Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
Andre Dawson, Whitey Herzog, and umpire Doug Harvey. While Dawson and Herzog have both published autobios/memoirs, I hope Harvey does so soon. Here are just a few titles that reflect some aspect of the National pastime’s ultimate showplace: There are several coffee table books that illustrate the many holdings of the Cooperstown museum. This is […]
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Although I have trouble with the use of words like “best” and “greatest” in titles, when it comes to anthologies, I’m a bit more flexible. The editors of such collections do a fine job assembling excellent works from magazines, newspapers, etc., saving a pack-rat like me from collecting even more material. Two new books celebrate […]
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Been away so long I hardly knew the place. Gee, it’s good to be back home… Made a quick trip to Ft. Lauderdale to cover a tryout for an Israeli pro basketball team, then it was over to Hotdelphia for a family reunion. Had a chance to read What Else but Home, by Michael Rosen, […]
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The top baseball books, according to Amazon.com as of Friday, July 16. Title Rank General Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball, by Bill Madden 1 Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis 2 The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime, by Scott Turbow […]
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Believe it or not, I wouldn’t want this book, even if someone made me a present of it. According to the NY Times‘ piece by sports media writer Richard Sandomir, “the leather-bound book, “The Official Major League Baseball Opus,” will come out in a limited edition (1,000 copies), packaged in a silk-covered clamshell case. The […]
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Haven’t read this one, so not endorsing and not not endorsing, but seems like this could make for appropriate beach reading. Parenthetically, I wonder what the thought process was for the book art. At the risk of appearing risque, the cover makes me think of one of those apocryphal announcer miscues about a young couple […]
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I first “discovered” Dick Perez many years ago via his “Diamond King” baseball cards inserted into the Donruss sets. Little did I realize that that was just the tip of the iceberg. Perez, a former “official artist” for the Baseball Hall of Fame, has just released The Immortals, a massive, gorgeous collection of his work […]
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As I’ve stated in the past, I’m not a big fan of books that employ words like “best” and “greatest.” Add to that “Most,” as in Overrated: The 50 Most Overhyped Things in History, by Mark Juddery, who adjudges baseball as “the most overrated sport.” Of course, he also considers Star Trek the most overrated […]
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(Got it in under the wire) Born on the Fourth of July 80 years ago. Here’s a review of Bill Madden’s new bio from WasWatching.com. Other titles featuring Steinbrenner include: George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire, by Peter Golenbock The Ballad of Billy and George: The Tempestuous Baseball Marriage of […]
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The Buffalo News posted this one. Upshot: First came “Willie Mays — The Life and Legend” by James S. Hirsch, which skillfully reminded everyone why we remember the Giants’ center fielder as the most exciting player of his time. Following that in the order is “The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron.” Howard Bryant’s […]
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James Traub has two piece in this weekend’s Times: A critique of The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís, by Mark Kurlansky in the book review section (which the critic deems a “charming and finely observed, if somewhat formless, baseball travelogue”), and a profile of Yankees’ reliever Mariano […]
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Big League Stew, a Yahoo sports blog, conducted this audio interview with the author of Are We Winning? Fathers and Sons in the New Golden Age of Baseball.
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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
The gauntlet, returned
July 8, 2010 · 1 comment
Earlier today I challenged Mark Juddery to back up the claim in his new book that baseball is the most overrated sport. Tonight, he offers his answer, via email, presented without editorial comment: Here are a few words written just for the Baseball Bookshelf site. (Well OK, it’s basically a reworked version of the book […]
Tagged as: Baseball News
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