Marty Appel—Long time Yankee executive and Historian Joins Dave Torromeo on LBT

When you think about “sports legends,” very rarely do you think about executives. But when talking about Marty Appel, you must put him in that category, so it was my absolute pleasure to spend a few minutes with him to talk about his career and latest book release.

Marty Appel was the youngest PR director in baseball history when George Steinbrenner elevated him to the New York Yankees post in 1973. He worked for the team for ten seasons, beginning in 1968, and followed it by producing its games on WPIX television.

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 baseball 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.

Enjoy the interview:

He is the author of twenty-five books, including the New York Times bestselling Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain and Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss and his latest, Pinstripes by the Tale.

Marty resides in New York City with his wife, Lourdes, and has two grown children, Brian, and Deborah.

Visit Marty’s website here.  Marty’s books are available on Amazon

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