{"product_id":"ball-four","title":"Ball Four","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdited by sportswriter Leonard Shecter, this groundbreaking diary chronicles former All-Star pitcher Jim Bouton's 1969 season with the expansion Seattle Pilots and the Houston Astros. Ball Four completely shattered the carefully sanitized myth of the wholesome American ballplayer. Bouton exposed the raw, backstage reality of Major League Baseball—documenting rampant drug use (specifically greenies\/amphetamines), heavy drinking, locker room womanizing, contract disputes, and the petty cruelties of front offices and managers. The book caused an immediate national uproar; MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement calling the book untrue, and players infamously burned copies in team dugouts. Today, it is universally regarded as the most influential sports book ever written.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jim Bouton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50055028244730,"sku":"NEE2\/34\/08062026","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0635\/3387\/5450\/files\/IMG_9846_52fbb75d-c9f6-4066-ba2c-8a757cec0e8b.jpg?v=1786373459","url":"https:\/\/flippedpages.com\/products\/ball-four","provider":"Flipped Pages","version":"1.0","type":"link"}