Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story

by Ron Blomberg, Dan Schlossberg

Ron Blomberg is viewed as a in addition to being the first designated hitter in the history of major league baseball? an accident of fate?he was also the first significant Jewish Yankee. The only lantzman who preceded Blomberg to the Bronx hid behind the pseudonym of Jimmie Reese. Blomberg didn?t believe in hiding, either from pitchers with overpowering fastballs or the baseball fans of New York. A witness to cross burnings and synagogue bombings in his youth, Blomberg felt relieved when New York's large Jewish population embraced him. He loved people almost as much as he loved to eat. And so, he wore his religion on his sleeve. Ron Blomberg's story is more than a baseball tale, and more than a religious tale. It's the story of a Designated Hebrew?and there is no other tale quite like it.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. I have Ron's cards from my card collecting youth and I saw his bat at the Hall of Fame when my Dad took me there in the 70s, but never knew much about Ron. He does a tremendous job of sharing his biography with fans. He comes across as a really good guy. From his childhood in Atlanta to his years as a New York Yankee are detailed in the book. I never realized as a kid that Ron is devoutlyJewish and I certainly have a deep respect for his obvious dedication to his faith. Fun baseball stories that filled in some gaps for me from this era, which is my favorite baseball era. Excellent read that I heartily recommend to baseball fans. Currently (May, 2021) this audiobook is included with your Audible membership at no additional cost so go for it!!

[Bruce McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nice, short read from Ron Blomberg about his MLB experience as the first player to bat in an MLB game as a DH (designated hitter). The book is a description of Ron's baseball life both before and after his first appearance as a DH in a game. The book's clever title, Designated Hebrew, refers to the fact that Ron was Jewish as well as a DH. If you enjoy baseball, you'll enjoy the book.

It was enjoyable to discover this book and the opportunity to learn more about the game through his eyes, including his relationships with teammates, fans, reporters, and everything else that was part of the game, including dealing with injuries that kept him from becoming the true superstar of the sport he was projected to have become.

Yes, he also shared some of the anti-Semitism and general angst he felt having grown up in Atlanta (at that time not exactly a haven for Jews). And I cannot even imagine how he felt knowing that some of the fathers of his Little League teammates were actually KKK members. And some of the heckling in minor league ballparks. While he didn’t have to experience what the iconic Jewish first baseman, Hank Greenberg had to, it still had to be very disconcerting and frightening at times.

Mainly, though, the book itself was just a really fun, informative, and often entertaining read. I enjoyed it and would recommend the book to anyone with a similar love of the game and desire to learn some baseball history…especially (but certainly not only) from a Jewish perspective.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. This was a decent light romp through the history of a Jewish Yankee and the first official Designated Hitter. As a sports-adjacent person (not a deep fan, but I watch and read/ listen to enough to understand and appreciate the game), I was able to follow the baseball details enough to make sense of them, while I think someone who memorizes stats and can still tell you who won what game 50 years ago would probably love nuances I hardly caught.

I did feel like Blomberg took everything lightly. Maybe that’s really what he’s like, and of course it’s his story to tell, but as a reader it would have been appealing to have him explore some of the interior challenges a bit more, rather than have the book be quite as much a recitation of facts from his viewpoint.

Still, it was fun and I learned something about his journey, baseball as it was played in the '70's, and the Yankees.

[Megan Kortze · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge baseball fan, I loved learning more about Ron Sandburg, especially his experience as a Jewish baseball player. How it not only only affected his childhood, but also his professional career is fascinating. He speaks into the differences of then and now, and addresses what stood out to him as issues of the times.
If you’re curious of how the role of designated hitter started, and transformed into an actual position, this is a good resource for it.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read about the life and times of Ron Blomberg, a big bonus baby with the NY Yankees baseball team. Blomberg failed to live up to the hype but found immortality as the first designated hitter in baseball and a Jewish media star in 1970s NYC. Like most autobiographies, this sanitized but still interesting.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay biography of an okay player, who was plagued by injuries and never reached his potential. He does hold the distinction of serving as Major League Baseball’s first designated hitter. He is proud of that and his Jewish heritage.

[Jim Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. As a young Jewish guy who played baseball in the minors I never knew another Jewish player. I knew “of” Ron Blomberg however, and he just so happened to played for my favourite team the New York Yankees. Ron did it, he was there and he tells you the story.

[Stuart Talkofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book, short read, tells what we need to know about Ron.

[Marshall Merims · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I finished reading another baseball related book. This one is about a player named Ron Blomberg who mostly was a Designated Hitter for the Yankees in the 1970's. He received a lot of positive notoriety back then as very few Jews had played baseball for the NY teams in many years. I love the name of his book "Designated Hebrew". The book was insightful about Ron as a youth and developing his baseball talents. There were two major factual errors found, but other than that the book was an enjoyable and easy read.

[Louise Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

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