Connections

Connections

The book I can connect Ball Four to is The Firm. This book relates to my memoir both literally and figuratively. In Ball Four, Jim is spending countless hours on baseball. From going to games, to working out in the weight room, he really is dedicated to the sport. He is so dedicated that he can hardly go home and spend time with his family. He can see his family about one time a month! Jim’s job really has affected him and his family’s relationship. This compares to The Firm because the main character, Mitch, does practically the same thing. Mitch is a smart young man who is a first year lawyer. He works at Bendini, Lambert and Locke which was a very successful law firm in Memphis. The law firm’s policy of work is that you become a partner after several years. Mitch, of course, wanted to break this rule and become a partner a few years earlier, so he was working as hard as a horse in the fields. He was working well over 12 hours a day. This affected his relationship with his wife and they became more distant, they only saw each other when he went to bed at three o’clock in the morning. The books are similar literally because both main characters worked hard and put care and effort into their work, but their work affected their family relationships.

They figuratively connect because in both books the main characters lose their souls but then regain them. Ball Four is a book about baseball but with the inside scoop of a player as an author. While Jim was playing baseball, he was just going along with the whole process in the Major Leagues and not telling anyone what goes on around the league. But, when he released the book, the baseball league hated him for the secrets he shared with the entire world on what goes on inside baseball. This compares with The Firm because when Mitch first applied to the job, he didn’t know that they were working for the Mafia. Later on in his first year working, he overheard the partners talking and heard about a money shipment for the Mafia. Also, during that first year, men from the F.B.I informed Mitch that the law firm worked for the Mafia. They told him that they were really close to busting the firm and if he didn’t want to get arrested then he should work with them. The F.B.I needed more evidence and found legal documents and long story short they arrested all the members of the law firm except for Mitch. The members loathed him for revealing the secrets of the firm. The books relate figuratively because they both went with the flow of things and then exposed the secrets and insight of their respective jobs. 

Word Count: 472

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Title Significance

Title Significance

The literal meaning of the title, Ball Four, is when the batter is thrown four balls by the pitcher and is walked to first base. This usually happens when the pitcher is down in the count and is in a bad position. Bouton was a knuckle ball pitcher because he didn’t have a great fastball: “I can’t get it over the plate consistently, and when I get behind I have to come in with the fastball, which somehow isn’t too fast” (Bouton 108). This explains that the knuckle ball is hard to get over the plate consistently so it is easy to walk a hitter. Some pitchers are told by their managers to intentionally walk a hitter because they usually aren’t good enough to get the hitter out. Walks can happen even based off something that is not in the pitchers control. For example: “The catcher dropped a foul pop and then the hitter walked. He scored on a double, which was the only well-hit ball off me” (Bouton 93). This quote explains that walks can happen by a mistake on someone else’s part. Also, the quote says that walks usually lead to worse things like runs. Ball four or a walk can rattle a pitcher emotionally and mentally.

      Ball Four has many figurative meanings, as well. Figuratively, it means that Jim is having a bad season and is punished for his poor play.  He had several bad pitching outings which led to something that all players dread, getting traded. The first time he got traded: “Instead he sold me to Seattle. Okay, so I had a lousy year there” (Bouton 32). This quote clarifies that Jim was sent to Seattle from New York because he was having a bad season. This relates to the title Ball Four because ball four means blown chances and bad outcomes.  Jim blew his chance with staying on the team by having a bad season and as a result got traded. Another instance where Jim Bouton was “ball foured” was when he got traded to the Houston Astros. This time he was traded for a different reason. Jim was just not good enough in relief. He wasn’t consistent and didn’t have too many good outings. I also think the book is named Ball Four because when you give up a lot of walks you get traded and when you’re traded you are bounced all over the league. Bouton was traded to Seattle, Houston, and Atlanta over the course of his career. A pitcher is supposed to strikeout a hitter, but Jim has failed to do so because he had so many walks, hence the title Ball Four. Since Jim has failed several times to strike out hitters he has failed at being a Major League pitcher. Ball four for a pitcher is the same for striking out as a hitter and Jim, he struck out big time.

               

  Word Count 485

                                                                               

Final Reflection

Final Reflection

                The book, Ball Four, was great and interesting. I would like to thank the people who recommended it to me because I cherished every single word written in the book. While I was reading, I was very interested and attentive to all the events that happened. Jim Bouton was very descriptive and made me want to read more. The experience was remarkable while I was reading. When he was telling the story of what it was like in the Major Leagues, I just wanted to go there more. Reading about the exciting intense games, signing autographs, and the meetings in the clubhouse was very entertaining. The style of the book is humorous; when Jim talks about what the players do off the field, he describes them doing stupid things at bars. Also, when he tries to negotiate for better contracts with the general manager, the dialogue gets pretty amusing. Jim and the G.M go back and forth trying to the settle a deal for the next year’s contract and they make fun of each other in the process. The book is passionate because Jim is writing about the thing that he loves and cares about. When he talks about his pitching performances he writes with enthusiasm. The format was like a journal and worked very well.  It allowed Jim to describe what happened every day in the baseball season. Compared to the other memoirs I have read, this one has had more meaning to me because this is a book about baseball and I admire the game. This book has inspired me so much that it has made my big dream of becoming a Major Leaguer even bigger!

                278 words

                

Emotional Reaction

Emotional Reaction

In sections of the novel there are many touchy parts in the content that I found and reacted to uncomfortably. One thing that I reacted to was what the baseball players call beaver shooting. Literally, beaver shooting doesn’t seem very nice but baseball players don’t actually shoot beaver. To baseball players, beaver shooting is: “peering over the top of the dugout to look up dresses to hanging from the fire escape on the twentieth floor of some hotel to look into a window” (Bouton 37). I found beaver shooting quite disturbing and gross. That put a whole new perspective I had on baseball players from the 60’s. I mean, aren’t players supposed to be focused on a game instead of looking up a girl’s dress? Many of these baseball players have wives, so they are essentially cheating on them by looking at other women. I also reacted to this because women are being violated without them even knowing, which I found extremely rude. When baseball players went beaver shooting they would have equipment with them. Outside of the stadium one of the legendary beaver shooters brought a beaver shooting kit wherever he went. In his kit he had “a fine steel awl and several needle files. What he would do is drill little holes into connecting doors to see what was going on” (Bouton 37). He was just spying on people’s personal life and violating their privacy. On the field, when players went beaver shooting, they would have binoculars and telescopes. The whole beaver shooting thing really ticked me off because I thought baseball players were supposed to have class. What great respect baseball players had for women.

278 words

                                                               

Initial Impressions

Initial Impressions

                The memoir, Ball Four, written by Jim Bouton is a book deep into the greatest pastime in America, baseball. I have high hopes for this book and I want to stay interested and want to know what is going to happen next. I also want events to be described to great detail so I can understand exactly what is happening in the book. I think through the duration of the book it is going to talk about life in and out of the Major Leagues.

                I chose this book because I have passion for baseball. I have always wanted to know the inside scoop on what happens in the Major Leagues. This is probably a perfect book for me because this book is based off a baseball player. Furthermore, I wanted to know about baseball before the 21^st century because I have heard it was quite different before then. I also chose this book because it was recommended by my peers who also love baseball. The author, Jim Bouton, was a former Major League pitcher, and was a writer, businessman, motivational speaker and was a semi-pro pitcher in New Jersey. The content is not only about baseball, but also about the players; the content also tends to get pretty funny. The format of the book summarizes what happens from day to day throughout the season. For instance, it talks about stuff on the field and then could talk about life off the field. Based on all of these aspects about the book, I hope Ball Four ends up being the book I want it to be.  

                266 words   

               

Check the link out it is a documentary on Jim Bouton

                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ8wDi9CDJY