From the category archives:

Author profile/interview by Ron Kaplan

Bookshelf Conversations: But wait, there’s more

June 25, 2015

Further investigation uncovered another handful of unlisted chats… Glenn Stout Dave Jamieson Roy Berger Josh Perelman Joe Schuster

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Bookshelf Conversations: The Lost Tapes

June 24, 2015

I was going through some old iTunes files and was startled to see how many Bookshelf Conversations — in their various iterations — I’ve conducted over the years. It goes way beyond the oldest interview (George Vecsey) posted on the sidebar. I’m amazed and grateful that these people took the time to chat with me, […]

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Chris Lucas

June 1, 2015

This is how I start off my review of Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster’s Story of Overcoming Life’s Greatest Obstacles, by Ed Lucas and his son, Chris: “These days, the word ‘inspirational’ is tossed around a lot for things that really aren’t. But in the case of Ed Lucas, it somehow […]

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Tagged as: Christopher Lucas, Ed Lucas, Joe DiMagio, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, Phil Rizzuto, Sportswriting

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Gary Cieradkowski

May 26, 2015

This is a wonderful age we live in. A decade ago, I never would have been able to meet someone like Gary Cieradkowski, the artist who created The Infinite Baseball Card set and author of the newly-published The League of Outsider Baseball: An Illustrated History of Baseball’s Forgotten Heroes. I’ve known Cieradkowski for several years […]

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Tagged as: baseball art, Gary Cieradkowski, infinite baseball card set

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Mutual admiration society

May 13, 2015

Sometimes I’ll get an email from a writer whom I’ve interviewed for a Bookshelf Conversation, thanking me for the opportunity. Sometimes I get nothing. Meh; what are you gonna do? I just enjoy chatting about the back-story stuff, the creative process. Occasionally you get something like this. Thank you, Fred Harris.

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Bookshelf review: Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story

May 11, 2015

Originally written for Bookreporter.com. Look for a Bookshelf Conversation with Chris Lucas next week. In fact, there are lots of BCs on the horizon. Up next, Fred Harris, co-author with Brendan Boyd of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading And Bubblegum Book. Additional conversations will feature Josh Leventhal (A History of Baseball in 100 […]

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Tagged as: Christopher Lucas, Ed Lucas, New York Yankees

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Ain’t misbehavin’

April 24, 2015

“No one to talk with, all by myself…” Didn’t post a Bookshelf Conversation last week, and won’t have one this week either. That’s a shame because I enjoy a good chat with creative people, getting to know what their process is, how they go to this point in their work, etc. As a sneak preview, […]

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Tagged as: Gary Cieradkowski, Jeff Katz, Jennifer Ring

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Upcoming author events

April 17, 2015

The Yogi Berra Museum in Little Falls, NJ, will host an appearance by Steve Kettmann, author of Baseball Maverick, tomorrow (April 18) at 2 p.m. Joining Kettmann will be Sandy Alderson, the subject of the book. The program begins at 2 p.m. Cost is $30 and includes admission to the museum for you and one […]

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Tagged as: Bill Pennington, Jeff Katz, Jennifer Ring, Jim Kaat, Steve Kettmann, Steve Steinberg

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Barbara Gregorich

March 23, 2015

In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to pay tribute to that demographic of fans and athletes and could think of no one better than Barbara Gregorich to weigh in on the topic. Gregorich is the author of Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball (which is included in 501 Baseball Books […]

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Tagged as: Barbara Gregorich, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Effa Manley, Jane Leavy, Judy Lynn Johnson, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, women's history month

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Teen author seeks to increase interest in baseball

March 11, 2015

Note: Wrote a version of this one for the March 12 issue of New Jersey Jewish News. * * * Major League Baseball bigwigs worry that the game is losing young fans at a rapid pace. Among the issues are games that are just too long, lasting more than three hours and potentially lasting past […]

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Tagged as: baseball history, Matt Nadel

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Bennett Jacobstein

March 9, 2015

As Humphrey Bogart famously said, “A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz.” Certainly one of the most important off-field enticements these days is the food, so when teams design their new homes, they make sure there are plenty of places to get a bite that offer more than […]

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Tagged as: ballpark food

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Josh Pahigian

March 2, 2015

Dr. Seuss wasn’t considering baseball fans when he published his best-selling book Oh, The Places You’ll Go. He left that for Josh Pahigian to deal with. Pahigian first published 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out in 2010, following his joint venture with Kevin O’Connell, Ultimate Baseball Road Trip: A Fan’s Guide To Major […]

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Tagged as: baseball museums, baseball places, Josh Pahigian

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Nicholas Dawidoff

September 8, 2014

Nicholas Dawidoff has pretty much done it all when it comes to non-fiction writing: memoir, biography, anthology. And done it all well. The Flyswatter, a sentimental recollection of his grandfather, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. His first book, The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg, is considered the […]

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Tagged as: anthology, Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, Moe Berg, Nicholas Dawidoff

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Josh Ostergaard

September 2, 2014

Jealousy reared its ugly head once again when I saw the full-page review of Josh Ostergaard‘s The Devil’s Snake Curve in The New York Times‘ Sunday book supplement in June. It brought back memories of Chad Harbach’s 2011 debut novel, The Art of Fielding, which garnered him tremendous kudos, not to mention a huge advance. (The […]

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Tagged as: Josh Ostergaard, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Jonah Keri

August 25, 2014

Few things bring a smile to my face more than memories of Montreal. My maternal family hails from that city and I spent many happy times there, including five summers working at Camp Maromac in the Laurentian Mountains. So it’s only natural I would become a fan of the Montreal Expos. And disappointed when they […]

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Tagged as: Jonah Keri, Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Lee Judge

August 18, 2014

Last week, I spoke with Jason Kendall, the former major league veteran and co-author of the new book, Throwback: A Big-League Catcher Tells How the Game Is Really Played. This week, we have his collaborator, Lee Judge, who blogs about the KC Royals for the Kansas City Star, but is perhaps more widely recognized as […]

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Tagged as: Jason Kendall, Lee Judge

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Jason Kendall

August 11, 2014

This is a typical Jason Kendall photo. It is a picture of intensity and passion. There are a few books out there, ostensibly written by pro athletes describing how to play the game. Joe DiMaggio published one (Baseball for Everyone), so did Bob Feller (Pitching to Win). But those were just white bread, without nuance, […]

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Tagged as: baseball analysis, Catching, Jason Kendall, Kansas City Star, Lee Judge

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Jayson Stark

June 30, 2014

Jayson Stark, the long-time columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is a senior writer for ESPN.com. In addition to his writing, he appears on radio and television, including SportsCenter, ESPNews, Baseball Tonight, and a weekly segment during baseball season with WHB 810 in Kansas City. He is another in a pool of veteran scribes who has […]

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Tagged as: ESPN, Jayson Stark

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Coming up: A conversation with Hal Bodley

June 12, 2014

One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Men in Black when Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) is trying to recruit police officer Edwards (Will Smith): Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you […]

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Tagged as: baseball writing, Hal Bodley, USA TODAY

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Chris Donnelly

May 27, 2014

Many books try to link a premise with a larger theme. If you try hard enough, you can find connections between any items. But Chris Donnelly does a better-than-most job of convincing readers How the Yankees Explain New York. Let’s be honest: a lot of people outside the Big Apple think its residents have a […]