Former Yankee Publicist Marty Appel Divulges The Untold Story Of Thurman Munson

We spoke with former Yankee publicist Marty Appel's. He shared insights from his new book entitled Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain, a work that documents the life of the late Thurman Munson.

Appel co-wrote New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson's autobiography 30 years ago, and his goal in his new effort is to tell the story that didn't get told then. We learn, for example, that Munson grew up in Canton, Ohio, with a father whose coldness and resentment bordered on emotional abuse. There's also, naturally, much more information about the 1979 plane crash that ended Munson's life, including the transcript of a lengthy interview with one of the survivors. Appel succeeds in painting Munson as someone who, while being a journeyman ballplayer who inspired his teammates with his tenacious work ethic, was so much more.

Appel's career in baseball took off while he was a student at SUNY Oneonta, after writing to then-Yankee public relations chief Bob Fishel. He began his tenure with the New York Yankees handling fan mail for Mickey Mantle, and was named PR Director of the team in 1973. While serving as VP for Public Relations for our own WPIX, he won an Emmy as the executive producer of Yankee telecasts; he also produced pre-season football telecasts for the New York Giants and New York Jets.

On top of that, Appel has written 17 books, including a biography of King Kelly, and children's biographies of Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio.

Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain hits bookstores today. For more information on Appel, visit: www.appelpr.com.