Ball Four
By Jim Bouton
Looking for an inside view of the everyday life of a baseball player and the controversy hidden within the sport? Jim Bouton�s book brings the reader directly into the life of a pitcher on a Major League baseball team. He shares with readers his struggles of staying healthy and in shape, the delicate balance of family life and traveling life, and looking for an �edge� to stay in the game. First published in 1970 and written in everyday language with funny anecdotes about players, this book is as controversial and interesting today as it was then.
The season is 1969, and Bouton is a pitcher for the Seattle Pilots. He was traded to the Pilots through the expansion. There, he was demoted from starting pitcher to a bullpen reliever. Barely used, he floated back and forth from the Triple A team to the majors. Eventually he was traded to the Houston Astros who were in contention for the National League West Pennant. Here, playing for a winning team allowed Bouton access to high profile players like Joe Morgan and Larry Dirker.
Bouton�s book brings forward a topic that is relevant on the baseball field today. He talks in length about �Greenies� which are amphetamines and how players were using and abusing them at the time. Greenies were the steroids of their time. This is a shocking allegation that cost Bouton dearly. The Baseball Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, tried to dismiss this book as lies and tried to get Bouton to declare the book as untrue. Kuhn felt that the book would destroy the game of baseball and even tried to get Bouton to sign a statement stating that the editor of the book made up most of the information.
An important part of this book is the realization of Jim Bouton that he did have the talent to compete in the major league. This was brought about by the winning attitude the team was displaying at the time. He finally gained some self-confidence and was able to perform on the level that the team demanded of him at the time.
Ball Four brings the reader back to a time when baseball was simple and humble. It shows the difference between salaries of the time, which ranged from $8000 to $30000, and yearly contracts with the owners of the teams. Today, an average baseball player just coming up can make $300000 and up and be signed to a contract for 3, 4, or 10 years. The game of baseball itself keeps its grass root beginnings. The players have changed but the game has not. Today the game of baseball is seen more as a business and making revenue. The best product is not always put out on the field. Today we have teams who spend millions of dollars securing the best players for a winning season, while other teams who do not have that type of money know that they will not do well. The author shows the simplicity of the 1969 season. This book makes the reader wish that some of those same simple ideas were still relevant today.