Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.
When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still being read by people who don'tordinarily follow baseball.
Unavailable for several years, Ball Four, in this twentieth-anniversary edition, is sure to be discovered by a whole new generation of readers as more than a trailblazing sports book, but also a great book on the American dream fulfilled.
"Ball Four is a people book, not just a baseball book." —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
Editor's Foreword.
Introduction.
BALL FOUR.
Part 1 They Made Me What I am Today.
Part 2 "My Arm Isn't Sore, It's Just A Little Stiff."
part 3 And Then I Died.
Part 4 I Always Wanted to See Hawaii.
Part 5 The Yanks Are Coming, The Yanks Are Coming.
Part 6 Shut Up.
Part 7 Honey, Meet Me In Houston.
Appendix Tell Your Statistics To Shut Up.
BALL FIVE -- Ten Years Later.
BALL SIX -- Twenty Years Later.
Photographs.
The Boys of Ball Four.
About the Editor.
Index.
Anonymous
Posted August 4, 2010
I would love to see a Nook version.
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 20, 2012
I was very disappointed in this book. I am a big baseball fan but the author provides few if any interesting insights into professional baseball or the players. He has daily entries but the topics and the things that he describes are banal at best. I am sorry that I bought it and it will be trashed now that I have finished it.
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Posted April 8, 2010
A great look at what goes on behind the scenes of professional baseball from a professional player. If you love the game of baseball then you will definitely love this book.
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Posted August 21, 2008
Almost 30 years after its publication Ball Four remains unique in its combination of humor, insight and insider information. Anyone with even a small inkling of baseball or the men who play and manage it cannot help but be reduced to chuckles and/or outright laughter on almost each page. The irony, of course, is that Bouton became a pariah for something that would now likely be given a PG-13 rating in an era of R-rated sports books (and movies). Reading it also gives a perspective on the manner in which players were (mis)treated by management decades ago, and given the millions thrown around like confetti these days, the fact that ballplayers and owners once fought over hundreds of dollars in salary negotiations is almost whimsical. Imagine A-Rod going toe to toe about getting a $1,000 raise? You have Bouton describing players who, oh my, actually had to wonder about how'd they make a living once their baseball careers were over (Bouton's Seattle teammate, Gary Bell, made repeated references to having to get a real-estate license). I've read dozens of sports and sports-related books over the years, including season diaries, biographies and the like, and Ball Four still occupies the top spot on the list (as it will in perpetuity).
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Posted March 19, 2008
Ball Four is a well written book. A funny, yet realistic story about a pitcher and his struggles in the Major Leagues. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys baseball, or plays baseball. This book brought me to life. I really enjoyed it! In fact I may read it again.
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Posted February 28, 2008
Bouton puts you into the life of your average, semipro baseball player. You get to find out what it's like to have to deal with coaches, managers, other players, contracts. It was an awsome read and i plan to read it multiple more times.
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Posted February 21, 2008
I like this book cause Jim bouton tells it like it was back in 1959-1980 when he was playing baseball. He told his managers what he though when they had a argument with his playing, pitching, and with his contacts. I think that other readers would like this book cause Jim Bouton makes you feel like your there with him. He tryies and teach you some things like how to throw some different kinds of pitches. When him and his friends goes out after a ball game, he still saids what is on his mind.
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Posted December 5, 2006
Bouton wrote about his 1969 season with the New York Yankees. Throughout the novel you hear of a behind the scene reality of professional baseball players and the life of an aspiring player that tries to get back in the game with a pitch called the knuckleball. It is a well written novel that must be read.
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Posted May 15, 2006
this book was awesome, bouton tells everything like it is, no matter who cared, great book, couldnt put it down, read it
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Posted May 31, 2005
This accurate depiction of baseball players, their activities, the humorous occurances over the course of a season, the shock of life as a commodity rather than an employee, and battling management is not limited to the sporting world. Bouton really goes all-out to get the point across about the life these players lead. From getting paid to killing time in the bullpen to being sent down to the minors. It's also about people and their eccentricities, from grouchy pitching coach Sal Maglie to insecure manager Joe Schultz, you really get a sense that these are people playing the game, not invincible athletes. Even 25 years after it was published, this book easily withstands the test of time. I could not put it down.
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Posted December 30, 2003
I first read this book twenty years ago and just re-read it after receiving it as a Christmas gift. It was just as good this time! Bouton's insights and hilarious takes on the daily events in the life of a ballplayer never grow old. In light of the indiscretions that today's players consistently get away with, it is hard to believe that this book essentially caused the author to be ostracized from many baseball circles. Bravo Jim Bouton.
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Posted April 25, 2001
Ball Four is a classic, and a must-read for all baseball aficionados. Bouton offers a pleasantly candid narrative on daily life in the major leagues. He shares the closed-door happenings of the locker room with the fan and allows a clearer understanding of the mentality of the professional athlete. Besides that, he has a sincere humor that carries the novel.
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Posted July 26, 2000
Ball Four is a great book whether you are a baseball fan or not. The book is set up like a day by day diary of Jim Bouton while he played with the Seattle Pilots. Bouton is hilarious in the book, having incredible insights and reading people like a book. When reading it seems as if Bouton is a good friend of yours who is telling you his story from the year 1970.
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Posted May 27, 2000
A wonderful, funny read. Puts you in the locker room of a baseball team at a critical time in baseball history, after the Yankee dynasty and just before Marvin Miller. It was also a treat to read about a young Joe Morgan, Lou Pinella, and Joe Torre.
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Posted May 7, 2009
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Posted October 27, 2008
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Posted December 10, 2008
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Posted March 8, 2010
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Posted November 27, 2010
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Posted October 8, 2009
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Overview
Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.
When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not ...