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Baseball Imposters: The Dark Side of Fandom
For over 40 years, Rob Sheinkopf has collected stories of grown men who falsely claim to have played Major League Baseball. In BASEBALL IMPOSTERS, Sheinkopf explores what author W.P. Kinsella called "The Eddie Scissons Syndrome," inspired by a character in his novel Shoeless Joe, the story behind the movie Field of Dreams. Though the syndrome is named after a fictional character, its reality is disturbingly widespread. Drawing on real-life examples, Sheinkopf recounts these stories, altering names to protect the guilty... with a mix of humor, skepticism, and compassion for the families who often only uncover the truth when verifying facts for obituaries, biographies, or personal histories.
His fascination with deception in baseball goes back to 1985, when he completed a master's thesis based on interviews with 53 former Major League players who retired before free agency. His research focused on how athletes prepared for life after baseball during a time when most were not financially secure enough to retire comfortably and had to plan second careers. Among those interviews was a high-profile local businessman who proved to be an imposter—someone whose false representation of his past was both puzzling and unsettling. This discovery sparked Sheinkopf's curiosity about why individuals engage in such deception, leading to over four decades of research revealing that imposters are far from rare.
Most people are unaware of how widespread this phenomenon is. These stories will surprise, amuse, and enlighten readers, revealing that such deceptions often echo familiar tales told by colleagues, teachers, neighbors, or even family members... stories that, upon closer inspection, may no longer add up. BASEBALL IMPOSTERS offers a compelling, entertaining, and eye-opening look into a peculiar and persistent phenomenon that extends beyond baseball into the human experience.
His fascination with deception in baseball goes back to 1985, when he completed a master's thesis based on interviews with 53 former Major League players who retired before free agency. His research focused on how athletes prepared for life after baseball during a time when most were not financially secure enough to retire comfortably and had to plan second careers. Among those interviews was a high-profile local businessman who proved to be an imposter—someone whose false representation of his past was both puzzling and unsettling. This discovery sparked Sheinkopf's curiosity about why individuals engage in such deception, leading to over four decades of research revealing that imposters are far from rare.
Most people are unaware of how widespread this phenomenon is. These stories will surprise, amuse, and enlighten readers, revealing that such deceptions often echo familiar tales told by colleagues, teachers, neighbors, or even family members... stories that, upon closer inspection, may no longer add up. BASEBALL IMPOSTERS offers a compelling, entertaining, and eye-opening look into a peculiar and persistent phenomenon that extends beyond baseball into the human experience.
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 21, 2026
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2004 people want to read
About the author
Rob Sheinkopf
3 books15 followersRob Sheinkopf, originally from Syracuse, New York, is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and has presented his research over many years to SABR and to the Sport Literature Association (SLA), to NINE -the history and culture of baseball, and to the Cooperstown Symposium at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rob is the author and editor of “Hey Mom, wanna have a catch?”, an anthology of baseball stories honoring parents who encourage or simply put up with their child’s love for and obsession with our National Pastime.
Rob is also the author of Baseball Imposters, the dark side of fandom, based upon his research and writing about grown men who falsely pass themselves off as former major league baseball players. Both of those books are available wherever great books are sold online. Signed copies are available on the author's website (RobSheinkopf-Author.com).
After a 40 year career in higher education, Rob retired and moved to San Francisco where he found his dream job as a luxury suites concierge for the Giants. Keeping a diary of his first year’s daily activities, he wrote and presented a paper, My Year in the Big Leagues at the international conference of the Sport Literature Association in Limoges, France. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the global pandemic ended Rob's promising baseball concierging career.
Rob and his wife, Lisa, provide a loving home for their dog, Bochy, in Las Vegas as well as in Ponte Vedra, Florida, dividing their time between the two as they trade intense heat and traffic jams for uncomfortable humidity and strange, unidentifiable bugs at various times of the year to be with their 5-year-old granddaughter, Molly, and her mom and dad.
Rob never played major league baseball, but he knows a lot of guys who claim they have.
Rob is the author and editor of “Hey Mom, wanna have a catch?”, an anthology of baseball stories honoring parents who encourage or simply put up with their child’s love for and obsession with our National Pastime.
Rob is also the author of Baseball Imposters, the dark side of fandom, based upon his research and writing about grown men who falsely pass themselves off as former major league baseball players. Both of those books are available wherever great books are sold online. Signed copies are available on the author's website (RobSheinkopf-Author.com).
After a 40 year career in higher education, Rob retired and moved to San Francisco where he found his dream job as a luxury suites concierge for the Giants. Keeping a diary of his first year’s daily activities, he wrote and presented a paper, My Year in the Big Leagues at the international conference of the Sport Literature Association in Limoges, France. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the global pandemic ended Rob's promising baseball concierging career.
Rob and his wife, Lisa, provide a loving home for their dog, Bochy, in Las Vegas as well as in Ponte Vedra, Florida, dividing their time between the two as they trade intense heat and traffic jams for uncomfortable humidity and strange, unidentifiable bugs at various times of the year to be with their 5-year-old granddaughter, Molly, and her mom and dad.
Rob never played major league baseball, but he knows a lot of guys who claim they have.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 22, 2026
Baseball Imposters: The Dark Side of Fandom was an almost unbelievable collection of various characters posing as former MLB players. This book was an entertaining read and without giving away some of the more bizarre segments, truly unique. The posturing of men faking a career in America's pastime is apparently far more common than I would have ever thought. I suppose all of us who dreamed of making it to the top of a sport want so much to revel in past glory but to manufacture a false narrative is upsetting to me, as it is to the author. This book is a culmination of decades of research and the "hunting down" of the truth behind claims of stardom. Author Sheinkopf retells these in a highly humorous and readable fashion that it is such a page turner. Covering tracks of falsehood is all a part of being a baseball imposter and the finality of being exposed an expected outcome with modern data and the MLB Handbook. But inevitably, some still try. I highly encourage you to read Baseball Imposters. It will amaze you.
February 1, 2026
I'm not a big sports fan, but that's not needed to find this book intriguing! I'm shocked that there have been enough cases of this baseball imposter syndrome to have a whole book (and fire hazard file cabinet) full of stories and notes related to Eddie Scissons Syndrome, or ESS. I guess I shouldn't be surprised in the time when AI runs rampant and it seems like everyone is out to impress everyone else.
The introduction had me on BaseballReference.com looking up the one person I know who claimed to have played for the Yankees. I was grateful that the sweet man who used to attend the adult day center where I worked indeed has a listing on that page, with the death date and burial location matching what I know to be true.
Rob is a gifted writer, presenting all this information in an enjoyable way. Props for using the word "research" which means not only compiling information, but basing new conclusions with the found information. People use the word so flippantly, never actually "researching" anything but just reading about something and regurgitating facts that other people have already established.
I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I could have chosen any other sports book, you're right Rob. But I chose yours because it's what sounds interesting to me!
Please note: I entered this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, but that has no influence on my review. I've won lots of books, but this flew to the top of my TBR pile thanks to the personal note from the author inside.
The introduction had me on BaseballReference.com looking up the one person I know who claimed to have played for the Yankees. I was grateful that the sweet man who used to attend the adult day center where I worked indeed has a listing on that page, with the death date and burial location matching what I know to be true.
Rob is a gifted writer, presenting all this information in an enjoyable way. Props for using the word "research" which means not only compiling information, but basing new conclusions with the found information. People use the word so flippantly, never actually "researching" anything but just reading about something and regurgitating facts that other people have already established.
I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I could have chosen any other sports book, you're right Rob. But I chose yours because it's what sounds interesting to me!
Please note: I entered this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, but that has no influence on my review. I've won lots of books, but this flew to the top of my TBR pile thanks to the personal note from the author inside.
December 24, 2025
When you think you've explored the fascinating corners of the baseball world, Rob reveals a new, previously unoccupied space. It's a collection of characters who "could've gone pro" but just didn't for some reason (spoiler: they suck at baseball and enjoy lying), but they decide to tell people they went pro anyway. I desperately wish to know the true identities of the "stolen valor" characters in this book, but understand why they cannot be revealed.
Mr. Sheinkopf is a gifted storyteller and writer, and I was elated to spend an afternoon with this book. I will be lending it to all my baseball amigos, addicts, and sickos so they too can read about these faux-professionals and ne'er do wells.
Mr. Sheinkopf is a gifted storyteller and writer, and I was elated to spend an afternoon with this book. I will be lending it to all my baseball amigos, addicts, and sickos so they too can read about these faux-professionals and ne'er do wells.
November 26, 2025
Baseball Imposters: The Dark Side of Fandom by Rob Sheinkopf
What would it take for someone to lie about an accomplishment that could easily be proven to be a lie? Apparently, very little. High profile politicians have stolen military valor by lying about their nonexistent war records. Well-known business executives have padded their resumes with academic degrees they never earned. But who would think of claiming they played professional baseball, that they even made it to the major leagues, when records can be easily accessed to prove their claim is false? And why would they do it? In this book, we learn about a bunch of seemingly normal guys who have lied about being former professional baseball players. These fakers are unmasked by author Rob Sheinkopf in his insightful and entertaining book, Baseball Imposters: The Dark Side of Fandom. Covering nearly a life’s worth of painstaking research, Sheinkopf lays out how these pretenders have spun webs of deceit that eventually entrap them. These stories are told with respect for America’s national pastime and for those who actually did make it to the major leagues The author tells these stories about the imposters with a sense of humor, sometimes with anger and contempt, but often with compassion for the liars and their families. Sheinkopf delves into the reasons these men faked their lives, tells us how to spot these prevaricators, and even suggests how we can avoid being physically harmed if we personally confront the liar. This book was fun to read. It held my attention from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it.
Carl Patton, Atlanta, November 2025
What would it take for someone to lie about an accomplishment that could easily be proven to be a lie? Apparently, very little. High profile politicians have stolen military valor by lying about their nonexistent war records. Well-known business executives have padded their resumes with academic degrees they never earned. But who would think of claiming they played professional baseball, that they even made it to the major leagues, when records can be easily accessed to prove their claim is false? And why would they do it? In this book, we learn about a bunch of seemingly normal guys who have lied about being former professional baseball players. These fakers are unmasked by author Rob Sheinkopf in his insightful and entertaining book, Baseball Imposters: The Dark Side of Fandom. Covering nearly a life’s worth of painstaking research, Sheinkopf lays out how these pretenders have spun webs of deceit that eventually entrap them. These stories are told with respect for America’s national pastime and for those who actually did make it to the major leagues The author tells these stories about the imposters with a sense of humor, sometimes with anger and contempt, but often with compassion for the liars and their families. Sheinkopf delves into the reasons these men faked their lives, tells us how to spot these prevaricators, and even suggests how we can avoid being physically harmed if we personally confront the liar. This book was fun to read. It held my attention from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it.
Carl Patton, Atlanta, November 2025
February 4, 2026
Baseball Imposters is a fascinating and surprisingly compassionate exploration of deception within the world of baseball. Rob Sheinkopf blends humor, skepticism, and careful research to examine why some individuals fabricate careers in Major League Baseball—and how those stories often unravel.
What makes this book especially compelling is its human angle. Rather than simply exposing falsehoods, Sheinkopf considers the emotional and social forces behind them, making the stories both entertaining and unsettling. Eye-opening, well-researched, and thought-provoking, this is a must-read for baseball fans and anyone interested in the psychology of identity and truth.
What makes this book especially compelling is its human angle. Rather than simply exposing falsehoods, Sheinkopf considers the emotional and social forces behind them, making the stories both entertaining and unsettling. Eye-opening, well-researched, and thought-provoking, this is a must-read for baseball fans and anyone interested in the psychology of identity and truth.
January 30, 2026
Most baseball books are about those who played. This one is about those who didn't—liars who claimed to have played Major League Baseball.
The stories in the book are pretty audacious and incredible, especially when considering the documentation that exists for pro players. Rob has been tracking down imposters since the 1980s and had run-ins with a handful of them.
If you're interested in quirky baseball books, definitely check out "Baseball Imposters!"
The stories in the book are pretty audacious and incredible, especially when considering the documentation that exists for pro players. Rob has been tracking down imposters since the 1980s and had run-ins with a handful of them.
If you're interested in quirky baseball books, definitely check out "Baseball Imposters!"
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews