; The Wit and Wisdom of Yogi Berra; Howie Rose’s memoir Put It In the Book!: A Half-Century of Mets Mania; 1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase; and, most recently, Yankee Doodles: Inside the Locker Room with Mickey, Yogi, Reggie, and Derek; among many others. (Few and Chosen Negro Leagues: Defining Negro Leagues Greatness, which Pepe wrote with Monte Irvin, is included in 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die.)
Tributes are just starting to come coming in from associates and contemporaries such as Marty Noble.
- The Bookshelf Conversation following the release of Yankee Doodles.
- The Bookshelf Conversation following the release of Turning Two: My Journey to the Top of the World and Back with the New York Mets.
- Some of my reviews of Pepe’s books on Bookreporter.com.
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