The Baseball Club

Throughout Moneyball, references have been made that baseball is a "club" that is fairly unwilling to let outsiders in. It also has a tendency to cast away those that do not fit in. Pages 287-288 state,

"The greatest offense a Club member can commit is not ineptitude but disloyalty. Had he not been an indiscreet writer, Jim Bouton might have made a second career scouting and coaching big league prospects. But because he wrote Ball Four he was as good as banished from the Club."

After reading this particular passage, a host of thoughts emerged. First, was a recollection of listening to an interview with Jim Bouton and Bill "Spaceman" Lee on a local radio show in Boston. The two talked about many things, including the Club's reaction to Ball Four. As you can imagine, the Club did not appreciate Bouton's comments in the book. Also part of the show was Lee promoting his upcoming book, Have Glove Will Travel: Adventures of a Baseball Vagabond. He also promoted a documentary on him, Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey. That leads me to my second recollection. After reading the above passage in Moneyball, I immediately thought of Lee's banishment from baseball as well. However, unlike Bouton, Lee may have been kicked out of the club before his playing days were truly over.

If you are interested in a good summer read, you should pick up Have Glove Will Travel. Part of the book talks about Lee being kicked out of the Club for throwing tirades against management for letting Bernie Carbo (Red Sox) and Rodney Scott (Expos) go, among other antics he pulled during his career. The book is full of his colorful and crazy adventures in baseball since "retiring". Funny, a man who has baseball running through his blood and an unlikely ambassador for the game in a way, will likely never be accepted into the Club just because he sees things a little differently. Who would have guessed?