Why do fans root for a specific team? Is it a generational thing? “My grandfather and father were Yankee fans, so that’s who I root for.” “My dad was a Yankees fan, so I root for the Mets, just to piss him off.” So if a team decides to change its look, would that make […]
Tagged as:
Uniforms
A bit late in posting this but it’s still relevant, so… Excellent essay in the March 29 Op-Ed section of The New York Times by Devin Gordon, author of So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets — the Best Worst Team in Sports and Bookshelf Conversation guest. “Help! […]
♦ You don’t hear that much about this topic, but here’s a piece from the Washington Post on “The 10 best sports theme songs of all time — and what makes them great.” It’s kind of interesting to see/hear all the football tunes in one handy spot to compare. Not surprisingly, there’s only one baseball […]
I don’t know when it started or ended but Topps used to reserve cards ending in double-00 for the superstars of the game. Mays, Mantle, Koufax, Carew, Seaver, and Reggie have all appeared multiple times. So I felt it only appropriate to follow their lead and save the 200th Bookshelf Conversation for one of my […]
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Jane Leavy
Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It, by Jane Leavy Jane Leavy is one of my favorite authors. In addition to her wonderful writing, she’s a fun interview and will shortly join my humble version of Saturday Night Live‘s five-time hosting club with her next appearance on The […]
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Jane Leavy
Kudos to Paul Aron and the decision to name his newest project The Lineup: Ten Books That Changed Baseball. No superlatives, no grandiose claims, but a much more modest approach. And, indeed, these are books that not only changed the sport, but in some cases — as Aron explains both within the pages and our conversation […]
Tagged as:
baseball books,
Paul Aron
If you’ve been following the blog for at least a couple of years, you know I take great pleasure around this time because this is when the baseball magazines hit the stores. But like any person my age, I think things were better “back in the day.” Thanks to 24/7 spots media, the idea of […]
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Baseball magazines
The Baseball Bookshelf was recently designated as one of the top 100 Baseball Blogs by Feedspot.com. Woo-hoo. Here’s the “official notification”: Hi Ron, My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot. I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf has been selected by our panelist as one of […]
Busy, busy, busy. That’s the only way to describe George Castle. The Chicago-based author of some 13 baseball-themed books for adult as well as younger readers, Castle recently released one of the most fun books I’ve come across in awhile: Baseball’s Game Changers: Icons, Record Breakers, Scandals, Sensational Series, and More. But there’s another one […]
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baseball history,
George Castle,
media and baseball
Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]
Okay, it’s not actually advertising, but The Player’s Tribune, an on-line “magazine’ founded by the recently-retired Derek Jeter, has come under some scrutiny lately. TPT purports to “publish first-person stories directly from the athletes” (emphasis added). Maybe there’s a difference of opinion on the definition of “directly.” Richard Sandomir, the New York Times’ sports media […]
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David Ortiz,
Derek Jeter,
Richard Sandomir,
The Players Tribune
Bob, a distant relative of my wife, passed away recently. He lived in Hoboken with his wife, who died several years ago. I didn’t know him well. He was a very quiet fellow who kept to himself during the biennial family reunions. I can’t even recall his last name on my own. It turns out […]
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Baseball Cards,
collecting,
Memorabilia
Bruce Nash, co-author of the Baseball Hall of Shamebook series, contributed this piece to the Huffington Post. While I agree with most of his issues, I would add a few items, including: The music that many teams feel they have to constantly blast, lest the fans enjoy a quiet moment. The inability to purchase a […]
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baseball fans,
baseball stadiums,
Bruce Nash
Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]
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Bill James,
Cleveland Indians,
Derek Jeter,
Hardball Times,
Mariano Rivera,
New York Yankees,
Oakland As,
San Francisco Giants
Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]
Tagged as:
Baseball instruction,
Bernard Malamud,
Chicago Cubs,
Derek Jeter,
George F. Will,
Mariano Rivera,
Moneyball,
New York Yankees,
Oakland As,
Ted Williams,
The Natural,
Wrigley Field
Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]
Tagged as:
Baseball instruction,
Bernard Malamud,
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Chicago Cubs,
Doris Kearns Goodwin,
George F. Will,
Jason Kendall,
Lee Judge,
Mariano Rivera,
Michael Feinstein,
minor leagues,
Moneyball,
New York Yankees,
Oakland As,
Ted Williams,
The Natural,
Wrigley Field
Rooting for clothes?
April 23, 2026 · 0 comments
Why do fans root for a specific team? Is it a generational thing? “My grandfather and father were Yankee fans, so that’s who I root for.” “My dad was a Yankees fan, so I root for the Mets, just to piss him off.” So if a team decides to change its look, would that make […]
Tagged as: Uniforms
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