Writer Is Throwing the Book at Vincent

In your article about the former baseball commissioner [“Talkin’ Baseball With Fay Vincent,” Aug. 11], Vincent disclaims his description of Peter O’Malley as a “nitwit” and “bigot” in a book proposal that he and I submitted to publishers in 1994. According to the article, Vincent says those words were “the choice” of his “collaborator” and that his “decision to drop the project should speak for itself.” The first statement is false. The second is misleading. I write to correct the record.

Vincent chose those words and approved them in our book proposal--just as he chose and approved other comments about baseball owners, including describing Bud Selig as a “small-town schlepper.” It’s ridiculous to think I came up with Vincent’s unflattering comments about O’Malley, because I’ve always had a good professional relationship with him and I like him.

Vincent backed out of our publishing contract with Little, Brown & Co. nine months after we wrote and circulated our book proposal. He backed out because he claimed he wanted “serenity” in his life and to avoid the possible controversy of a book.

DAVID KAPLAN

Senior Writer, Newsweek