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Ball Four 20TH Anniversary Edition
by Jim Bouton

Ball Four 20TH Anniversary Edition Cover

About This Book

ISBN13: 9780020306658
ISBN10: 0020306652
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $10.50!

Powells.com Staff Pick

Baseball Season is upon us. I-CHI-RO! I-CHI-RO! Youngsters, you really need to read Ball Four by Jim Bouton. A season in the bigs with the expansion Seattle Pilots (Milwaukee Brewers for those that don't know.) Joe Schultz, Sal "The Barber" Maglie and the rest of the Pilots wacky gang eat "greenies," swill beer, and go "Beaver shootin'." Bowie Kuhn tried to have the book suppressed and many of the cast of characters no longer speak to Bouton, but hey, the truth never hurt anybody. One of the heroes of Ball Four is Johnny Sain of "Spahn, Sain and pray for rain" fame. Sain is also prominently featured in The Head Game by Roger Kahn. Kahn's book chronicles the perennial battle between hitter and pitcher from a pitcher's perspective and is a fascinating view of the subtle strategies, such as the brush back and spitball employed by pitchers throughout the ages. Any baseball book by Kahn is a joy. John M., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Ball Four was first published in 1970, it hit the sports world like a lightning bolt. Commissioners, executives, players and sportswriters were thrown into a state of shock. Stunned. Scandalized. The controversy was front-page news.

Sportswriters called Bouton a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a "social leper." Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force the author to sign a statement saying that the book wasn't true. One team actually burned a copy of Ball Four in protest. And Bouton is still not invited to Old-timers' Day at Yankee Stadium.

Fans, however, loved Ball Four and serious critics called it an important document. It was also very popular among people who didn't ordinarily follow baseball, because Ball Four is not strictly a book about baseball, but one about people who happen to be baseball players. And it's hilariously funny.

For the twentieth-anniversary edition of this historic book, Bouton has written a new epilogue, detailing his career as an inventor, his battles with the Wrigley Company over bubble gum, his take on the Pete Rose controversy, and how baseball looks two decades after he changed its public image forever.

Review:

"A book deep in the American vein, so deep in fact it is by no means a sports book" David Halberstam

Review:

"Ball Four is a people book, not just a baseball book." Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

Review:

"A great book, wildly entertaining, worth reading every two or three years." Rob Neyer

Review:

"The new epilogue alone is worth the price of the book." Frank Deford

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Dr. Rico, July 25, 2007 (view all comments by Dr. Rico)
This is a hilarious, witty, and insightful book about life. It's about being an oddball and being excluded and trying to fit in; it's about standing up for yourself when bosses and coworkers doubt and harass you; it's about the nature of friendship; it's about following your dreams and being true to yourself. Quite incidentally, it is also a book about baseball and the daily life of a baseball player. I reread this book at least once a year and it always rewards me. It's not for kids, but teenagers can certainly handle it; in fact, no book is as appropriate for teenagers who are trying to figure out how to behave in a grownup world.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780020306658
Author:
Bouton, Jim
Publisher:
John Wiley & Sons
Editor:
Shecter, Leonard
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Biography
Subject:
Baseball players
Subject:
Baseball - General
Subject:
Baseball
Subject:
Sports - Baseball
Subject:
Baseball -- United States.
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Twentieth-anniversary ed.
Series Volume:
v. 4
Publication Date:
January 1990
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
496
Dimensions:
8.26x5.50x1.06 in. 1.10 lbs.