Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
To two Hall of Famers. Bill Mazeroski, whose home run in the 1960 World Series remains one of the game’s most dramatic moments, turns 74. Twin Killing: The Bill Mazeroski Story, by John T. Bird Napolean Lajoie, born this date in 1874. He published Napoleon Lajoie’s Official Base Ball Guide in 1906. Surprisingly, there seems […]
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Born this date in 1915.
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Playing a little catch-up here: Aug. 30 Hideo Nomo, 42: Nomo: The Tornado Who Took America by Storm, by Edmon Rodman Frank Robinson, 75: Robinson has published a couple of his own titles, including My Life Is Baseball (1975), Frank: The First Year (1976), and Extra Innings (1988). Other titles about Robinson include Russ Schneider’s […]
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Several “ballplayers with books” mark a birthday today including: Ron Guidry, 60. He published Guidry, his autobio with Peter Golenbock in 1985 and was the subject of Maury Allen’s kids book, Ron Guidry, Louisiana Lightning in 1979. And the recently-retired Lou Pinella, 67, Gudry’s Yankee teammate, has a couple of books himself, including Sweet Lou: Lou […]
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The former all-star third baseman and member of a multi-generational baseball family turns 59 today. Smart Baseball: How Professionals Play the Mental Game Also marking a birthday, Ernie Broglio — a staple of any volume about baseball trades — turns 75. The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher was swapped out for the Cubs’ Lou Brock, considered […]
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To Rollie Fingers, who turns 64 today. Rollie’s Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Lists and Lore, Stories and Stats from Baseball’s Most Famous Moustache The Rollie Fingers Baseball Bible: Lists and Lore, Stories and Stats (The Rollie Baseball Follies) In addition, new author and ESPN BBTN analyst Doug Glanville has another reason to […]
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Cal Ripken, Jr., 50. Ripken is big on instructionals for younger players, as well as life lessons learned from the game. The Only Way I Know Baseball’s Iron Man: Cal Ripken JR. a Tribute The Longest Season Tim Salmon, 42, also celebrated yesterday. Always an Angel: Playing the Game With Fire and Faith And Harry […]
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Celebrating today are Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (71), Paul Molitor (54), and Ned Hanlon. “Yaz” has several titles associated with his name, including Yastrzemski (Icons of Major League Baseball); Yaz: Baseball, the Wall, and Me; and Batting (1972, with Al Hirshberg). He’s also an integral piece of any book written about the 1967 “Impossible […]
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To Graig Nettles, who turned 66 yesterday. He published Balls, with Peter Golenbock, in 1985. Also born on Aug. 20: Al Lopez, one of the classic baseball lifers. Wes Singletary wrote Lopez’s bio, Al Lopez: The Life of Baseball’s El Senor, in 1999.
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go to Bobby Richardson, who turns 75 today, and Ron Darling, who hits the half-century mark. The Bobby Richardson Story The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball and the Art of Pitching
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Roberto Clemente, born this date in 1934. Clemente!, by Kal Wagenheim Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero, by David Maraniss And Buck Weaver, born this date in 1890. The Ginger Kid: The Buck Weaver Story, by Irving M. Stein.
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In addition to Dustin Pedroia (below), Yankee rival Jorge Posada turns 39.
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Seems Aug. 17 is a popular day among MLBers who have books out by or about them, including Pedroia, who turns 27. Although there’s no denying his talent, he’s one of those guys who jumped at the opportunity to publish (Born to Play: My Life in the Game, Simon and Schuster, 2009), given the short […]
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The Bird would have turned 56 today. Taking advantage of his sudden popularity in 1976, when he was 19-9 and led the American League in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24), Fidrych published his autobio No Big Deal, co-written with Tom Clark, the following year. Fidrych died last year, the victim of a machine accident.
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Jim “Mudcat” Grant turns 75 today. In 2006, Grant published The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-America Twenty-Game Winners. (There’s another book about black aces, but that one pertains to fighter pilots during WW II.) Also marking the day, Andre Thornton, who turns 61. The popular slugger who played for the Indians, Cubs, and Expos (briefly), […]
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The Giants’ third baseman turns 24 today.
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Because everyone always talks about his big brother. Unfortunately, Tommie passed away in 1984.
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The popular Chicago star was born this date in 1916. Caverretta played 22 years in Chicago: 20 with the Cubbies — with whom he made his debut at the tender age of 17 — and two with the cross-town rival White Sox. What impressed me most, however, was that he was a childhood friend of […]
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The Minnesota Twins slugger would have been 76 today. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 61 in 1995. In 1967, Hal Butler published The Bob Allison Story. By that time, the athlete was on the downside of his career. In 13 big league seasons — all with the Twins and their predecessor, the […]
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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
