Bouton was a sports anchor for WABC/Channel 7 and WCBS/Channel 2 in NYC from 1970-75. He then tried his hand at acting ("The Long Good Friday" and the Ball Four TV series), and spent several years trying to comeback as a pitcher. He did pitch during the final weeks of the 1978 season for the Atlanta Braves. Bouton returned to WCBS in 1979 before leaving again in 1980. He has since been an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.
I have an autographed copy of "Ball Four" that JB signed as a paid speaker at a convention. He wrote "For (me), 'Smoke 'em inside, Jim Bouton.'" That was a classic line in the book which 41 years later remains as the best sports book ever written. I'd be curious to know what JB thinks of today's modern-day multi-million dollar ballplayers when he was getting paid a cool $22,000 to pitch for the Seattle Pilots in 1969.
Growing up I was a huge Yankee fan. Would love watching Jim pitch. His motion was so quick and distinct. Often his cap would fly off after his delivery.
Jim Bouton was one of the more intelligent players in baseball in the sixties. He was perceptive and thoughtful at a time in which a majority of players were backward hicks who supported the Vietnam War and opposed civil rights. Ball Four was a good book. It was a big deal to all the kids in my school. We used to get in trouble talking about it in class.
One of the great stories Bouton tells is during the 1963 World Series just before the game he was starting for the Yankees, he said to manager Ralph Houk: "You know, Ralph, whether I win or lose today, this sure is a hell of a lot of fun, isn't it?" Houk just smiled and said "It sure is. I know just what you mean."
I've always thought Jim Bouton was pretty sharp since reading Ball Four, but I found it amusingly odd that he called Bob Short of the Washington Senators an "enlightened" owner. Having read another great baseball book "Seasons in Hell" by Mike Shropshire, it seemed Short's whole plan was to move the team to the Sun Belt and sell it to locals for a profit.
Bouton said many years later that younger players would come to him and say that when they were kids they read Ball Four. They said it sure sounded like a lot of fun, and it made them work even harder to make the big leagues to get in on the fun.
As great a player as Pete Rose was, aside from Lenny Dykstra, there has never been a player to whom the phrase "white trash" was most appropriately applicable.
@dzanier What????? You creaky old piece of petrified wood, call Bouton whatever you like, but "white trash?" Doesn't fit under any criteria. Find a more appropriate insult.
You read my post incorrectly. I was referring to "Pete Rose" as white trash. My comment was " As great a player as Pete Rose was, aside from Lenny Dykstra, there has never been a player to whom the phrase "white trash" was most appropriately applicable." I said this because Pete Rose used to say, "Fuck you Shakespeare" to Bouton. Bouton has never been anything other than a gentleman.
Excellent point. Those were different days. Most people don't realize that Bouton was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 1963 and 1964.
Bouton has said many times that his delivery was too violent. He threw as hard as he could & often his cap would fall off. The book "October 1964" speaks about this & his mechanics. His pitching coach was Johnny Sain, who did everything he could to protect pitchers. Bouton adored him. He was a power pitcher without the power arm. He compared himself to a VW Beetle at the Indy 500. From what I've read Bouton had a feeling something like that would happen but no preventive measures were taken
The book BALL FOUR is absolutely brilliant. Extremely well written and hilarious. Bouton had been a big star in the early and mid 60's with the Yankees. by 1969 his arm was dead, he was a knuckle ball pitcher (very easy on the arm) and was barely in baseball getting a last chance with the expansion team the Seattle Pilots (after one season in Seattle I believe that they moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers). The book was the first sort of 'tell all' baseball book that I remember.
It mentions extensive drug use by the player (uppers called 'greenies' where as common as water ). The television show made later was AWFUL and was cancelled almost right away. As an example, a lady with a pomerianian (sp) dog is in the elevator along with Jim and a Panamian ball player that badly needs to use the bathroom. At one point the dog has an 'accident' in the elevator and someone says 'looks like the pomerianian had an accident." The ball player says 'lucky it wasn't the Panamanian"
The book was funny, and there was a short-lived TV series called Ball Four in 1976, which Bouton starred in. I was a youngster at the time and thought it was hilarious - it was probably terrible, haven't seen a hint of it since it was canceled after a few episodes.
Bouton also had a fairly significant role in Robert Altman's film "The Long Goodbye".
so-so career....won 21 games in 1963, won 2 world series games in 1964. many "great" pitchers like Ferguson Jenkins or Juan Marichal would have killed for that so-so record.
@XMLarry Sure "so-so" career, but then parleyed that into best selling author, excellent sportscaster, frequent panelist on What's My Line, movie appearance, S.I. comeback player of the year '78, glorious welcome back to Yankee Stadium, sought after on lecture circuit. NOT BAD!!!
"Ball Four," I hear, is still a great read after all these years.
Comedian Soupy Sales, writer-actress Joanna Barnes, Broadway actor Bert Convy, NBC Monitor correspondent / radio host Arlene Francis, news reporter Wally Bruner, who can interview just as beautifully as Larry Blyden, Gil Fates' written opinion notwithstanding. Incidentally, I know next to zilch about pro baseball -- was Bouton any good?
Oops, I meant "The Long Goodbye", got my movie titles mixed up!
observer9670 5 months ago
Bouton was a sports anchor for WABC/Channel 7 and WCBS/Channel 2 in NYC from 1970-75. He then tried his hand at acting ("The Long Good Friday" and the Ball Four TV series), and spent several years trying to comeback as a pitcher. He did pitch during the final weeks of the 1978 season for the Atlanta Braves. Bouton returned to WCBS in 1979 before leaving again in 1980. He has since been an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.
observer9670 5 months ago
I have an autographed copy of "Ball Four" that JB signed as a paid speaker at a convention. He wrote "For (me), 'Smoke 'em inside, Jim Bouton.'" That was a classic line in the book which 41 years later remains as the best sports book ever written. I'd be curious to know what JB thinks of today's modern-day multi-million dollar ballplayers when he was getting paid a cool $22,000 to pitch for the Seattle Pilots in 1969.
alartandy 6 months ago
Growing up I was a huge Yankee fan. Would love watching Jim pitch. His motion was so quick and distinct. Often his cap would fly off after his delivery.
MarshallBennett64 8 months ago
Ball Four Ball Five Foul Ball and Part 2=Amazing
Zcartman9292 11 months ago
There's the old Rufus Goofus
bull829 1 year ago
wow he moves like a gay one
AdvantageYT 1 year ago
@AdvantageYT
With all his good looks,
I am sure he has had GAY experiences while in Baseball.
nelsonhmh 2 months ago
Jim Bouton was one of the more intelligent players in baseball in the sixties. He was perceptive and thoughtful at a time in which a majority of players were backward hicks who supported the Vietnam War and opposed civil rights. Ball Four was a good book. It was a big deal to all the kids in my school. We used to get in trouble talking about it in class.
tripfunkmonster 1 year ago
One of the great stories Bouton tells is during the 1963 World Series just before the game he was starting for the Yankees, he said to manager Ralph Houk: "You know, Ralph, whether I win or lose today, this sure is a hell of a lot of fun, isn't it?" Houk just smiled and said "It sure is. I know just what you mean."
MegaObserver1 1 year ago
I've always thought Jim Bouton was pretty sharp since reading Ball Four, but I found it amusingly odd that he called Bob Short of the Washington Senators an "enlightened" owner. Having read another great baseball book "Seasons in Hell" by Mike Shropshire, it seemed Short's whole plan was to move the team to the Sun Belt and sell it to locals for a profit.
waltalan10 1 year ago
Bouton said many years later that younger players would come to him and say that when they were kids they read Ball Four. They said it sure sounded like a lot of fun, and it made them work even harder to make the big leagues to get in on the fun.
MegaObserver1 1 year ago
Big League Chew was his patent as well.
goodcleanliving 1 year ago
Liked reading his book as a kid, but it now seems innocent compared to what pro athletes are doing nowadays.
tucsonia 1 year ago
"Fuck you, Shakespeare." -Pete Rose on Bouton
spartacus778 2 years ago
As great a player as Pete Rose was, aside from Lenny Dykstra, there has never been a player to whom the phrase "white trash" was most appropriately applicable.
dzanier 2 years ago
@dzanier What????? You creaky old piece of petrified wood, call Bouton whatever you like, but "white trash?" Doesn't fit under any criteria. Find a more appropriate insult.
spagandtuna 1 year ago
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You read my post incorrectly. I was referring to "Pete Rose" as white trash. My comment was " As great a player as Pete Rose was, aside from Lenny Dykstra, there has never been a player to whom the phrase "white trash" was most appropriately applicable." I said this because Pete Rose used to say, "Fuck you Shakespeare" to Bouton. Bouton has never been anything other than a gentleman.
dzanier 1 year ago
@spartacus778 Right, and we see what happened to that douchebag! Meanwhile, Bouton has had a pretty good life! And good for him!!
spagandtuna 1 year ago
Bouton was a classic example of a club wearing out the arm of a young pitcher - maybe the "Joba rules" have some merit.
TheDataMaestro 2 years ago
Excellent point. Those were different days. Most people don't realize that Bouton was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 1963 and 1964.
mantle64 2 years ago
Bouton has said many times that his delivery was too violent. He threw as hard as he could & often his cap would fall off. The book "October 1964" speaks about this & his mechanics. His pitching coach was Johnny Sain, who did everything he could to protect pitchers. Bouton adored him. He was a power pitcher without the power arm. He compared himself to a VW Beetle at the Indy 500. From what I've read Bouton had a feeling something like that would happen but no preventive measures were taken
dzanier 2 years ago
"Ball Four" was a great book.
tonykoz 2 years ago 6
Ooh, praise from Soupy Sales! Ball Four is one of the greatest books of all time.
jongreek 2 years ago
When Bouton was asked in the early 80's about what he thought about baseball free-agency, he replied "I was born too soon!"
He said his favorite reaction to "Ball Four" was Mickey Mantle's: "Jim Who?" That's all Mantle ever said.
proken58 2 years ago
The book BALL FOUR is absolutely brilliant. Extremely well written and hilarious. Bouton had been a big star in the early and mid 60's with the Yankees. by 1969 his arm was dead, he was a knuckle ball pitcher (very easy on the arm) and was barely in baseball getting a last chance with the expansion team the Seattle Pilots (after one season in Seattle I believe that they moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers). The book was the first sort of 'tell all' baseball book that I remember.
4UCKHERIDID 2 years ago
It mentions extensive drug use by the player (uppers called 'greenies' where as common as water ). The television show made later was AWFUL and was cancelled almost right away. As an example, a lady with a pomerianian (sp) dog is in the elevator along with Jim and a Panamian ball player that badly needs to use the bathroom. At one point the dog has an 'accident' in the elevator and someone says 'looks like the pomerianian had an accident." The ball player says 'lucky it wasn't the Panamanian"
4UCKHERIDID 2 years ago
The book was funny, and there was a short-lived TV series called Ball Four in 1976, which Bouton starred in. I was a youngster at the time and thought it was hilarious - it was probably terrible, haven't seen a hint of it since it was canceled after a few episodes.
Bouton also had a fairly significant role in Robert Altman's film "The Long Goodbye".
VonCringe 2 years ago
His book rulez.
ClassicShowbiz 2 years ago
Jim won 21 games one year and was a World Series hero.
His book was very well written and helped change sports journalism.
A sore arm shortened his career.
bigred997 2 years ago
He had a so-so career; was probably more farmous for the book "Ball Four."
XMLarry 2 years ago
so-so career....won 21 games in 1963, won 2 world series games in 1964. many "great" pitchers like Ferguson Jenkins or Juan Marichal would have killed for that so-so record.
jongreek 2 years ago
@XMLarry Sure "so-so" career, but then parleyed that into best selling author, excellent sportscaster, frequent panelist on What's My Line, movie appearance, S.I. comeback player of the year '78, glorious welcome back to Yankee Stadium, sought after on lecture circuit. NOT BAD!!!
spagandtuna 1 year ago
"Ball Four," I hear, is still a great read after all these years.
Comedian Soupy Sales, writer-actress Joanna Barnes, Broadway actor Bert Convy, NBC Monitor correspondent / radio host Arlene Francis, news reporter Wally Bruner, who can interview just as beautifully as Larry Blyden, Gil Fates' written opinion notwithstanding. Incidentally, I know next to zilch about pro baseball -- was Bouton any good?
soulierinvestments 2 years ago