Ball Four (RosettaBooks Sports Classics)

When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was

called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a “social leper” for having violated the

“sanctity of the clubhouse.” Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force

Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn’t true. Ballplayers, most of

whom hadn’t read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few

libraries.

Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four. Fans liked discovering that

athletes were real people--often wildly funny people. Many readers said it

gave them strength to get through a difficult period in their lives. Serious

critics called it an important document.

In 1999 Ball Four was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the

“Books of the Century.” And Time magazine chose it as one of the "100 Greatest

Non-Fiction" books.