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Foul Ball
by
Jim Bouton
Foul Ball is the behind-the-scenes story of Bouton's efforts to save Wahconah Park, one of the oldest ballparks in the United States, located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, not far from his home in the Berkshires. With his trademark wit and distinctive voice, Bouton recounts his battle against the local power elite, who wanted to build a new stadium to replace Wahconah Park...more
Hardcover, 354 pages
Published
June 1st 2003
by Bulldog Publishing (MA)
(first published 2003)
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If you like uplifting stories about people triumphing over the odds and hard work paying off in the end, then this isn't the book for you. This book will make you angry. This book is about The Man winning. You know, when that guy who already has tons of money & doesn't care nearly as much as you do about that thing he wants gets it anyway? That is this book in a nutshell.
Jim Bouton is no stranger to controversial writing. His first book Ball Four is essential reading for any and all...more
Jim Bouton is no stranger to controversial writing. His first book Ball Four is essential reading for any and all...more
For years, I'd always intended (and still do intend) to read Bouton's classic baseball book, Ball Four. But I hadn't even heard of his new book until I received it as a Christmas gift from my father. Foul Ball is not simply a great book for people who love baseball and what makes the game so wonderful (hint: it's not skyboxes or retractable roofs). It's one of those rare books that takes a relatively small story (small-town corruption and greed) and ends up revealing an awful lot about human nat...more
Jim Bouton has a way of writing about civil corruption that makes you want to laugh instead of cry. This is his account of his attempts to renovate a historical ballpark in New England and field a locally owned team that would not be able to hold the city hostage for amenities such as a new stadium. The town had voted four times against building a new stadium. When Bouton and his partners offer to invest their own money in the city owned park and promise to keep baseball in Pittsfield they expec...more
I encourage all young idealists who want to get into government to "help" people or to "make a difference" to read Jim Bouten's experience trying to do business with the corrupt government of Pittsfield, Mass. This is the state of the government that special interests and lobbyists have created.
Bouten wants to BUY the ballpark and use his own money (along with two other investors) to keep an historic field alive. However, as the mayor of Pittsfield says, "the...more
Bouten wants to BUY the ballpark and use his own money (along with two other investors) to keep an historic field alive. However, as the mayor of Pittsfield says, "the...more
I enjoyed this book and reading this story. I wish I could say I was surprised at the ridiculousness of the self-destructive actions of the city fathers here, but I have seen nearly as crazy things happen in my life.
Bouton is a lot of fun to read, because he writes simply from what he sees and does. Unfortunately, this story got pretty long.
Bouton is a lot of fun to read, because he writes simply from what he sees and does. Unfortunately, this story got pretty long.
More about local politics than baseball, but has Bouton's great flair for writing in a way that makes you feel like you know him personally. Amazing ending!
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How can I not love a book about a silly government messing with baseball?
This book is about a ballpark I know and love well, Waconah Park in Pittsfield, MA. I loved Ball Four and can't wait to tackle a book about my local baseball haven!
Karen Schendlinger
marked it as to-read
Julie Elliott
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