Ball Four

 

Ball Four – by Jim Bouton

One of the many things that the 1939 classic film ‘Gone With the Wind’ is known for was that it was the first major film to feature a swear word. Apparently when Rhett Butler muttered “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, it was so scandalous that it caused little old ladies in their theater seats to reach for their smelling salts.  That seems almost unbelievable when 50 years later, you almost needed a mainframe computer to keep track of all of the “F” words in a typical Martin Scorsese movie.  Times definitely change.

I mention this analogy because I basically felt the same way reading this “controversial, scandalous” book 50 years after it was written.  This non-fiction book written by baseball player Jim Bouton ruffled so many feathers when written, that the then commissioner Bowie Kuhn threatened (then pleaded) Bouton to state that the book was actually fiction and Bouton made the whole thing up.  Bouton, of course, refused.  Reading this book so many years later, it really is hard to see what all the fuss was about.  This thing now seems relatively tame.  Especially if one has read the scores of recent books by the many colorful athletes such as Jose Canseco, David Wells, and Lenny Dykstra.  Modern day readers of this book expecting to be “shocked” are likely to be disappointed instead.

This book chronicles a year of baseball player Jim Bouton, and essentially serves as a diary and an observation of one year of his baseball life.  Jim Bouton had his best years in the early 1960s.  This book details his 1969 season, when his best years were obviously behind him.  It also doesn’t make things any more interesting when Bouton played for the expansion Seattle Pilots that year.  For those who don’t know, the Pilots lasted an entire one year in Seattle before they became the Milwaukee Brewers.  By then, Bouton was long gone.  Then we look at his role on the team.  In 1969, Bouton was relegated to the bullpen as mostly a mop up/ long relief pitcher, which is usually reserved for the least effective pitchers on the squad.  So when such a mediocre individual dictates the year of a mediocre team, you’re likely to come away feeling quite bored throughout much of the book.  We constantly read about Bouton working on his knuckleball in the bullpen and whining to his coaches for more playing time.  This whining of his goes on for most of the whole season.  It gets old quick.

But the episodes of the book that made this thing so memorable, though, wasn’t his own struggles, yet his R-rated observations of the ballplayers that he played with and played against.  So yes, we read about players taking “broads” back to their hotel rooms and popping “greenies” (amphetamines) before the games, but it all seems quite tame 50 years later.  Much of the verbiage, jargon, and anecdotes that the author shares really haven’t aged that well either and most of his funny stories really aren’t that funny.  It’s also quite difficult keeping track of the multitude of players and coaches on the team. Part of this is because 90% of the players from 1969 aren’t really well known to most modern fans of the game. Today most fans can’t recollect people like Tommy Harper, Mike Marshall, and Doug Rader.  These guys weren’t that bad back then, but history has a way of erasing most of the ‘good’ players from fans’ memories, and we tend to only remember the ‘greats’.

It was quite interesting, though, and a bit sad to see how much the game really has changed.  In particular, these players were a far cry from ‘wealthy’.  This book was written before the free agency boon came into play a few years later. This finally dictated that ball players should actually be payed what they’re worth.  So in 1969, the best of the best of the best of ball players were majorly taken advantage of by their greedy owners.   It seems quite ridiculous hearing Bouton negotiating to be paid $19,000 per year when his team won’t budge over $17,000.   True, $17,000 per year went a lot further in 1969 than it does now, but when compared to eight-figure salaries that ballplayers nowadays make, you can’t help but feel such an amount is nothing more than worthless chump change.

So a lot of complaining about money, a lot of whining about not getting enough pitching time, and the general skullduggery of ballplayers sneaking out past curfew after night games, don’t really hold up that well when we read about such shenanigans over an entire baseball season.  In fact, the most interesting parts of Bouton’s reflections of the 1969 season deal with when he’s briefly sent to the minors early in the season, and when he’s traded to the Houston Astros late in the year.  The Astros (unlike the hapless Pilots) actually had a slim chance of making the playoffs, so the day by day accounts were a bit more interesting.  Really, though, the only reason why these episodes are more interesting is because they somehow breakup the monotony of Bouton’s entire lifeless season.

I should also put out that the author ‘re-released’ this book 10, 20 and 30 years after the 1969 season.  Each of these releases feature a new chapter from the author with his reflections on the last ten years since he last “talked” to us.  Sadly, though, these additions really aren’t that interesting.  Sometimes he’ll make reflections on how the game has changed, and these are fun to read.  Unfortunately, though, he mostly peppers these later chapters with personal information that simply didn’t interest me.  Nothing personal, but I really didn’t want to read about his sour marital relations nor his various business ventures.  Had there been more baseball, I might have enjoyed these sections more, but overall it was a chore to read.

Still, though, when I review the book, I really need to be fair and try to imagine how it must felt reading this thing in the year 1970 instead of 2020.  History tells us that it was a revelation at the time, so I can’t let my modern tastes be too cruel to the experience.   I would advise modern fans to read other books by their current day heroes first.  Then, go back and give this one a try and see how it compares against some of the latter day works.   For me, this thing simply hasn’t aged that well.

Battleground

 

Battleground – W.E.B. Griffin

The multiple W.E.B. Griffin series of books are a bit odd.  What I mean by that is that I mostly enjoy them yet I really can’t put my finger on exactly why.  This particular book is Book 4 of a 10 book series titled “The Corps”.  I’ve also read a 9 book series by the author titled “The Brotherhood of War”.  By the titles, you would be correct in assuming these are military books, yet there really is very little “war” in these books. Nor is there really much of a story.  You would think that military books that don’t have much of a story nor battle action wouldn’t hold much appeal. Strangely though, these books tend to hold the reader’s interest.

This series of books revolve around several soldiers in the Marine Corps during World War II.  This particular book takes place before and during the battle of Guadalcanal.  Again, though, very little fighting or descriptions of the actual battle are included.  Instead, author W.E.B. Griffin focuses on the intricacies and politics that exist in the American armed services.  We learn an awful lot about how soldiers interact and the expectations around military protocol and just what all is involved when one is in the Marine Corps during the World War.  We read telexes, top secret documents, and are privy to conversations with Secretary Knox and General MacArthur among others, and get a strong feel of what life is like in between the battles.

This book (which picks up where Book 3 leaves off) leads up to Guadalcanal.  The U.S. Military is still licking its wounds from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the political brass is scrambling to decide the next plan of action.  Again, not much about Guadalcanal itself, yet we do get to meet several soldiers that somehow will play a role in the conflict. Some soldiers we’ve met in earlier books, some we’re meeting for the first time.  Sadly, I have a hard time keeping track of who is who from the past books, yet Griffin does a good job reminding his readers of the necessary background so we can keep up.

Of course, when you’re telling a story about soldiers a long way from home, there’s an awful lot of sex in these books as well.  An awful lot.  I mean – really an awful lot.  This is actually a strike against the series for me.  It seems a bit far-fetched that every time a nurse, a secretary, a WAC, or someone’s sister is introduced in the story, it’s only a matter of a few pages before she’s in bed with one of the soldiers with a torqued up libido. Perhaps I’m naïve from watching too many old movies that were heavily into censoring what respectable young women are supposed to be like, but according to Griffin, every woman in his books will eventually be buried in a Y-shaped coffin.  It’s a bit much. I guess you could make the argument that such encounters are more fun to read about than a detailed military strategy of an amphibious landing of a small island in the Pacific. As I said, I DID enjoy the book, so go figure.

Critics argue that these books by Griffin are more of a military soap opera than they are a good, realistic story, and those critics have a fair point.  Like many others, though, I actually find a lot in these books to enjoy.  So give the author credit for a unique idea.  I really don’t know any author that is so successful at these type of adventures where such little adventure actually happens.  Outside the bedroom that is.

Pope Francis: Life and Revolution

 

Pope Francis: Life and Revolution by Elisabetta Pique  

One of the many fascinating things about the life of Jesus Christ is that we are taught that he was fully God and fully human at the same time.  I have to wonder at times, what did the “human” Jesus think about his destiny on earth as the son of God? Was he happy that he was the Chosen One? What struggles did “human” Jesus have?  Did he ever wish that he could just be like everyone else?  I certainly don’t think he welcomed the fact that he was to be crucified in the most barbaric way possible for the sins of mankind.  Sure, the “God” side of him understood, but the “human” side?

I mention this because in many ways this seems to be the attitude of Argentinian Bishop Jorge Bergoglio when voices start to speculate that he might be elected the next Supreme Pontiff after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Bergoglio is too old, he feels. In fact, he’s already “retired”.  Such aspirations simply don’t enter such a humble priest’s mind who simply wants to be among his people and help feed the poor and needy. You would think most cardinals of the Catholic Church, or ANY leaders of a Christian group would feel the same way, yet history and nature tell a different story.  After all, who wouldn’t want to be the “leader” of such an institution?  No matter how pious one feels his heart to be, the temptation to be center stage is just too grand for most.  Imagine a person being elected President of the U.S. who never campaigned, never even made a speech, and even told the constituents he didn’t want the job, yet gets elected anyway.  I know. Impossible.

The first three chapters of this wonderful biography show us a wonderful exception, and arguably one of the most Christ-like leaders in history.  Author Elisabetta Pique has an advantage in that she knows Bergoglio; she’s a journalist who has covered much of his activity over the years.  It’s obvious that she loves the man and holds him in very high regard.  Sometimes when I read biographies, I don’t always see this as a good thing.  A well-written biography needs to show an honest picture of the subject, and not portray him in some bright, shiny hagiographic fashion.  Yet one comes away with the feeling that her sentiments about Bergoglio are genuine.  She sees this man as most of the world sees him, and is delighted when he is elected Pope Francis in 2013.

After the first few chapters that show the transition from Cardinal Bergoglio to Pope Francis, we then go back to the beginning.  We don’t read much about Bergoglio’s early life, but we get enough to understand his nature and how his surroundings and devotion to God shape his early life.  We read a lot about the crooked Argentinian regime where Bergoglio resides, and politics and religion don’t always make good bedfellows. We read accounts where Bergoglio risks his own life to save many renegade priests as well as continue to feed the poor and the needy.  This is a man truly devoted to his mission.  To be honest, the part of the book that deals with most of Bergoglio’s travails in native Argentina could be a bit overwhelming to a reader such as myself who isn’t very familiar with the politics nor the surroundings.  There are a lot of Argentinian names of people and places thrown about, and it was hard for me to keep everything assimilated.  There’s also an awful lot of Roman Catholic nomenclature here as well, and one not familiar with the many different titles and traditions may feel a bit overwhelmed as well.

The last third of the book goes back to the beginning, and we see the beginning of the reign of Pope Francis. Sadly, there’s still a lot of politics around, and those in power aren’t quite sure what to think of a pope who refuses to live in his glorious penthouse, electing instead to reside in modest quarters for many of the lower rungs of the ladder.   This is a man who also refuses to use the “pope” limousine and chauffeur. He elects, instead, to drive his old Ford Focus around while carrying his own briefcase.  Such a humble man can be dangerous to the powerful establishment.

This part of the book, though, is the most refreshing. It gives one hope.  In an era of so much turmoil, distrust, and abuse, it truly gives one confidence to see that there is still goodness in the world.  When such goodness is elevated to the top position in the Catholic Church, you can’t help but hope and pray that such materialistic trends can reverse, and a sense of decency and goodness can perhaps prevail.

We don’t get to read too much about his papal initiatives though. A slight drawback to this book is that it was written only one year into Francis’s papacy.  So 20 years from now, one won’t really be able to look back at this book as being the “definitive” biography.  There will still be so much more to tell. Most hope that the reforms of Francis will continue to focus on grace, charity, and goodness while pushing dogma and rigidness a bit further down on the priority meter.  In an era with so much darkness in the hearts of people and their leaders, one hopes that this man’s light of optimism and compassion will continue to shine, becoming brighter and brighter.  One can hope.  And one can pray.

ad majorem Dei gloriam!