After the animosity between Joe V and Sean S (fully contrived by the way), it’s refreshing to remember that ATB is just a game. Mike S named Jim Bouton the manager for his “Ball Four” club today, stating the need to portray the fact he isn’t a “geek” like so many other owners.
When it was Bouton’s turn to field questions, he was asked about his philosophy on pitching. Two particularly poignant aspects stood out, “In every case I’d rather walk the guy with my best pitch than let him beat me with one swing at my worst,” made the most sense, while, “Throw him low smoke and we'll go pound some Budweiser” received the most laughs.
Asked how the game has changed in the past 40 years a thoughtful Bouton smiled and said, “Back then, if you had a sore arm, the only people concerned were you and your wife. Now it's you, your wife, your agent, your investment counselor, your stockbroker, and your publisher.”
Before heading back to the managers office, he did have some advice for his players, “Whitey Ford always said that the way to make coaches think you’re in shape in the spring is to get a tan. It makes you look healthier and at least five pounds lighter.”
The Ball Four Lineup
2B – Joe Morgan
1B – Roger Connor
DH – Heavy Johnson
.C – Bill Dickey
CF – Jim Edmonds
RF – Fred Lynn
LF – George Stone
3B – Stan Hack
SS – Candy Nelson
Rotation
SP1 – Kevin Millwood
SP2 – Teddy Higuera
SP3 – Joe Horlen
SP4 – Zack Grienke
SP5 – Lefty Grove
CL – Craig Kimbrel
SU 1 – Mariano Rivera
SU 2 – Al Grabowski
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