Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
Dear Joe, Welcome to LA. Tommy Lasorda is thrilled about your arrival. Now you have someone to talk to in Italian. Too bad he canceled the parade for you, but when he found out he couldn’t be in the lead car… well, we all knew you’d understand. Hey, at least you don’t have to wash […]
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From the Baseball Hall of Fame: Special opportunity for summer Internship The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is now accepting applications for the 2009 Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development. This summer-long internship offers meaningful, hands-on training in numerous professional careers as well as the chance to learn and […]
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Remember the episode of The Simpsons where Homer gambles away his Christmas bonus on a dog race (Santa’s Little Helper)? Well, here’s a little something for the baseball bettin’ enthusiast on your gift list. A few books about baseball betting are planned to be written before the end of the year. Authors Schmelzer Dennie, Armanda […]
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Rather than giving Jerry Manuel another shot at the helm of the disappointing Mets, whose collapse over the last two season borders on the epic, the front office announced there will be a new sheriff in town as the Mets move into their new home. The new manager, identified only as “Wally,” appears with new […]
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How did the Brooklyn Dodgers get their name? According to a recent edition of NPR’s Studio 360, you can thank Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, who were battling it out to see whose system of electricity would prevail. Mike Daisey narrated a segment on “Tesla vs. Edison”: There was a trolley running in Brooklyn on […]
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Thirteen years in the making. In 1995, I delivered my first “scholarly paper.” It was at Hoftsra University’s centennial celebration of Babe Ruth’s birth and it was a hoot. I spent three days there, listening to all sorts of presentations, visiting exhibits and finally — nervously — making my own. My topic was “The Books […]
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With rumors of a sequel to Bull Durham running around, I thought I’d take this opportunity to vent about something that’s been bugging me for awhile. I recently watched the movie for the umpteenth time and one scene in particular always makes me scratch my head. It takes place in the night game in which […]
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There are several well-done books chronicling the contributions made by athletes to the military service of their country that I wanted to mention on this special day: Spartan Seasons: How Baseball Survived the Second World War, by Richard Goldstein (who writes such eloquent obituaries for The New York Times), (McMillan, 1980) They Also Served: Baseball […]
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I’m not pretending to be the most patriotic guy in the country, but there are some things that bug me: American flags that are displayed in states of disrepair, not taking your hat off for the National Anthem, and performers who use it as a personal platform for their ego. To me, it’s like a […]
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Back from jury duty. Don’t get me started on all the problems with the judicial system (at least in Essex County, NJ). Suffice it to say I fulfilled my civic duty.
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As mentioned yesterday: As an unrepentant skeptic, I was wondering if the “powers that be” consulted the managers of the Rays and Phillies, urging them not to steal any bases. I’ll be interested to see if there’s a report on how many of these digestive bombs were doled out.
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The two-time MVP (one in each league) and veteran manager was born Aug. 31, 1942. Robinson was the first big-league manager I ever met. I was doing research for a book on what was then supposed to have been the last season of the Montreal Expos. I drove up for the week of the final […]
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Should the Cubs collapse once again, those fans might want to check out Cubstherapy.com, a site dedicated to healing the shattered psyches of those poor unfortunates who have hitched their star to the wrong wagon. This website has been 100 years in the making. Only a true Cubs’ fan understands the thrill, emotion and love […]
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No “truth in advertising” here. John Francis Smith was a pitcher in the late 19th century. Over an eight year career, he compiled a record of 54-74, winning more than 20 games just once. What was phenomenal was that he completed 123 out 129 games started.
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My thanks to The Sporkball Journals, who posted this bit of fiscal info a while back. Don’t forget, if you have a minute, to add your comments about the Bookshelf on Blogged.com (Scroll down the links portion of the page). Thanks in advance.
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I recently submitted the blog to blogged.com for review. You will notice the banner as you scroll down on the right. Many of you have sent me nice comments, either to be posted or in e-mails, for which I offer my thanks and appreciation. I would also be grateful if any interested parties would care […]
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From collectorsquest.com, this small group of old baseball-related…stuff.
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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
* "One must be frugal," he said, lighting his $10 cigar with a $100 bill.
December 10, 2008
You have to either be a small child or living with your head in the sand not to know what’s going on in the economy these days. Jobs lost, stocks plunging, parents wondering how they’ll send their kids to college or pay the mortgage. Those who think sports will provide a diversion might be in […]
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