Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
Can it really be 30-some years since I had a part-time job with STATS Inc. as a ballpark reporter? It was such a cool gig. I got to go to Shea Stadium, sit in a special spot in the press box, plug in my 10-pound laptop, connect it to a modem (kids, ask your parents), […]
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Deciding what to post for TT is always challenging, but one of my Google Alerts today was “How John Grisham Lost His Love for Baseball” from Crimereads.com. Perfect. It that reminded me of the time I reviewed his 2012 baseball novel, Calico Joe, for Bookreporter,com, reprinted here for your convenience: John Grisham is highly regarded […]
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2026 Baseball Almanac: The Ultimate Guide to Records, Icons, and Unforgettable Feats: Discover Epic Moments, Unforgettable Heroes, and Historic Achievements, by Jasper Weatherstone Readers of this blog know my feelings towards superlatives in the title, so strike one. Strike two is the use of the word “almanac.” When I was a kid, baseball almanacs basically […]
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A trio of titles includes: STEALING GAMES: How John McGraw Transformed Baseball with the 1911 New York Giants, by Maury Klein THE SELLING OF THE BABE: The Deal That Changed Baseball and Created a Legend, by Glenn Stout KINGS OF QUEENS: Life Beyond Baseball with the ’86 Mets, by Erik Sherman Back in the day, […]
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Can you believe it: The Baseball Bookshelf turns 20 this year! That’s not totally accurate because there were a couple of iterations of this blog before it took its current name and form so I’m guessing the age is closer to 25. In any case, I’ve decided it might be fun to look back at […]
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A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes (see my piece on “Why Amazon’s search engine sucks“). In addition, occasionally […]
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The Northern: A Novel, by Jacob McArthur Mooney As readers of this blog will recall, I usually don’t delve into baseball fiction. Fiction in general has lost its allure to me over the years. But once in a while I will indulge. And since I’ve been on a baseball card kick for the past month […]
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The Black Bat: A Supernatural Baseball Epic, by Simon Pole. Robot Rider Press, 2025. I us’ally do not take a shot With po’try books. They are a lot Of work for me to comprehend And I feel foolish in the end Because I do not think that I Am qualified to render my Opinion on […]
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A Baseball Gaijin: Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back, by Aaron Fischman. Foreword by Don Nomura. Sports Publishing, 2024. Every pitcher has a story, don’t he? Tony Barnette was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2006 draft. After four years of moderate success in the minors, he made the […]
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There something to be said about the heft of a book on your lap that a website, regardless of how visually well done or informative, can never match. While preparing for this review, I couldn’t help but think of the Total Baseball series which produced eight editions beginning in 1989 and ending in 2004. These […]
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I have an ongoing DVR thing set up for MLB Network documentaries. Since I don’t watch that channel regularly (believe it or not), I never know what’s going to appear on the list until it shows up. Sometimes it’s not a “major motion picture,” but recently I got to watch “One of a Kind,” about […]
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A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes (see my piece on “Why Amazon’s search engine sucks“). In addition, occasionally […]
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Sort of. These both appeared recently on Bookreporter.com: The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era, by Andy Martino Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien.
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Since it was fairly moderate yesterday I decided to tool around the attic in yet another attempt to purge. That’s where I have the bulk of my library as well as other baseball-related items, including a foot locker of baseball cards. Problem with trying to clean up is that you get caught up in a […]
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They say you never have a second chance to make a first impression. Well, duh. But you may have a second chance when it comes to a book review. I often wonder about professional critics. What kind of expertise do they have in the topic they’re writing about? What was their mood when they wrote […]
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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
Bookshelf Review: Make Me Commissioner
September 27, 2025
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 […]
Tagged as: Jane Leavy
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