Designated Hebrew

On April 6, 1973 Ron Blomberg took a swing at home plate that changed baseball history. Through a quirk of fate the young Jewish Yankee became the first designated hitter to play an MLB game. At the time, George Steinbrenner had just taken control of the Bronx Bombers, the National League was still refusing to adopt the DH rule, and New Yorkers were pinning their hopes on a new generation of players. In this heart-warming autobiography, Blomberg re-lives both the moment that changed his career and the countless experiences before and after that helped make him a legend of baseball lore. In "Designated Hebrew" readers will take a step back in time to an age when baseball, and America itself, were changing. Before Blomberg arrived in New York, the Yankees only employed three Jews in the entire organization. Though his career goals were eventually thwarted by injury, Blomberg still represented hope and pride to millions of Americans across the country. This unforgettable story is the journey of one man as he learns to balance life, religion and ultimately, baseball.Author BiographyRon Blomberg was the number one draft of the New York Yankees in 1967. He played in the Bronx for seven years before joining the Chicago White Sox. He holds the National Baseball Hall of Fame record as the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball. He lives in Roswell, GA. Dan Schlossberg is a sports writer and professional author. He has written and co-author over thirty books on baseball including Making Airwaves, Baseball Gold and The Baseball Almanac. In addition, his writing has appeared in numerous publications including Baseball Digest, The Sporting News, and MLB.com. He lives in Fair Lawn. NJ. Marty Appel is a native New Yorker who began his career in public relations by handling fan mail for Mickey Mantle. A pioneer in the field of PR, Appel first met Ron Blomberg in 1967 when the young baseball recruit was flown to New York. Appel eventually became PR director for the Yankees from 1973 to 1977. He has written several baseball books and is currently president of his own company, Marty Appel Public Relations. He lives in New York City.