This year we saw Joe Torre and Selena Roberts release books that took the reader behind the scenes in baseball. There was a time when this was taboo and what “happened in the clubhouse, stayed in the clubhouse.” Jim Bouton was the first to break that silence with his book “Ball Four”.

Bouton was given the name “bulldog” for his tenacity on the mound. His second year in the big leagues he won 24 games. By the age of 25 he had 39 big league wins and a postseason record of 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA. The big number on the back of his baseball card was 654 – the total innings he pitched his first three seasons. In 1965 he developed arm trouble and was never an effective big league starter again. That didn’t keep him out of the spotlight. Over the next few years Bouton would be in the news for his protest of South African apartheid, and then the infamous book “Ball Four”.

Looking back the stories in the book were innocuous. Sure, there was the late night partying of Yankee icons like Mickey Mantle, but was that really a surprise to anyone? Regardless, Bouton became persona non grata around the Yankees even though he remained in the sports world as a television anchor, businessman, and even briefly attempted a comeback with the Atlanta Braves.

In 1998, after his son Michael wrote a personal letter to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner asking him to end the nearly three decade long ban of his dad. Bouton was finally invited back to Old Timer’s Day that year. Some believe this led to Yogi Berra and Steinbrenner ending their 15 year feud the following season.

In January of 2009 I had a chance to catch up with Bouton on a snowy day. We talked about those early years, his penchant for demanding social change, and why he may be feuding with the Yankees yet again. He also talked about his latest venture- The Vintage Baseball Federation.

You can also learn more about Jim Bouton at his official website jimbouton.com

Tags: Ball Four, George Steinbrenner, Jim Bouton, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, The Vintage Baseball Federation