Ball Four

I recently read Jim Bouton’s baseball classic Ball Four for the first time, and found it an enjoyable read. The book follows Bouton around as he tries to right his career by pitching with a knuckleball on then expansion team The Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers). While I can’t say I learned much new about how baseball players act, I can see that in the historical context, this book must have been quite revolutionary, given its behind the scenes look (something not done before Bouton's work). I really enjoy Bouton himself as a character, and found myself rooting for him to start games, or pitch well in relief, especially against his former team, the Yankees. His character really shined through in the writing. Most of the other figures in the book fell into the background, although manager Schultz stood out to me as particularly entertaining. It’s also fun to see guys like Lou Piniella referenced as a rookie, especially for younger fans who have a hard time imagining such a thing. The book reads incredibly fast, and is told in diary format from Bouton’s perspective.

I would mostly recommend the book to baseball fans, as while the book is comprehensible to those who don’t know a changeup from a splitter, I wouldn’t enjoy reading this without something I was personally interested in (such as baseball) as the backdrop. Thus, if you don’t enjoy baseball, go read someone else’s diary, as this reads pretty much as a well-spoken man’s bemusement at the idiosyncrasies of those around him. It’s the baseball combined with Bouton's humor and clever writing that makes the book stand out, and those not interested in the sporting part might find the book mildly amusing at times, but probably couldn’t care less what Bouton’s ERA was by season’s end. Baseball fans won’t be disappointed, and if you’re not a baseball fan, well, you probably should be.