Leonard Shecter

Shecter 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]

Shecter'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]

Kirkus 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]

Shecter died on January, 19, 1974, from leukemia.[1]

• 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)