Leonard Shecter (September 5, 1926 – January 19, 1974) was an American journalist and author.[1] He edited Jim Bouton's groundbreaking Ball Four, as well as its sequel, I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally.[2][3][4]
Leonard Shecter | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 5, 1926 New York City, US |
| Died | January 19, 1974 (aged 47) New York City, US |
| Education | New York University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, author |
| Known for | Ball Four |
Journalism career
editShecter worked as a sports journalist for the New York Post.[1] While traveling with the Yankees, in 1958, Shecter told his editors about a minor altercation between the coach Ralph Houk and the pitcher Ryne Duren; the subsequent published story, printed without a byline, was among the first in sports journalism to provide a behind-the-scenes look at professional sports team squabbles.[5]
Shecter also wrote for Look, The New York Times, and Esquire, where he published a famous profile of Vince Lombardi.[6][7]
Literary career
editShecter's first book was a paperback biography of Roger Maris. It was a positive portrayal of the ballplayer, although Maris was upset that it was written without being authorized.[8] Once Upon a Time: The Early Years of the New York Mets covered the Mets' 1962 and 1963 seasons.[9][10]
Shecter, who knew Jim Bouton during the pitcher's Yankees days, suggested that Bouton keep a diary of his 1969 season. The diary, edited by Shecter, became Ball Four.[11] Shecter, in part, wanted to provide an alternative to books such as Jim Brosnan's The Long Season, which Shecter considered a sanitized version of baseball life.[12] Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to get Bouton to blame the contentious book on Shecter.[13]
On the Pad, written with William Phillips, was an exposé on police corruption; Phillips had appeared before the Knapp Commission.[14]
Critical reception
editKirkus Reviews called The Jocks a "wicked, funny, and often startling expose of the games played off the field and the scores that never get posted."[15]
Death
editBibliography
edit- Roger Maris: Home Run Hero (1961)
- Once Upon a Time: The Early Years of the New York Mets (1969)
- The Jocks (1969)
- Once Upon the Polo Grounds: The Mets That Were (1970)
- Ball Four, with Jim Bouton (1970)
- I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally, with Jim Bouton (1971)
- On the Pad: The Underworld and Its Corrupt Police, Confessions of a Cop on the Take, with William Phillips (1973)
References
edit- ^ a b c Cady, Steve (January 20, 1974). "Leonard Shecter, Sportswriter, 'Ball Four' Co-Author, Is Dead". The New York Times.
- ^ Cox, Ted (May 25, 2000). "Sports Section". Chicago Reader.
- ^ "40 Years After 'Ball Four,' Baseball Still Breaks Hearts". NPR.
- ^ Deford, Frank. "With any luck, this review will appear in Jim Bouton's third treatise, 'Son of...'". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Schwarz, Alan (September 13, 2008). "Leonard Shecter's Secret Led to Candid Sports Reporting". The New York Times.
- ^ Curtis, Bryan. "No Chattering in the Press Box: The lost tribe of sportswriters known as the Chipmunks". Grantland. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ Didinger, Ray (June 12, 1986). "Ex-Knick has the knack as a politician: Bill Bradley scoring big as 2nd-term senator". Sports. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 116.
- ^ Isaacs, Stan (December 15, 1985). "An Embittered, Tragic Hero Maris, dead at 51, saw fame as his curse". Sports. Newsday. p. 5.
- ^ Appelbaum, Judith (April 10, 1983). "Travel to the Past". The New York Times. p. A43.
- ^ Corr, John (April 17, 1983). "Paperbacks". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. P4.
- ^ Calabria, Pat (April 10, 1988). "Ball Four: A Struggle". Sports. Newsday. p. 19.
- ^ Stinson, Thomas (March 12, 1989). "Sports & Literature—America's Appetite for a Good Scandal and the Latest Dirt on Its Heroes—Opens a New Chapter in Sports Publishing Field". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. B16.
- ^ Barbati, Carl (June 24, 1990). "In publishing circles, when the category is sports, it is known simply as 'The Book'". USA Today.
- ^ Case, Dick (November 25, 1990). "Once a Crooked Cop – Bill Phillips Now Devotes His Life Sentence to Justice". Syracuse Herald American. p. I1.
- ^ "The Jocks". Kirkus Reviews.