Most Popular Books by Marty Appel

Now Updated Through the 2020 Season An exciting history of the world''s greatest baseball team from a former Yankees Public Relations Officer. "A riveting and comprehensive history of the Yankees" – New York Times Is there a sports team more synonymous with winning than the New York Yankees? The team of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, Ford, Mantle, Jackson, Mattingly? Of Torre, Jeter, and Rivera? Of forty American League pennants, twenty-seven World Championships, and nearly forty Hall of Famers? Like so many great American institutions, the Yankees began humbly, on the muddy, uneven grass of Hilltop Park. Eighteen years later the little second-class franchise won its first pennant. Today, the Yankees are worth more than a billion dollars. It''s been nearly seventy years since Frank Graham wrote the last narrative history of the Yankees. Marty Appel, the Yankees'' PR director during the 1970s, now illuminates the team in its hundred-plus years of glory: clever, maneuvering owners; rowdy, talented players; great stories behind the great stories. Appel heard tales from old-timers like Waite Hoyt, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and Whitey Ford, and has remained close to the organization ever since. He gives life to the team''s history, from the demise of Hilltop Park in the 1900s to the evolution of today''s team as an international brand. With a wealth of photographs, this is a treasure trove for lovers of sports, the Yankees, New York history, and America''s game.

Thurman Munson''s memoir, written just the year before his death, returns with a new introduction about his lasting legacy and a new foreword by his wife Diana who reveals the man dedicated to family and fans above himself. Over forty years since Thurman Munson''s death, Thurm: Memoirs of a Forever Yankeerevives the life of the famous New York Yankees catcher. In collaboration with longtime Yankee historian Marty Appel, Munson chronicles in his own words his path to the majors, his career success, his approach to being the first team captain in nearly forty years since Lou Gehrig, the Yankees return to glory when they won the 1977 and 1978 World Series, the breakdown of his body as he gave his all to the sport, and his absolute dedication to his wife and children above all else. Munson, the Ohio native who quickly rose to Yankee stardom, played in an age of Hall of Famers, including a competitive relationship with teammate Reggie Jackson, a fierce rivalry with Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, and clashes with new owner George Steinbrenner on their way to championships. Munson shares further stories such as catching for pitchers Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter, and Goose Gossage, who all later attributed their success to Munson behind the plate. Appel''s conclusion gracefully recounts Munson''s tragic death at age thirty-two in the plane he was piloting and with Diana Munson writing the Foreword, they reflect on the impact Munson left in baseball and in life and celebrate his timeless legacy.

A legendary New York Yankees PR man offers readers an inside look at one of baseball''s greatest teams. Starting as a college student sorting Mickey Mantle''s fan mail and rising to become the youngest director of public relations in baseball history, Marty Appel offers a unique behind-the-scenes memoir of life with the New York Yankees from 1968 to 1977. Appel stood shoulder-to-shoulder with both the benchwarmers and the superstars of the past and present, from tempestuous owner George Steinbrenner and his equally tempestuous manager Billy Martin (whom Howard Cosell once called "a beleaguered little pepperpot") to Hall of Famers like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson. With a new chapter bringing the story up-to-date, as well as changes and milestones in the game he loves, Marty Appel paints a hilarious and poignant portrait of the Yankees. "[Appel''s] love of baseball shines through here, and Yankee fans will lap up his humorous stories of Yankee greats and not-so-greats." — Library Journal "A poignant account of a fan turned public relations executive working for baseball''s most glamorized team." — Baseball America

Get the complete story of the Yankees, from Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter—with twenty-seven World Championships in between—in this “enormous home run” (Kirkus Reviews) of a middle grade adaptation of Pinstripe Empire, a celebrated keepsake for every baseball fan full of black and white photos from author and former Yankees PR director Marty Appel. The New York Yankees are the team of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Reggie Jackson, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Carlos Beltran; the team of forty American League pennants, twenty-seven World Championships, and nearly forty Hall of Famers. With more than a century’s worth of great stories, anecdotes, and photos, plus an introduction by Yankee television broadcaster Michael Kay, Marty Appel—who Bob Costas calls “a fine storyteller with a keen eye for detail”—tells the complete story of the Yankees from their humble beginnings, with no stadium to call their own, to today, when the team’s billion-dollar franchise presides over a rebuilt Yankee Stadium. Middle grade sports lovers, baseball fans, and Yankee acolytes will find a treasure trove of facts, tales, and insider details in Pinstripe Pride.

The definitive biography of one of baseball''s most enduring and influential characters, from New York Times bestselling author and baseball writer Marty Appel. As a player, Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel''s contemporaries included Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson . . . and he was the only person in history to wear the uniforms of all four New York teams: the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets. As a legendary manager, he formed indelible, complicated relationships with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Billy Martin. For more than five glorious decades, Stengel was the undisputed, quirky, hilarious, and beloved face of baseball--and along the way he revolutionized the role of manager while winning a spectactular ten pennants and seven World Series Championships. But for a man who spent so much of his life in the limelight--an astounding fifty-five years in professional baseball--Stengel remains an enigma. Acclaimed New York Yankees'' historian and bestselling author Marty Appel digs into Casey Stengel''s quirks and foibles, unearthing a tremendous trove of baseball stories, perspective, and history. Weaving in never-before-published family documents, Appel creates an intimate portrait of a private man who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and named "Baseball''s Greatest Character" by MLB Network''s Prime 9. Casey Stengel is a biography that will be treasured by fans of our national pastime.

Our captain and leader has not left us, today, tomorrow, this year, next … Our endeavors will reflect our love and admiration for him.” —Honorary plaque to Munson in Yankee Stadium Thurman Munson is remembered by fans as the fiercely competitive, tough, and—most of all—inspiring Yankee captain and champion from the wild Bronx Zoo years. He is also remembered for his tragic death, at age thirty-two, when the private plane he was piloting crashed in Canton, Ohio, on August 2, 1979. Munson is the intimate biography of a complex and larger-than-life legend. Written by former Yankees public relations director Marty Appel, who worked closely with Thurman throughout his career, Munson captures the little-known details of the young man from Canton and his meteoric rise to stardom in baseball’s most storied franchise. Appel examines the tumultuous childhood that led Thurman to work feverishly to escape Canton—and also the marriage and cultural roots that continually drew him back. Appel also opens a fascinating door on the famed Yankees of the 1970s, recounting moments and stories that have never been told before. From the clubhouse and the dugout to the front office and the owner’s box, this thoughtful baseball biography delves into the affectionately gruff captain’s relationships with friends, fans, and teammates such as Lou Piniella, Bobby Murcer, Graig Nettles, and Reggie Jackson, as well as his colorful dealings with manager Billy Martin and his surprisingly close bond with owner George Steinbrenner. Munson paints a revealing portrait of a private Yankee superstar, as well as a nostalgic and revelatory look at the culture—and amazing highs and lows—of the 1970s New York Yankees teams. More than a biography, Munson is the definitive account of a champion who has not been forgotten and of the era he helped define—written with the intimate detail available only to a true insider. www.doubleday.com

Mike "King" Kelly was the hard-living, hard-drinking son of a Civil War veteran whose skills at baseball and infectious charm turned him into the game''s first hero, and a symbol of what it meant to be a celebrity in America in the 1880s and 1890s. Slide, Kelly, Slide reacquaints baseball fans and scholars with this little-known pioneer of the game. Marty Appel, the author of several baseball books, conducted a thorough search of local archives to bring the story of King Kelly to light and place him in his proper historical context. An innovator on the field, who was not above taking advantage of the only umpire running the game, Kelly touched many aspects of American culture while a ballplayer. He was the first player to sign autographs, and wrote the game''s first autobiography. A Hall of Famer and a two-time batting champion, Kelly''s greatest contribution was the popularity that he brought to the game. Slide, Kelly, Slide will truly delight.

In a series that imagines the impossible, each book plays out a flawless season for a particular team, identifying the most memorable real-life victory on every single day of the baseball calendar and including archival photos, original quotes and thorough research.

"The story of New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and manager Miller Huggins, who, from 1918 to 1929, partnered to build the Yankees to become and remain the nation''s dominant sports franchise"--

Baseball fans in the Bronx and beyond will delight in this incomparable, far-reaching collection of insider tales When 19-year-old Marty Appel got a job as a mail clerk for the New York Yankees, assigned to spend the summer of ''68 answering Mickey Mantle''s fan letters, he couldn''t have known it was just the start of over a half-century entwined with the Bronx Bombers. As a PR director, television producer, writer, and historian, Appel never missed an opportunity to get to know the main characters— and supporting cast— of Yankees lore. The result is an unparalleled trove of colorful stories featuring a seemingly unending parade of characters including Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Derek Jeter, George Steinbrenner, and everyone in between. By turns hilarious and heartrending, Pinstripes by the Tale is an intimate look at an iconic franchise through the lens of its foremost historical authority. Told as a series of captivating vignettes, it invites readers to consider the small moments that quietly shape the contours of baseball history.

A biography of one of baseball''s greats, Yogi Berra, who was player, coach, and manager.

A biography of the baseball legend who hit safely in fifty-six games during the 1941 season.