... Jim Bouton was born. And thankfully so!
Forty years ago, Bouton wrote Ball Four, which gave baseball outsiders a rare glimpse into the clubhouse. He kept a diary as a marginal relief man, working on a young knuckleball, trying to hang on with the Seattle Pilots in what was to be their only year of existence. Midway through the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Dooley Womack (who?!?), but he kept writing.
Look magazine published some excerpts, and the reaction was instantaneous and ballistic. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn told Bouton he "did the game a great disservice" by writing the book. NL teams burned copies of the book in clubhouses and left the charred remains for Bouton to find when the Astros arrived.
He was treated like a pariah by the players and baseball establishment alike -- by the players because he broke the baseball law of omerta and exposed the fact that many of them cheat on their wives and take greenies. The establishment hated him because he exposed just how one-way and unfair players' contracts were in those days.
And in so doing, he wrote one of the funniest books I've ever read. And I didn't notice that baseball's popularity was hurt any by the book, either!
If you've never read Ball Four, do yourself a favor and read it. You won't regret it.
Happy birthday, Jim!
Forty years ago, Bouton wrote Ball Four, which gave baseball outsiders a rare glimpse into the clubhouse. He kept a diary as a marginal relief man, working on a young knuckleball, trying to hang on with the Seattle Pilots in what was to be their only year of existence. Midway through the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Dooley Womack (who?!?), but he kept writing.
Look magazine published some excerpts, and the reaction was instantaneous and ballistic. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn told Bouton he "did the game a great disservice" by writing the book. NL teams burned copies of the book in clubhouses and left the charred remains for Bouton to find when the Astros arrived.
He was treated like a pariah by the players and baseball establishment alike -- by the players because he broke the baseball law of omerta and exposed the fact that many of them cheat on their wives and take greenies. The establishment hated him because he exposed just how one-way and unfair players' contracts were in those days.
And in so doing, he wrote one of the funniest books I've ever read. And I didn't notice that baseball's popularity was hurt any by the book, either!
If you've never read Ball Four, do yourself a favor and read it. You won't regret it.
Happy birthday, Jim!
