Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
I used to think it was unfair that a sports media giant like Sports Illustrated can make even more money by dipping into their archives and publishing the compilations or photos or writing. But you have to give them credit; they do come out with some mighty good products. The latest from the SI library […]
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The Wall Street Journal published this piece on The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams (pay wall). And although Bruce Weber wrote this review for the Dec. 5 edition of The New York Times, another one appeared in the Sunday Times book section. Sorry, maybe it’s sour grapes, but with all the books out […]
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A Gallery of Rogues, by Jonathan Weeks. Scarecrow Press, 2013. Until there is no more baseball, there will always be books like Baseball’s Most Notorious Personalities. It’s our predilection for schadenfreude and curiosity that leads us to red stories about the likes of Ty Cobb (who graces the cover), Carl Mays, Pete Rose, the 1919 […]
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ESPN’s Jim Caple posted this list of best baseball books in 2013. I keep hoping that 501 will make somebody‘s “best of” list, but so far it hasn’t happened. I’ve got no kick against any of Caple’s choices (well, perhaps One Summer: America, 1927, which, as he admits, is not a baseball book, although it […]
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(Speaking of “nations,” in looking for an appropriate clip for this piece, I sought out the theme for the news segment of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, a precursor to Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update.” I was reminded what a big deal RML-I was in its time. Some of the guests included such high-profilers as John […]
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I’m reading The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams for an upcoming review on Bookreporter.com. When I received the galleys, my first thought was similar to Rob Neyer’s, who noted in this post, “Hey, there’s another book about Ted Williams.” (Excerpt here. By the way, although I understand the title, it’s too similar to […]
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Another in an attempt to look over the over-looked news in baseball books. I’ve only just begun listening to the unabridged audio book of Bill Bryson’s newest, One Summer: America, 1927, but if Richard “Pete” Peterson says it’s “a good read for Cards, Cubs fans,” that’s good enough for me. Kevin Baker, who worked with […]
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Yes, if you subscribe for an eight-week subscription to the digital version of the paper, you can receive a copy of For Boston: From Worst to First, the Improbable Dream Season of the 2013 Red Sox . After the introductory period, the price bumps up to $3.99/week. You cancel at any time but you have […]
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Okay, technically this isn’t a Baseball Bookshelf since I wrote it for Bookreporter.com. I’m double-dipping here. You can click to the Bookreporter piece (I’m sure they’d love the traffic), or read it below: I do not know Reggie Jackson, so I cannot know what’s in his heart or mind. In rationalizing the publication of his […]
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ABC cancels Back in the Game Back in the Game, starring James Caan and Maggie Lawson, has effectively been cancelled, though all 13 episodes will air. However, no more will be produced, which presumably will make way for Suburgatory to return to the schedule. I might actually go back and watch the rest (after passing […]
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Speaking of awards… The “problem” with a book like 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die is that you have to draw the line somewhere to meet the publisher’s deadline. I was allowed some last-minute adjustments to include a handful of books that came out in 2012, but what about this year’s batch? […]
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Don’t know if it’s the recent attention paid to poor umpiring or the call for expanded use of video replays, but several books published over the past year or so take up the topic of rules interpretation. These books point out that the official rule book is kind of dry; the “fun” part comes in […]
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Well, that was relatively easy. The Boston Red Sox are your new World Series Champions! As a newspaper buff, I always like to see how the local press covers such high-profile sports events. Frequently, tabloid publications employ “wraps,” using the entire front and back page for one large photo, like these from the Boston Herald. […]
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Forgot to post this amusing standoff between Joe Kelly of the St. Louis Cardinals and Scott Van Slyke of the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the final game of the NLCS (love the frustrated umpire towards the end of the clip). Enjoy.
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One day, God willing, it’ll be “a million.” But in the meantime, after a complicated determination process, it has been decided that Dennis Anderson of Dunlap, Illinois, was the 100,000th visitor to my Baseball Bookshelf. His reward? A signed copy of 501. Bound to be worth thousands of pennies a century from now. I asked […]
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The Killeen (TX) Daily Herald posted this review of Steve Rushin’s new title, The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects. (Is it just me or are these subtitles getting longer and longer?) I’ve started reading this one and am […]
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MLB.com’s Paul hagen posted this review of the new You Gotta Have Heart: A History of Washington Baseball from 1859 to the 2012 National League East Champions, by Frederic Frommer, son of the peripatetic baseball author Harvey Frommer.
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The Cardboard Connection ran this story about Teddy Kremer, a 30-year-old with Down syndrome, whose love for the Cincinnati Reds is apparently as big as his heart. Kremer had the opportunity to serve as honorary bat boy for the Reds, was asked to return, and had a hand in this special moment for Todd Frazier […]
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The grandson of the controversial Hall of Famer will speak at at the Grant Brimhall Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 19 , at 2 p.m. Cobb is the author of Heart of a Tiger: Growing up with My Grandfather, Ty Cobb. I have not read the book yet — […]
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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
