Guests
by John, May 25, 2005 12:38 PM
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.
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