Ball Four by Jim Bouton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Ball Four
Book Review: the first to expose how players used the groupies
Summary: 5 Stars
Jim Bouton is a very bright man who probably could have been a scientist if he didn't go into baseball. In the 1960s when he played nobody wrote colorful exposes of the behind the scenes and road trip life of major league ball players. Bouton was the first with this book. It ended many friendships with teammates and probably broke up his marriage. The book might seem tame by todays standard. Alcohol was the players drug in those days and no one was shooting up steroids back then. But the book was racy, groundbreaking and controversial in its time much like Canseco's books are today.
You will also see that it led to several other books by Jim Bouton and even one by his ex wife (another analogy to Canseco whose ex wife also wrote a book). Bouton was a great pitcher but alas for only the period from 1961-1964. 1963 was his best season but even though he pitched well in that world series the Yankees got steamrolled by the Dodger staff with Drysdale and Koufax leading the way. After retirementhe came back to pitch for the Seattle Pilots expansion team in their first year. He had developed a knuckle ball and that allowed him some limited success. Bulldog Jim wrote a book about that experience too. He had a trick when he pitched for the Yankees. He wouldd deliberately wear a very loose fitting cap that would usually fall off his head as he delivered the pitch. This was distracting for the hitters. But in his day Bouton had a good fastball and a deceptive changeup and he was part of a great pitching rotation in 1963 that included Ford, Downing and Terry.
Book Review: very good baseball book
Summary: 4 Stars
bouton tells a very good story. he shows the funnier side to baseball...and the side that most people don't get to see--what happens in the bullpen during a game, what happens in the clubhouse after the game, how players relate with managers and the front office. if you're looking for a dramatic, heroic baseball book, you might want to go somewhere else. but if you want to know what it's like to be a professional player trying to make it through the grind of a season, then check this one out.
not the best baseball book i've ever read, but it's not far off.