Without further ado… http://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Bookshelf-Conversation-Rob-Neyer-Part-Two.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
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From the category archives:
Author profile/interview by Ron Kaplan
The Bookshelf Conversation: Rob Neyer, Part Two
December 17, 2019
The Bookshelf Conversation: Rob Neyer, Part One
December 17, 2019
When I saw that Rob Neyer was coming out Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game back in 2018, a new book after many years of inactivity in that regard, I looked forward to absorbing it and finally getting a chance to sit down — virtually, at least — and talk with the man […]
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Tagged as: Houston Astros, Oakland As, Rob Neyer
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Roberta Newman
December 3, 2019
Two subjects that have long fascinated me: baseball and advertising. I first encountered Roberta Newman several years back at one of those meetings that attracts baseball academics; I forget whether it was a Cooperstown Baseball Symposium or a SABR convention) where she delivered a paper on the connection between those topics. I still have a […]
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Tagged as: Roberta Newman
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The Bookshelf Conversation, Encore Edition: Paul Dickson
October 1, 2019
When last we spoke with Paul Dickson, it was about his excellent biography, Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son. This time it’s not about a new book, per se, but an old one that got a second life. Dickson, who recently turned 80, has re-released The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign-Stealing Have Influenced […]
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Tagged as: baseball reference, Paul Dickson, scorekeeping
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Seth Kramer
September 9, 2019
Welcome back to a new “season” of Bookshelf Conversations. Now that the summer is over, I hope to be doing these on a regular basis. Leading off, we begin with Seth Kramer, “hyphenate” for the documentary, Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel, about the almost-Cinderella story that was the Israeli National Team in the 2017 […]
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Tagged as: Heading Home, Israel National Team, Seth Kramer, World Basbeall Classic
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An overdue tribute to Jim Bouton
July 30, 2019
As many of you know, I was on a little hiatus during which time Jim Bouton passed away. There have been dozens of obituaries and accolades and I will not refer to them, save the few below; they’re easy enough to Google. But here’s my two cents. It was almost ten years ago when Bouton […]
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Tagged as: Ball Four, Jim Bouton
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Austin Stahl
May 21, 2019
In this digital age, deciding to bring forth an actual print publication takes some cajones. Baseball magazines have come and gone. Back when I was growing up, there were a slew of them. Gone are such classics as The Elysian Fields Quarterly: The Baseball Review. And does anyone out there remember Dugout: Baseball Beyond the Boxscore or […]
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Tagged as: Austin Stahl, Baseball magazines, Bookshelf Conversation
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Erik Sherman
April 22, 2019
It’s becoming almost a bittersweet habit talking with Erik Sherman. On the one hand, it’s great reliving past glories of my favorite team. On the other, it’s sad to see the heroes of my youth aging and even dying. It reminds me of my own mortality and who the hell wants that? Last time it was Kings of Queens: […]
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Tagged as: Art Shamsky, Erik Sherman, Maury Allen, New York Mets, Tom Seaver, World Series
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Chris Donnelly
April 17, 2019
As I said in my recent roundup review of New York-centric baseball books: A lot of New Yorkers think the world revolves around their city. When it comes to baseball books, that’s probably true. More words have been written about their teams than all others combined, and fans can usually count on a number of […]
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Tagged as: Chris Donnelly, New York Mets, New York Yankees
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Jane Leavy
February 11, 2019
At long last Leavy. First off, an apology. This was originally meant to be posted way back in December but something went kerfluie with the recording. You could hear my side of the conversation, along with the ticking of the clock on the wall and assorted noises from the various pets, but you couldn’t hear […]
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Tagged as: Babe Ruth, Jane Leavy
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Kostya Kennedy, Part Deux
November 26, 2018
Let’s see if I remember how to do this… One of the joys I derive from this blog is the opportunity to speak to authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, etc. about a common interest. When I was working at the paper, I had more time and resources to do these conversations. Now it’s more a catch-as-catch-can […]
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Tagged as: baseball history, baseball photography, Kostya Kennedy, Nostalgia
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Baseball Best-Sellers, March 30, 2018
March 30, 2018
I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]
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Tagged as: Baseball America, baseball analysis, baseball prospects, baseball rookies, Chicago Cubs, college baseball, Joe Maddon, Little League, Lou Gehrig, Michael Lewis, minor leagues, New York Yankees, prospects, rookies
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Bryan Hoch
March 26, 2018
Full disclosure: Bryan Hoch and I go back a long way, although it’s one of those internet relationships in which you rarely, if ever, get to meet the people you befriend online, regardless of how long you’e been in touch. One of the first freelance jobs (emphasis on the “free”) I had was providing book reviews for his […]
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Sridhar Pappu
March 19, 2018
They say the Golden Age of a thing — in this case a sports thing — is often what you remember from your childhood, a time when you had a love for the game that wasn’t affected by too much “grown up” knowledge of salary disputes, gossip, scandal, etc. Roger Kahn got the ball rolling with The Boys of Summer, […]
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Tagged as: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers, Sridhar Pappu, St. Louis Cardinals
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Rich Cohen
March 12, 2018
Remember these things? Been awhile since I had the pleasure of posting a Bookshelf Conversation. They get a bit tricky when you don’t do them regularly. I forget how to use GarageBand, how to export, how to convert and shrink down to a usable size. But it’s worth it, especially when I see I’m getting a […]
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Tagged as: Chicago Cubs, Rich Cohen, World Series
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Dan Schlossberg
April 24, 2017
Dan Schlossberg has written thousands of articles and a number of books on the national pastime, including a couple of my personal favorites on which he collaborated as co-author, Al Clark‘s Called Out but Safe: A Baseball Umpire’s Journey and Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story. Schlossberg’s latest is also one of his oldest. He […]
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Tagged as: Al Clark, Dan Schlossberg, Ron Blomberg
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Scott Simon
April 17, 2017
Don’t get me wrong. I love all my guests. But once in a while I get to chat with someone outside the usual baseball literary mainstream. That was the case with Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition. Yes, Simon, a lifetime Cubs fan, had previously published two books on baseball among his oeuvre: Home […]
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Marty Appel
April 3, 2017
It seems only fitting that I should follow up last week’s chat with Paul Dickson, author of Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son, with Marty Appel, author of Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character. Both books tell the stories of men who enjoyed a lifetime connection with the national pastime. Appel, a former PR director for the NY […]
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Tagged as: Casey Stengel, Marty Appel
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The Bookshelf Conversation: Paul Dickson
March 27, 2017
In recent days, I’ve notice that a number of new baseball titles have “updated” nostalgia. By that I mean the subjects of these books are more recent than they used to be. Case in point, Scott Turbow’s Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s. When did the 1970s become the “new” […]
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Tagged as: Leo Durocher, Paul Dickson
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‘Tis the season for baseball books
March 24, 2017
We’re getting to the point where a bunch of new titles are hitting the bookstores. Herewith a brief roundup. New York Sports Day posted this one on Marty Appel’s engaging new project, Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character. They also did this one on Shawn Krest’s Baseball Meat Market: The Stories Behind the Best and Worst […]
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Tagged as: Aubrey Huff, baeball trades, ballparks, baseball movies, Casey Stengel, Chicago Cubs, David Ross, Leo Durocher, Marty Appel, Oakland As, Paul Dickson, Ransom Jackson
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is available on Amazon.com,
