Well, I can cross that off my bucket list. I’ve wanted to take part in this program ever since I published my first book but things never quite worked out. In fact, I was originally supposed to join Richard Sandomir last month to talk about two iconic first basemen with New York roots but couldn’t […]
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Gelf magazine,
Greg Prince,
Jay Jaffe,
Mark Feinsand,
Ron Kaplan
I’ve been looking to participate in Gelf Magazine’s “Varsity Letters” program for years. The dream comes true July 24. Hope to see you there. Here are the details: Baseball Night Varsity Letters is back at The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge on Monday, July 24, with four authors of recently released books about baseball: • […]
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Greg Prince,
Hank Greenberg,
Jay Jaffe,
Mark Feinsand,
Ron Kaplan
I’m not much for self-promotion, but the older I get, the less I care what people think of me. That said, if anyone is looking for a guest on their baseball-related show/podcast/article/etc., in the words of one of the lesser-known Beatles songs, “You Know My Name (Look up The Number).” One of the unfortunate aspects […]
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Babe Ruth,
Hank Greenberg,
Ron Kaplan
Pleased to be making a second trip to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in Manhattan. I’ll be there on Wednesday, May 3, at 7.p.m., to discuss Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War, with Bergino proprietor and friend to authors Jay Goldberg. I’d love to see you there. Please visit […]
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Bergino Baseball Clubhouse,
Hank Greenberg,
Jay Goldberg,
Ron Kaplan
For the second week in a row, I’m pleased to note that as I post my Bookshelf Conversation — this one with NPR’s Scott Simon for his new baseball book, My Cubs: A Love Story — I am once again a guest on another podcast that just went up: The Stuph Files, hosted by Peter […]
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Hank Greenberg,
Peter Anthony Holder,
Ron Kaplan,
The Stuph Files
There are basically three time periods during which baseball books are released: around opening day (the largest number), around the All-Star break, and once more around World Series time. One thing I learned is that most books have a limited shelf life, literally. There’s only so much space at bookstores and new material comes in […]
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Billy Martin,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
New York Yankees,
Pedro Martinez,
Ron Kaplan
Been awhile. Apologies. The latest nonsense is a pinched nerve in my throwing arm, which makes typing extremely uncomfortable, hence the dearth of posts lately. But back to business… Ed Sherman was kind enough to invite me to discuss 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die for his blog on Sports and Media, […]
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501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die,
Ed Sherman,
Ron Kaplan
Unusual in that one of the pieces appeared in the main section, not on the sports pages: Dan Barry, author of Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball’s Longest Game, does a follow-up of sorts in this profile of Doc Edwards, one of those “baseball lifers.” Edwards, 76, was manager of the Rochester Red […]
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Dan Barry,
Doc Edwards,
Hideki Matsui,
Ron Kaplan
Spent a fun evening with veteran sports columnist and author Filip Bondy and some knowledgeable and inquisitive folks at an authors’ event hosted by the Montclair Public Library last night. You can see more photos here.
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Filip Bondy,
Ron Kaplan
This time for sure (click to play audio file). I will be appearing with NY Daily News sports columnist Filip Bondy to discuss our new books at the main Branch of the Montclair Public Library tomorrow (June 19) at 7 p.m. This is a redo for the event that was originally scheduled for last month. […]
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501 Baseball Books,
Filip Bondy,
Ron Kaplan
NOTE: This post will remain at the top of the blog until Sunday, so scroll down for the latest baseball book news. Assuming I don’t get seriously injured during a doubleheader that morning…
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501 Baseball,
Ron Kaplan
Some vacation. Actually it was no vacation at all. This is the first time since Aug. 1 I’ve been upright, pain-free, and clear-headed enough to post. Following my 11-seconds of fame as one of the first-pitch-throwers at a Trenton Thunder game, I’ve been suffering with a respiratory infection that had me feverish, coughing, and otherwise […]
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Arnold Hano,
Branch Rickey,
Ron Kaplan,
Sandy Koufax,
Trenton Thunder
Just a reminder to those of you in the NY Metro area. Tune in to WNET/Channel 13 tonight at 8 p.m. for the documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story. I’ll be on at some point during a pledge break (unless they mercilessly left me on the editing floor).
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Documentary,
Ron Kaplan
Had an unusual and fun experience on Tuesday. WNET/Channel 13 will broadcast the documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story on Monday, June 6, at 8 p.m. According to the program description on the website, “Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax and more greats are featured in this look at Jewish Americans and baseball.” Didn’t know […]
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Ira Berkow,
Neal Shapiro,
Ron Kaplan,
Sandy Koufax,
WNET
Come on, you know you do it. Everybody does it… The first time I “discovered” myself was in an airport in Milwaukee, coming back, appropriately enough, from a SABR convention. In the time since, when I’ve Googled myself to see where mention of The Bookshelf might have appeared. I’ve discovered I share the name with […]
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Ron Kaplan,
Ted Williams
Sorry, almost done with this catching up business, so bear with me. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s my take on the November session of Yankees Fantasy Camp in the Dec, 17 issue of the New Jersey Jewish News. In addition, My teammate Ira Jaskoll wrote this piece for the Jewish Magazine […]
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baseball books,
fantasy camp,
Moneyball,
New York Yankees,
Peter Gammons,
Ron Kaplan,
Sports Illustrated
I was flattered to be the subject of this interview with Favorite PASTimes, a blog dedicated to historical fiction. Interesting to be on the opposite side of things.
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interview,
Ron Kaplan
The “spring edition” of my semi-annual Bookreporter.com baseball review roundup takes an “anti-Vindicated” spin, concentrating on books that look at the good behind the game, including: But didn’t We Have Fun? An Informal History of Baseball’s Pioneer Era, 1843-1870 My Bat Boy Days: Lessons I Learned from the Boys of Summer 101 Baseball Places to […]
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basbeall book reviews,
Ron Kaplan
Whenever a book — especially a sports book — includes the words “best” (or “worst”), “ranking”, or “forever,” you know the author is looking to start an argument. Take John Roengren, for example. His new title on the 1973 season carries the “forever” brand. Granted 1973 was an eventful season. The Mets, still mourning the […]
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baseball in 1973,
George Steinbrenner,
Hank Aaron,
John Rosengren,
Ron Kaplan,
Willie Mays
One of my first regular gigs was writing an annual baseball book roundup for BookPage, a monthly publication available at libraries and bookstores. These, along with single reviews, appeared from 1998-2004 (still can’t quite figure out what happened to that). Anyway, thanks to my new toy from Issuu.com, I was able to make a nice […]
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baseball books,
Book reviews,
Ron Kaplan