Interview with Editor-Writer-Book Lover Ron Kaplan

We're straying a bit from our usual content this week and bringing you some information on baseball history and research. Now before you non baseball fans reach for the mouse, hear me out. Baseball has a fascinating history that is intertwined with our nation's social history. Give it a try. Today we're treated to an interview with Ron Kaplan, a baseball book guy. Tomorrow I'll bring you an interview with Scott Brown, co-author of my book, Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story (which is also our giveaway book. Click on the book cover on the left to learn more about it.)

Ron Kaplan began his eponymous blog (Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf) out of his enjoyment for books, videos, collectibles…anything that can fit on a bookshelf. The sports and features editor for the New Jersey Jewish News, he has written for Baseball America, Mental Floss, American Book Review, Elysian Fields Quarterly, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, among others. His baseball library consists of more than 3,000 books and magazines.

Thanks, Ron, for joining us on PASTimes. Tell us a little about your interest in baseball books.
Thank, you, Cindy.

My dad, who came to America from Russia as a boy, was not a baseball fan and he thought Baseball was a waste of time. The first experience I had was watching the 1967 All-Star Game on TV with my uncle. I grew up a Mets fan and transferred a bit of that loyalty when the Montreal Expos debuted, since my mother was born there and we had lots of family in that city that we would visit frequently.

I’ve always been a reader, so I grabbed anything I could find about baseball: biographies, event-driven titles, some fiction. I still have most of the baseball magazines I bought since the 1960s.

How, in your opinion, is baseball reflective of this country’s history?

Although I’m not one who puts too much stock in the “baseball-as-a-metaphor-for-American-development” or the pastoral comparisons, it has elements of expansion (especially the baseball “gold rush” to California). There are several good novels about baseball as played by soldiers on both sides during the Civil War. Baseball is a microcosm of America in that it includes economics, sociology, journalism, public relations, etc.

Unfortunately, it has lost its luster since the Boomer generation. Baseball was a much more important phenomena before the advent of television, computers, and other diversions.

Can you recommend any books for people who are new to the game, but who want to understand baseball history?
There are so many sub-categories of history, but I lean towards the oral histories such as The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Ritter. These are the men that played the game in the early 20th century and it’s amazing how eloquent they are. Who better to comment on the conditions than those who experienced them? A more contemporary example is We Played the Game, edited by Danny Peary. But you have to remember, it’s not just the players that make up a team; there are plenty of people behind the scenes, and fortunately there are books about their contributions, too, such as Baseball Lives: Men and Women of the Game Talk About Their Jobs, Their Lives, and the National Pastime, by Mike Bryan. There are similar books about umpires, broadcasters, and baseball writers, as well, including Baseball: The Writer’s Game, by Mike Shannon. This one features more than a dozen high-profile authors discussing their craft, which I always enjoy.

One of the things I’ve been fascinated with in the past couple of years is the issue of memory. For that I “blame” Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Legends, in which he discusses and deconstructs several stories and events. For some reason, I think he has angered a lot of people who want to believe the stories from their youth, true or not, or feel we should leave these old-timers with their pretty memories; who does it hurt? In that regard, baseball mirrors American history, as we discover some of what we have been taught for years might not be what actually transpired, and that some of our cherished heroes might not have been the paragons of virtue we have been led to believe.

What in your opinion makes a good baseball novel? Can you give examples?
One of the reasons I rarely critique baseball fiction on my blog is that it’s so subjective. I might love a certain book, you might hate it, depending on where you’re coming.

For me, it’s a well-written story, with a consistent plot and good dialogue. I find that too often writers rely on clichés and flowery language in both the dialogue and exposition. As someone who has followed baseball since childhood, I get impatient when they feel the need to explain some of the game’s fundamentals (and heaven forbid if they get those wrong; that’s when I stop reading). On the other hand I realize that readers of these books might not have the same background in the game, and for them these elements are necessary.

I also like a sense of humor, where the author doesn’t take himself too seriously. Let’s face it, for the most part, this isn’t The Great American Novel we’re talking about here, unless it’s Philip Roth’s excellent and underrated book by that name. Some of my favorites include Brittle Innings, by Michael Bishop; The Celebrant, by Eric Rolfe Greenberg; and Man on Spikes, by Eliot Asinof.

What faux pas have you found in books? Anything that grates on your nerves?

With a few exceptions, I’m not a real big fan of mysteries; I find them too forced as the author tries to solve the crime while including the baseball. I just finished a self-published novel that was riddled with typos, bad dialogue, and an absurd story line. Now, I’m certainly guilty of my share of typos – there are probably a few in here -- but for a published work, this shouldn’t happen.

And when it comes to non-fiction, if I find one mistake, it colors my enjoyment of the rest of the book. I don’t consider myself an expert on the game, but if I discovered one problem, how many did I miss. Even if there aren’t any more, I’m still in a funk about it.

Finally, I dislike titles that use words like “best,” “greatest,” or “complete.” The first two are often subjective and the last will become incorrect at some point.

I’ll give you an example: A few years ago there was a book about the origins of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and the first induction ceremony. The author included a quote from a player at those ceremonies. The problem was, that player had died more than a decade earlier. How does something like this happen? Who’s responsible? Ultimately the author, but what about the publisher? Unless they’re experts in the topic – which, given the state of the industry, especially in these time – is practically impossible -- it would be difficult for the copyeditor or proofreader to know if something is amiss.

Why baseball?
Good question. But if I think about that too long, I might start to think I’ve wasted all these years.

Where is the best place to go for a good collection of baseball books?
Physically? A large public library or a good used bookstore might have some of the older titles.

There are several “reference books” that are also quite useful in providing starting points. I’m just finishing The Baseball Novel: A History and Annotated Bibliography of Adult Fiction, by Noel Schraufnagel, a retired English professor. It’s an excellent source for readings suggestions, although, again, you might not agree with his assessments. Andy McCue, the newly elected president of SABR, published Baseball By the Books: A History and Complete Bibliography of Baseball Fiction, in 1991 (so it’s obviously not complete anymore), which includes adult and juvenile works. Mike Shannon’s Diamond Classics is a collection of essays on what he considers the best 100 baseball books, fiction and non-. He also wrote Baseball Books: A Collector’s Guide, which is a good starting point for someone looking to build a library.

What is your favorite baseball book?
I might have something I like at any given moment, but its place on my favorite list could be supplanted at any moment. This year it’s Bruce Weber’s As They See ‘Em and Larry Tye’s Satchel, and Howard Megdal’s The Baseball Talmud. Call me in a couple of months and that might have changed.
Cindy's note: It's an unfair question, but since we often ask novelists what their favorite novel is, I thought I'd better ask.

What are you reading now?
I’m always reading several books at one time. Kind of like being back in college. One of the nice things about doing this blog is the opportunity to read titles that don’t get a lot of publicity. Right now I’m looking at All the Stars Came Out That Night, by Kevin King; Minor League Mom: A Mother’s Journey Through the Red Sox Farm Teams, by Pam Carey; Donald Honig’s The Fifth Season: Tales of My Life in Baseball; and a re-read of Roth’s Great American Novel.

Do you have any advice for an author who is writing a historical novel and wishes to include some element of the game in his/her book?

I know the self-editing process is difficult, but don’t get bogged down in giving every single detail; the inclination is to want to show off what you’ve learned. On the other hand, when you do include a person or an event, get it right (unless it’s a fantasy, like having Teddy Roosevelt playing baseball with serpentine aliens on planet Delta Olamega-4, which is a whole ‘nother story). One author who did it well is Troy Soos, author of the Mickey Rawlings baseball historical fiction/mystery series. He set his protagonist in the early 1900s and included real-life players in situations that were believable.

Thanks for joining us on PASTimes, Ron!
Many thanks for having me.

Leave a comment this week for a chance to win a copy of Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story by Cindy Thomson and Scott Brown.