Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
August 20, 2013
As per Mangin’s Facebook post of Aug. 20: DROP EVERYTHING! Hey South Bay Giants Fans! Brian Murphy and I will be at San Jose Municipal Stadium (former home of Giants #1 draft pick Adam Hyzdu, shot by me in 1992) signing copies of Never. Say. Die.: The San Francisco Giants – 2012 World Series Champions […]
Tagged as: Brad Mangin, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants
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August 8, 2013
It’s been fairly quiet on the 501 Baseball Books… front lately, but things are looking up. * Recently I was the subject of this on-line Q&A with on the Sherman Report, a site that considers sports media. * In the very near future, another one of those should be up on Mark’s Ephemera. Mark Aubrey […]
Tagged as: 501 Baseball Book project
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August 6, 2013 · 4 comments
Yeh, I know, these don’t actually count as dispatches from, since the conference ended Sunday. But I didn’t have a laptop, the wifi wasn’t free, and I didn’t want to burn my data minutes (not to mention cramp my fingers) typing away on my iPhone. This was my fourth SABR meeting and each time I […]
Tagged as: Alan Schwarz, Eric Rolfe Greenberg, Hank Greenberg, Jayson Stark, John Thorn, Philadelphia, Society for American Baseball Research
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July 31, 2013
Borrowing a line from The King’s Speech, one of my favorite movies. Came across this Tweet this morning: Sweet! Not taking a laptop and don’t know what kind of computer access I’ll have while in Philly, but I’m hoping to do some author interviews and video. Until then, “make good choices.”
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July 30, 2013
Or at least will be on Saturday, August 3, I’ll be signing copies of 501 at the annual SABR Conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska Press booth in the vendor’s room. You do not have to be a registered conference attendee to visit the […]
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July 9, 2013
Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter Ira Berkow will discuss his eventful time around the New York Mets at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls on Monday, July 15, at 6 p.m., followed by a signing of his new book Summers at Shea. In a distinguished […]
Tagged as: Ira Berkow
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June 26, 2013
* That’s nice: Members of the Wareham College baseball team in the Cap Code area will read to local kids at a July 2 event. Details here. * The All Alabama site published this profile of Birmingham native Allen Barra, author of the new book, Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays, the Parallel Lives of […]
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June 20, 2013
Spent a fun evening with veteran sports columnist and author Filip Bondy and some knowledgeable and inquisitive folks at an authors’ event hosted by the Montclair Public Library last night. You can see more photos here.
Tagged as: Filip Bondy, Ron Kaplan
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June 18, 2013
This time for sure (click to play audio file). I will be appearing with NY Daily News sports columnist Filip Bondy to discuss our new books at the main Branch of the Montclair Public Library tomorrow (June 19) at 7 p.m. This is a redo for the event that was originally scheduled for last month. […]
Tagged as: 501 Baseball Books, Filip Bondy, Ron Kaplan
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June 12, 2013
John Rosengren was recently interviewed in Prime Time Radio to discuss his new bio on Hank Greenberg (audio). BlueJaysBanter, a “subsidiary” of Baseball Nation, posted this review of Jeff Blair’s Full Count: Four Decades of Blue Jays Baseball. David King will sign copies of his new book, Ross Youngs: In Search of a San Antonio Baseball […]
Tagged as: Bad News Bears, Baseball Cards, Doc Gooden, Ellis Henican, Hank Greenberg, John Rosengren, Josh Wilker, Ross Youngs, Toronto Blue Jays
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June 10, 2013
Or women. I guess I was a little disappointed at the turnout (or lack thereof) at the [Words] bookstore in Maplewood yesterday afternoon. But it was a nice day, so perhaps people were more into being outdoors. Nevertheless, it’s never not fun talking about baseball and books with people who are interested in the topic(s). […]
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June 7, 2013
Thinking about renaming this segment of the blog “This or That.” Waddya think? Anyway… Author Tom Clavin put in an appearance recently to discuss his latest, The DiMaggios: Three Brothers, Their Passion for Baseball, and Their Pursuit of the American Dream. Here’s an “op-ed”/review of Joseph Sutton’s The Years The Giants Won The Series: A […]
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June 6, 2013
Just a couple of photos of me signing the book at Book Expo America on Saturday. Very fun. (Click to enlarge.)
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June 5, 2013
NOTE: This post will remain at the top of the blog until Sunday, so scroll down for the latest baseball book news. Assuming I don’t get seriously injured during a doubleheader that morning…
Tagged as: 501 Baseball, Ron Kaplan
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April 18, 2013
Well, that went well. Got the first 501 book event under my belt at, appropriately, my hometown bookstore, Watchung Booksellers. About 20 friends, neighbors, and supporters to listen to me drone on, reading a few passages from the book (I quickly learned what not to do in the future — less reading, more extemporaneousness), and […]
Tagged as: 501 Baseball Books
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April 11, 2013
The Yogi Berra Museum, located on the campus of Montclair State University, will host a lunch program on Hank Greenberg on Friday, April 26, at noon. Guests include John Rosengren, author of the new biography Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes; Aviva Kempner, producer/director/writer of The award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, […]
Tagged as: Aviva Kempner, Hank Greenberg, John Rosengren
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February 25, 2013
Happy to be among those who have been invited to speak at the eclectic Clubhouse in Manhattan. I will be at the Clubhouse on Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m. My learned colleagues include: Ira Berkow, Summers at Shea: Tom Seaver Loses His Overcoat and Other Mets Stories, Thursday, March 14 Matthew Silverman, Swinging ’73: […]
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February 7, 2013
The former NY Mets all-star will be at the Barnes & Noble – Fifth Avenue on Monday, Feb. 11, at noon. The Norristown, PA-born catcher will also be at the Towne Book Center in Collegeville, PA, for a book-signing on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. Wouldn’t exactly call this an iron-clad backing: Piazza’s co-author, […]
Tagged as: Mike Piazza
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November 27, 2012
The creator of the classic A Day In The Bleachers celebrates the release of a trilogy of earlier titles with an appearance at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, 2810 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA, on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 2:30 p.m. From the press release: Many know Arnold’s name as the editor of noirmeister Jim Thompson […]
Tagged as: Arnold Hano
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November 21, 2012
Funny to see him described as a “baseball legend,” but I guess it’s all relative. Aikens will put in an appearance at Williams College on Dec. 5 to discuss his life and new book, Willie Mays Aikens: Safe at Home. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets are […]
Tagged as: Willie Aikens
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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.
In Forbes Magazine re: Baseball Business Books
On Will Carroll’s “Under the Knife” substack
Most recent books read updated 12/21/24:
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien
Grade: A. The most in-depth bio to date, focusing on Rose's gambling addiction.
Sometimes You See It Coming, by Kevin Baker
Grade: B. I first read this one when it originally came out some 30 years ago. I must say I don't remember it being so raunchy in spots. Draws on lots of real-life events and characters that real fans will recognize.
The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, by Andy McCullough
Grade: A. I usually don't like titles with superlatives, but in this case the author might be right, although there are probably a couple of Kershaw's contemporaries (Verlander and Scherzer) who fit that description.
The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era, by Andy Martino
Grade: B+. Even this non-Yankee fan found the deep background with its Moneyball-like machinations interesting
The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker
Grade: A. Well-researched, well-written. What else could you ask for? Baker has a lot of street cred writing about New York as well, both in fiction and non-fiction.
The Body Scout, by Lincoln Michel
Grade: C. Perhaps the ultimate performance enhancers -- interchangeable body parts -- help major leaguers of the future. But, as with all of these things, there's a price to pay.
Cardboard Gods: An All-American Tale Told Through Baseball Cards, by Josh Wilker
Grade: A. Re-read in preparation for a Bookshelf Conversation with the author. Had a deeper meaning than when I first read it more than a decade ago.
The Bookshelf Conversation
Discussions about all things baseball with authors, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, artists, et al
Subscribe to the "Bookshelf Conversations" podcast on iTunes and please leave a rating and/or review. Gracias!
Mike Shannon on "Diamond Classics II" ( video)
Todd Radom, Ellen Linder, and Brian Kong ( video)
Rick Cerrone (Baseball Digest, video)
Kevin Baker (Sometimes You See It Coming, video)
Curtis Pride and Doug Ward (video)
Dan Epstein on James Earl Jones (video)
Jim Gilmore and Tracy Holcomb (video)
"The Lost Tapes": Conversations prior to 2011 (audio)
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
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