Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
Not the first — that honor went to Jim Brosnan — but perhaps the best of the genre he tackled, Bouton turns 69 today. “The Bulldog” enjoyed a couple of good years for the New York Yankees, winning 20 games in1963 and 18 more in 1964, the last good year the team had for more […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The burly slugger, born this day in 1951, was one of the few major leaguers who enjoyed “headliner” success in Little League as well. He wrote about such experience in a couple of books. The Amazon Report: Jeff Burroughs’ Little League Instructional Guide The Little Team That Could/the Incredible, Often Wacky Story of the Two-Time […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Born this day in 1940, “Pops” died too young, at age 61 in 2001. Stargell was one of the stars of the Pirates “We Are Family” team in the early 1970s, a fearsome batter who had a trademark windmill-style of taking his practice swings. The Amazon Report: Willie Stargell: An Autobiography Out of left field: […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The fireballing right-hander was born in 1891. He spent his best years with the Brooklyn Dodgers, winning more than twenty games three times. Vance had his best season in 1924, with a record of 28-6, completing 30 of 34 starts, pitching more than 308 innings and posting 262 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA. The Amazon […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Born in 1897, O’Doul began his big-league career as a pitcher in 1919, but flamed out by 1923. He returned to the majors in 1928, reinventing himself as an outfielder. Over the next seven seasons, he batted .353, including a an NL-best .398 in 1929, the year he also had career highs of 32 homers […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Born this day in 1860, Ward formed The Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, the first players union, in 1885 and sought to fight the reserve clause that bound a player to his team in perpetuity. If some of today’s modern athletes don’t know about the contributions of Jackie Robinson (and when I say “some […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Ott was born this date in 1909, Berg in 1902. Ott, who spent his entire career with the New York Giants, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951 on the strength of 511 home runs (the National league record for many years), 1,860 runs batted in and a .304 batting average. He died […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Born Feb. 29, 1904. A prominent member of the Cardinal’s “Gas House Gang” of the 1930s, Martin had a .298 average over his 13 year career, all spent with St. Louis. He’s one of 12 major league players who were leap year babies. The Amazon Report: The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Grover Alexander Cleveland was born this day in 1887. Old Pete, who was indicted into the Hall of Fame in 1938, has his signature moment when he came in to fan Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded and the Cardinals nursing a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the 1926 World […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
One of the true gentlemen of the game turns 89 today. When it comes to recognition, Irvin always seemed to play second second fiddle behind Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, and Willie Mays, among others. He played only eight season, arriving with the New York Giants in 1949 at the age of 30. But he never […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The Flying Dutchman was born this date in 1874. Wagner was in the inaugural group elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 based on his 20-year career in the dead ball era in which he collected 3,415 hits, 722 stolen bases (not bad for a 200-pounder) and a .327 batting average. His baseball card […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The Yankees first African-American player would have been 70 today. One of Casey Stengel’s great — if not politically correct — lines was, “As Peter Golenbock noted in Dynasty, “When I finally get a [black player], I get the only one who can’t run.” After his death, Howard’s wife, Arlene, published Elston and Me: The […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The myopic Yankees fireballer turns 79 today. The right-hander also pitched for Orioles, Athletics, Angels, Reds, Phillies, and Senators in a career that spanned from 1954-65. Duren, who battled alcoholism as a player, wrote I Can See Clearly Now, which is a great title when you think about it. The Amazon Report: I Can See […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
“Old Reliable” turned 95 on Feb. 20. The Amazon Report: Five O’Clock Lightning: Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle and the Glory Years of the Ny Yankees
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Have a happy, Joe Garagiola. The catcher/broadcaster/author turns 82 today.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Belated best wishes to Lenny Dykstra, who turned 45 on Feb. 10. The chaw-sprouting outfielder was part of Mets tandem along with Mookie Wilson — “Mookstra” — during the team’s heyday of the 1980s. He took advantage of his fleeting fame by publishing his profanity-laced autobio, Nails (his nickname). He was later part of one […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Bill Veeck (Veeck as in Wreck, Thirty Tons a Day, and The Hustler’s Handbook, among others). A member of the Hall of Fame, Veeck was an innovator on a number of levels, always beleiving the fans’ enjoyment should come first. Perhaps that’s why he was so unpopular with his fellow owners. John Kruk, author of […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
to Hank Aaron, who turns 74 on Feb. 5. Aaron is considered by many to be the rightful ruler of the home run throne. During the period during and after Hammerin’ Hank surpassed Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 set, several books describing the man and the feat were published including: I Had a Hammer, written […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Belatedly, to Red Schoendienst, a baseball “lifer” since 1945. Schoendienst, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and Milwaukee Braves, suffered a bout of tuberculosis as a player back in 1958 while with Milwaukee. Following a recuperative stay at a sanitarium, he made a courageous comeback that was chronicled by Al Hirshberg […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
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
