Jim Bouton - 77 and hampered by a stroke - is selling his Yankee memorabilia, and the star, of course, is Mickey. And you can see why The Mick's plaque in Yankee Stadium says he was a great teammate.
It' was buried in yesterday's Gray Lady between NFL crapola and NBA box scores. Why do they even bother with NBA box scores?
Note: In a photo caption, my newsprint version wrongly described Bouton as a "mediocre" pitcher for the Yankees. No way. NO FUCKING WAY. As a rookie, Bulldog Bouton had his issues, most notably in the first inning. So he problem-solved it: He pitched an imaginary first inning in pre-game warmups, and it worked. And you know how Mel Allen could tell if Bouton had his stuff today? He would count the number of times Bouton knocked his own cap off, throwing to the plate. Ahck, memories. What good do they do?
Monday, January 16, 2017
" For decades, he was not invited to Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium, supposedly for having written about Mickey Mantle’s drinking habits. In 1994, after Bouton sent a sympathy note following the death of Mantle’s son, he got a surprise voice mail from Mantle, telling him he was never hurt by the book and had never asked the Yankees to exclude him. That tape is included in the auction."
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7 comments:
Mick knew he was the greatest cause of his own troubles - - him and his Dad - - and he was definitely not a vindictive sort at all, from everything I know, having followed virtually his entire pro career, and read several books about him - - far from it....
So true, too, that Jim Bouton was no mediocre pitcher. He was exciting to watch.
LB (No J)
Jim Bouton is one of my heroes. Seriously...
If he was just a World Series pitcher for the Yankees. Dayenu.
If he only wrote the book that changed sports books forever Dayenu.
But the guy also invented Big League Chew (you can see his name. It's on the pouch.
Pitcher. Author. Innovator. Inventor.
My Hero!
Doug K
I remember after Jim Bouton was sort of so blackballed out of baseball and him playing Semi-Pro pickup games in Hackensack NJ and surrounding towns, I guess hoping to get picked up again by some major league team. It was a pleasure watching him and his knuckleball and wondering why he wasn't in the majors. We all knew why. At some of his Semi games he would yell up to his wife sitting in the stands and ask her, Gatorade me Hon. It was his kick start I guess. He and his wife were great with the fans and kids, taking time out to talk after most games. That was about the time he started his 3-D card bus. I read his book, great reading and I talked to Billy Martin a few times when he was living in Carlstadt NJ.My Uncle owner a Pub across from where Billy was staying, and the stories, most were true. Most Yanks were little devils and just having fun. Winners....
The reason Mick is so loved by teammates, players, and fans alike, was because he was always a genuine person. He cared about his teammates and friends.
Bouton had three good years with the Yankees, 1963, 1964, and 1966. Thereafter, he was pretty average. I saw no reason to write about the private conversations and locker room banter. I still don't. Teammates are trusted, and should be. Bouton was wrong then, wrong today, imo.
Bouton is flawed. So was the Mick. And certainly the Babe. Right or wrong in his actions, Bulldog was colorful and remains a Yankee legend. I saw him pitch (and win) his last game, for the Braves against the Giants (in San Francisco, where there was little fan interest his comeback). Always a showboat, Bouton initially warmed up very close to the stands (not in the bullpen or outfield), so I went down and shouted out "Good luck, Bulldog". He smiled and said thanks. I credit his
seeing my Yankees cap for the action on his knuckleball that day. He knew at least one Yankees fan was rooting him on.
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