12/30/24
July 11, 2019
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
I was just thinking about Bouton. 50 years ago, he was pitching for the Seattle Pilots during their one season in the upper Northwest corner.
The expansion of MLB with the Pilots, Padres, Royals, and Expos was part of the magic of the 1969 season.
They had some characters on that Pilots team. And Bouton cast them in living color in the book.
When it's 95 degrees outside like it is today, it's worth remembering pitcher George Brunet's guiding principle: the only time you need underwear is when you're in a car accident.
posted by beaverboard at 10:01 AM on July 11, 2019
I remember Bouton writing in that book about giving up home runs in Seattle: it's awful giving up a home run, but at least in Seattle, when you turned around to watch the ball go into the stands, you had a beautiful view of the mountains.
posted by NoMich at 10:34 AM on July 11, 2019
Welp, that's a match that Australia would like to have back. It will be New Zealand v England on Sunday morning for the Cricket World Cup championship
posted by NoMich at 01:17 PM on July 11, 2019
Yankees pitcher and 'Ball Four' author Jim Bouton dies at 80. Ball Four was such a great book.