Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
Darryl Strawberry and Josh Hamilton. Brothers from different mothers. Both had all the talent in the world. Both were number one draft picks (Strawberry in 1980, Hamilton in 1999) and were expected to do great things.Both became born-again Christians when their lives turned toward the dark side. And both have autobiographies in which they openly […]
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From the Irish Times, this review of Tye’s new book. Upshot: [F]ormer Boston Globe reporter Larry Tye has done a fine job of separating fact from fiction in Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend , published by Random House. Combing through back issues of black-audience newspapers of the day and the memoirs […]
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This week in baseball books, featuring the best-sellers according to Amazon.com on Friday, July 3. Title Rank General Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, Tye 1 The Yankee Years, Torre and Verducci 2 Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Lewis 3 As They See ‘Em: A Fan’s Travels in the […]
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Larry Tye’s new biography has generated renewed interst in Paige’s own (purported) autobio. There are two versions of Jane Leavy’s book on Sandy Koufax, the first abridged (6 hours, 14 minutes), narrated by Robert Pinsky (his named is listed, but it dosn’t sound like a male voice on the sample); the latter, unabridged (almost 10 […]
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Paul Dickson, editor of the popular Dickson Baseball Dictionary, published this double review of Negro L:eague baseball in The Washington Times.
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The Christian Science Monitor published this review of Larry Tye’s well-received biography of the Negro League legend. Upshot: It’s about time somebody wrote a good biography of Satchel Paige, the great baseball pitcher, personality, showman, and entrepreneur. In Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, journalist Larry Tye has done just that. Likewise, […]
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The American Spectator published this review of Curt Smith’s new book, emblematic of an increasing sentiment. Upshot: Unfortunately, Smith gives us a wealth of good information in a pedestrian writing style, clipped and choppy and occasionally incoherent. He sometimes changes subject in the middle of a paragraph. There are quotes where it’s hard to tell […]
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This week in baseball books, featuring the best-sellers according to Amazon.com on Friday, June 19. Title Rank General Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, Tye 1 The Yankee Years, Torre and Verducci 2 Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Lewis 3 The Science of Hitting, Williams 4 As They See […]
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From the MLB portion of Fanhouse.com, this piece on Zev Chafets‘ new and controversial book on the Hall of Fame. And another from The Hardball Times. Upshot: Chafets doesn’t portray himself as a baseball expert, a la Bill James. He clearly is a fan of the game—and a passionate one—make no mistake about it, but […]
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The Providence Journal posted this review of yet another account of the Dodgers’ (and Giants’) move to California. Upshot: To the dwindling circle of Brooklyn Dodger fans, Walter O’Malley will forever remain a despised #@%&*. If they can bring themselves to read it, Murphy’s book will reinforce their notion.
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Larry Tye’s new bio of the great Negro League pitcher gets the treatment from the Stockton (CA) Record.
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By Allen Barra, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Upshot: “Cooperstown Confidential” is bold, intelligent, gutsy. [Author Zev] Chafets is strongest on what is soon to be the next controversy of the Hall — steroids. and … if you don’t like Roger Clemens — and there are so many who don’t that one questions why the authors […]
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is available on Amazon.com,
In a former life, I was the sports and features editor for a weekly New Jersey newspaper, where I hosted an award-winning bog about Jews and Sports.
I did a profile piece on the legendary cartoonist Arnold Roth and he was very generous in immortalizing me in this caricature.
My article on Sandy Koufax in the 1965 World Series appears in
My article on the later biographies of Babe Ruth appears in
My article on the Mets’ 1969 postseason appears in
Profiles of several Jewish baseball figures appear in
* Chafets opines on steroids and the Hall of Fame
June 29, 2009
Zev Chafets, author of Cooperstown Confidential, published this Op-Ed piece in the June 19 edition of The New York Times (“Let steroids into the Hall of Fame“). will Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, et al now become loyal Times readers? [T]oday’s superstars have lawyers and a union. They know how to use the news media. And […]
Tagged as: Baseball Hall of Fame, steroids, Zev Chafets
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