Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
December 9, 2012
I haven’t done one of these in awhile. Part of it has been working on my own book (I’m almost done with the indexing), part of it was being without the computer (kind of surprised it’s lasted this long). So as a way to compensate, this episode is something of a Mets doubleheader. We have […]
Tagged as: Davud Ferry, Greg Prince, New York Mets
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December 6, 2012
Tonight 7 p.nm. at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, Ray Negron will discuss his new book, Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers. I’ll have to read that one soon and compare it with Marty Appel’s Now Pitching for the Yankees: Spinning the News for Mickey, Reggie and George. Next at the Clubhouse: […]
Tagged as: Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, Foleys, Gre Prince, Lefty Gomez, New York Mets, Ray Negron
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October 21, 2012
Those who are regular readers of the Bookshelf know I rarely deal with fiction. It’s not that I don’t like it (although in many cases I feel the ability to self-publish so easily and inexpensively leads to an overload of stimulation — just too much stuff); it’s simply that I feel inadequately educated to comment […]
Tagged as: Joseph Schuster, Might Have Been
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September 19, 2012
The High Holy Days are upon us and each year brings the inevitable question: will the handful of Jewish Major Leaguers play on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, or will they sit? The most prominent stars to refrain from taking the field during this time were Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax […]
Tagged as: Chicago White Sox, Hank Greenberg, High Holy Days, Ray Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Yom Kippur
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August 13, 2012
Ronnie Joyner is the author/artist of Hardball Legends and Journeymen and Short-Timers: 333 Illustrated Baseball Biographies, published earlier this year by McFarland. It’s a throw-back to a time when newspapers regularly ran drawings of athletes with a few factoids. Joyner was kind enough to quench my curiosity about the craft. * * * * * […]
Tagged as: baseball cartoons, Ronnie Joyner
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July 26, 2012
Before there was film, before there was even television, photography was the only means by which fans could see the players. The medium was still developing (pardon the pun), so the men (almost exclusively), who snapped their shutters were still learning about such things as angles, speed, placement, composition, etc. One of the early pioneers […]
Tagged as: Charles M. Conlon, Neal McCabe
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July 25, 2012 · 4 comments
Former MLB pitcher Dave Baldwin, author of the memoir Snake Jazz, and SABR member Eric Sallee have a new venture: they are part of a group seeking to bring a Major League franchise to their small town of Yachats, OR (population: 688) Baldwin has created a new web presence to chronicle the efforts: Welcome to […]
Tagged as: Dave Baldwin, Oregon
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July 8, 2012
As mentioned in a previous post, Arnold Hano wrote one of the must-read books for any serious student of the national pastime. A Day in the Bleachers was the first, and in many ways the best, of the single-game analyses genre. His deconstruction of the first game of the 1954 World Series between the New […]
Tagged as: Arion Press, Arnold Hano, Baseball Reliquary, Fans, Mark Ulriksen, New York Giants, Willie Mays, World Series
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July 6, 2012
Drawings from Kadir Nelson’s fascinating and beautifully done 2008 children’s book about the Negro Leagues will be on display at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum through Aug. 26. Here’s the link to an interview I did with Nelson in 2009.
Tagged as: Kadir Nelson
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June 15, 2012
Marty Appel is no stranger to the Bookshelf. I’ve met him on several occasions and his work as an author and publicist has often appeared on the blog. Now I’m pleased to report on perhaps his most significant achievement to date: Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss […]
Tagged as: Marty Appel, New York Yankee, Ron Blomberg
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June 13, 2012
I have to admit, when I first heard that R.A. Dickey’s memoir, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, contained information about his sexual abuse as a child, I thought, “Here we go again. Another celebrity who has to come up with an angle to sell his otherwise average […]
Tagged as: RA Dickey, Wayne Coffey
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June 13, 2012
With Father’s Day quickly approaching I thought I’d concentrate on a couple of books that would be great for dad. Perhaps mores o if he’s a fan of the Bronx Bombers, but these would be just as appropriate if he’s a student of baseball history as well as baseball cards, respectively. I’m speaking of The […]
Tagged as: Baseball card, Dave Anderson, New York Times, New York Yankee
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June 13, 2012
With Fathers Day upon us, and a few prominent author appearances on the horizon, I’ve been scrambling to put up some relevant podcasts. So rather than putting up one this week, there will be a few including: Wayne Coffey, co-author of R.A. Dickey’s notable memoir, Wherever I Wind Up Marty Appel, Pinstripe Empire, which is […]
Tagged as: Dave Anderson, Marty Appel, New York Times, Pinstripe Empire, Topps, Wayne Coffey, Yogi Berra Museum
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June 7, 2012
Rob Neyer at SB Nation posted this item about Gary Bedingfield, host of Baseball in Wartime and author of Baseball’s Dead of World War II: A Roster of Professional Players Who Died in Service. Awhile back I had a chance to e-chat with Bedingfield, a native of Great Britain, about his interest in paying tribute […]
Tagged as: Gary Bedingfield, Rob Neyer, SB Nation, World War II
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June 4, 2012
There are numerous staples of baseball fiction: Kinsella and Lardner immediately come to kind, with contributions from writers that might surprise, such as Garrison Keillor and George Plimpton, both known for their work in other genres. Then there are the newcomers, putting more contemporary spins on a game that’s been around fore more than 150 […]
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May 21, 2012
The first celebrity interview I ever did was with Sparky Anderson. I got my freelance start doing book reviews (surprise, surprise), which led to author interviews, which led me to Anderson, who had just come out with They Call Me Sparky (1998). As one might expect in the presence of greatness, I was a bit […]
Tagged as: Dan Ewald, Sparky Anderson
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April 22, 2012
Any middle-aged, self-respecting New York baseball fan knows the name Phil Pepe. He was the Yankees beat writer for the World Telegram & Sun from 1961-64, and for the Daily News from 1971-84. He’s enjoyed a long run on radio, too, serving as the sports voice for WCBS-FM when it was still an oldies station, […]
Tagged as: Bob Gibson, Bud Harrelson, Hofstra University, New York Mets, Phil Pepe
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April 13, 2012
History is not supposed to be something I’ve lived through. History is supposed to be something that happened well before I was born. It was therefore with a mix of nostalgia and dread that I read Tim Wendell‘s Summer of ’68: The Season That Changed Baseball–and America–Forever. 1968 was the first year I really started […]
Tagged as: 1968, David Halberstam, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Tim Wendel, World Series
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April 6, 2012
Some of the contributions for the new collaboration Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World’s Most Loved (and Hated) Team are dewy-eyed tributes, either about the team in general, or a player in particular, or a personal moment with a family member, bonding over a shared love. On the other end of the […]
Tagged as: Charlie Pierce, Damn Yankees, Daniel Okrent, Jane Leavy, Rob Fleder, Roy Blount Jr., Sports Illustrated
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April 1, 2012
Another book about Yogi Berra? Yup, and one that shouldn’t be missed. Harvey Araton published Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball’s Greatest Gift as an extension of a column he had written for The New York Times last year, about the annual ritual in which the former Yankee ace would pick up […]
Tagged as: Harvey Araton, Ron Guidry, Yogi Berra
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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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