ol' interview with that Ball Four journalist Jim Bouton

[mrbio]

Just dug up this old classic with Jim Bouton, the former MLB pitcher and author Jim Bouton. This was done way back in the days as a basically novice reporter with no tape recorder and barely any space to work with in the daily that it originally ran, but it's still okay to read. Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ. Just picked up Ball Four and will re-read for the second time after about 20 years.

http://thebiofile.com/2011/07/biofile-classic-with-jim-bouton/

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

Bouton has lived in Massachusetts for years. I think he moved right after he realized you had his address.

 

[Webster]

I'm going to need to pound the Budweiser before I click on that link.

 

[baddecision]

Budweiser? Why not go full-tilt Doc Ellis?

 

[dreunc1542]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

They invented this amazing new device called a phone. I've never used one, but it might be worth a shot.

 

[Small Town Guy]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

They invented this amazing new device called a phone. I've never used one, but it might be worth a shot.

Per Biofile bylaws, all Biofile interviews are done in person. With this:

 

[HanSenSE]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

They invented this amazing new device called a phone. I've never used one, but it might be worth a shot.

Can't have a staredown over the phone ...

 

[Liut]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

They invented this amazing new device called a phone. I've never used one, but it might be worth a shot.

Per Biofile bylaws, all Biofile interviews are done in person. With this:

****ing fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Liut]

What was that about Henry getting his facts right?

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Budweiser? Why not go full-tilt Doc Ellis?

I'd like to have a shiny dime for every time someone misspells Dock Ellis' name.

 

[secretariat]

Budweiser? Why not go full-tilt Doc Ellis?

I'd like to have a shiny dime for every time someone misspells Dock Ellis' name.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

Bouton has lived in Massachusetts for years. I think he moved right after he realized you had his address.

Very funny.

 

[UNCGrad]

Smoke 'em inside.

Love Bouton. I've probably read "Ball Four" close to 20 times, sometimes just picking it up and reading from anywhere I open it up. Yup, I'm one of those guys.

I once had to take a haughty English Lit class at UNC. First day, we had to go around the room and say who our favorite American author was. All the usual suspects. Hemingway. Faulkner. Steinbeck. On and on, everybody trying to one-up each other.

I wasn't going to lie on mine. Question gets to me: "Bouton."

TA: Huh?

Me: Jim Bouton. "Ball Four" 1969-70. One of the most important books of the 20th century (don't think it was on the Library of Congress list yet, though.)

Crickets.

First time I read it I was a freshman in high school. Dad gave me an old beat-up paperback from 1971. We had to do a paper and an oral dissertation. One of the projects involved the teacher taking the book, opening it anywhere, and asking you to explain the context of the passage. I remember very wide eyes and lots of "ums..." Still got an A. (Wheeeeee! An A in freshman high school English #bluefont)

I've interviewed Bouton twice. One of my personal highlights.

"One of the hardest things to do is to explain to your wife why she needs a penicillin shot for your kidney infection."

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Love the book, but to give credit where it's due, there's a lot of Len Shecter in "Ball Four," too.

 

[Mozilla]

Budweiser? Why not go full-tilt Doc Ellis?

I'd like to have a shiny dime for every time someone misspells Dock Ellis' name.

And "Gayle" Sayers.

 

[Mozilla]

From the ol' interview:

Closest Baseball Friends: ”Gary Belle, Steve Hovly, Tommy Davis, and guys from the minor leagues – Stu Livingstone, Roger Alexander, Larry Owens.”

It's Gary Bell. And Steve Hovley.

 

[LanceyHoward]

From the article: "Career Accomplishments: 1961 All-Star". Bouton debuted in MLB in 1962.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Love the book, but to give credit where it's due, there's a lot of Len Shecter in "Ball Four," too.

It wouldn't have been nearly as readable without Shecter's influence.

Brosnan's "The Long Season" remains the gold standard. And Jim wrote it. And Jim could really, REALLY write.

 

[mrbio]

We have some comedians here. Thanks for that quality stuff ) and for the corrections 2.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Hope to get a new interview with Jim soon as he still lives in NJ.

They invented this amazing new device called a phone. I've never used one, but it might be worth a shot.

Can't have a staredown over the phone ...

But what was Bouton's entrance music?