Ball Four by Jim Bouton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Ball Four
Book Review: Baseball's 1970 version of the national enquirer
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a young kid when this book caused quite a stir among baseball players and fans. That was reason enough to buy it and read it. It was good, but only verified what many assumed went on behind the scenes, nothing I found totally shocking, I found a near mint copy of the original in a used book store today so I bought it and will sit down to read it again almost 30 years later, it is one of those instantly recognizable books that jogs your memory the minute you see it on a shelf. Contact me if you want to talk about it! NORBY777@aol.comBook Review: Best Baseball Book Of All Time
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading this book for the third time, and it honestly never loses any of its superiority. Hands down, there has never been a better book written by an professional athlete.I remember reading this book in high school, thinking that it was truly amazing. Now, having read the book in it's 31st year of print, it is still truly amazing. The best thing about the book is that it gives you an honest perspective of the game from the player's point-of-view. And Jim Bouton holds nothing back. He is very straightforward and candid as he pulls no punches and just tells it like it is.
In today's day and age, anybody can, if not already has, written a tell-all book, and this truly wouldn't have been entirely possible if not for Bouton's ground-breaking Ball Four. Written in a diary-style, Bouton tells of his adventures with two Major League Baseball teams, the expansion Seattle Pilots, now the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Houston Astros. He cronicles his wild year, experimenting with his "Superknuck" knuckleball and more importantly, just trying to be one of the guys.
Ball Four is well-written, not to mention, quite funny. Bouton is a very intelligent man, and he clearly shines in this book, and comes across very well. This is not your typical tell-all book, but more of a book loaded with wonderful behind-the-scenes stories, that really need to be told to really appreciate the game of baseball today. The section added to the end of the book dealing with the aftermath of the publishing is priceless, and a super addition. This is one complete book and a teriffic read. You will not be disappointed.
Book Review: Best baseball book ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed reading Ball Four so much that I contacted Jim Bouton and conducted an interview with him. Take a look at my website.Book Review: Best sports book I have read...
Summary: 5 Stars
Wit, humor, insight. These are probably the three most useful words when writing about Jim Bouton's great book on life inside and outside the lines. Bouton takes the reader on a season long trip during which the we get to experience the frustrations and joys of being a baseball player. I was truly disappointed that this book had to end. Bouton's honesty, humor and ability to connect with the layman make this one of the best books I have ever read (and I read alot).Book Review: Bouton's memoirs read like a hilarious novel.
Summary: 5 Stars
He writes honestly about what it is like to be the outsider. Which is why this book created such an uproar in 1970. Marginal relief pitchers can not give the public the low down on Mickey Mantle, or give the bird to Commissioner Kuhn.Baseball needs someone today to give us the real story. I still come back to this book after 10 years. It is refreshing in its innocence. Would Sammy Sosa pop a greenie? Do the Montreal Expos go "beaver shooting" while in Toronto? Certainly there must be a manager today who tells his team to "Pound back the ol'Budweiser like Joe Schultz. Say that its so.
This book will be read by baseball fans in 2075--as much as Fred Talbot must hate to hear it.