B

E

Bumping up to say voting ends tonight.

If you want to vote, make sure you get it in today.

D

$19.38 on Amazon. Ordered a copy.

DFW folks, it looks like several Half Price Books up there have it for around $8

Glad to see Ball Four was selected! It's publication was a watershed event in MLB and impact can not be over estimated.

There are other books out there by Jim Bouton: e.g. I'm glad you didn't take it personally; and Foul Ball. The Foul Ball review on Amazon follows:

Foul Ball by Jim Bouton

Quote:

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Foul Ball Paperback May 18, 2021
by Jim Bouton (Author)
......
From legendary Ball Four author, Jim Bouton, comes the behind-the-scenes story of Bouton's valiant and determined efforts to save Wahconah Park.

For the first time in two decades, enjoy Foul Ball as never before with freshly edited content and a new foreword from Jim Bouton's wife, Paula.

With his trademark wit and distinctive voice, Bouton recounts his battle against the local elites' efforts to replace one of the oldest parks in the United States against the wishes and votes of local citizens.

But Foul Ball is more than just a lively romp about saving an old ballpark near Bouton's home in Massachusetts.

In a detailed diaryhis first since Ball FourBouton takes us along on his wild ride, into the teeth of corporate malfeasance, anti-democratic processes, the tyranny of a one-newspaper town, and the real reason why the good old boys wanted to build a new stadium.

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Listened to both A & B. Both are great.
They are both available on Audible.

I'll enjoy following this thread.

Another good one is " I Should Have Quit This Morning"

Written by a Stanford baseball Mother. Goes through a bunch of Stanford players getting drafted and how things are in the minors.

Can't think of her name.

Looks like it would be good.

Amazon review follows:

Shoulda Quit this Morning

Quote:

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I Should Have Quit This Morning: Adventures in Minor League Baseball Audible Logo Audible Audiobook Unabridged
Kathy Diekroeger (Author), Michael Butler Murray (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (139)

The road to Major League Baseball goes through the minor leagues. Every year there are over 5,500 players trying to work their way to the top of the tiered minor league system. Very few people know what life is really like for these aspiring players - until now. This collection of stories from actual minor league players is a hilarious, heartbreaking, and honest account of the struggle to make it to the big leagues. In this book, you will learn:

How it feels to be the first pick in the MLB draft ("everyone started screaming") and how it feels for a player to not hear his name called at all ("Three days came and went and I didn't get picked".)
What Spring Training is like for minor leaguers ("The difference between big league camp and minor league camp is night and day".)
Where players live and how they eat ("I became a pro at cooking in the 'kitchen bathroom' in the hotel".)
What it's like to get promoted, demoted and traded ("It was the first time I actually cried when someone got moved or traded",)
What it's like when players get the ultimate call up to the Major Leagues ("It was still during the game and everyone was like, 'Dude, go call your parents or something".)
And so much more!

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It's really interesting and gives you a lot of insight into inner working of MiLB.

nm

Looks like it is included with Kindle Unlimited

Thanks y'all. I added that information to the top post so people can see it easily.

I read "Ball Four" when I was in High School. It is hilarious. It is funny, irreverent, informative, and a fast read. It most definitely is not a Field of Dreams, kind of book. My favorite "swear word" came from Ball Four. It still comes out periodically.

Reminder: book club starts tomorrow! I edited the top post with the the discussion schedule.

Today's the day! Happy reading, all!

It's amazing how much the world has changed, but I am a couple of chapters in and nothing is really explosive like it was when it was first written.

Update in the first post.

I'm upset i just now saw this post or i would've been in...i will be keeping an eye out for the next book.

Here are some baseball books i've read that i recommend:

• The Baseball 100 - Joe Posnanski (who is a really good sports writer)
• Rickey - book about Rickey Henderson
• The Numbers Game: Baseballs lifelong fascination with statistics
• The Science of Baseball
• The Last Folk Hero - about Bo Jackson so baseball and football related
• The Hall of Fame Index - dry but interesting
• Only the Ball was White
• The Game: Inside the secret world of major league baseballs power brokers
• Lou Gehrig - The Lost Memoir
• 50 Reasons Why we love Baseball - another Posnanski book
• Where Nobody Knows your Name - the life in the minor leagues
• The Greatest Summer in Baseball History (1973 Season)
• Mint Condition - Baseball Cards

bulverdeaggie93 said:

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lots of pictures??

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Same question. Any graphic novels?