Sunday, September 19, 2010

ball four turns forty (and i turn 28)


yesterday the wonderful baseball reliquary hosted a celebration of the jim bouton's incredible book, "ball four" at the central library in burbank.  the event was packed - standing room only at the back of the room.  the day included panel discussions with the author and some of his fellow teammates (including tommy davis and greg goossen, pictured above), as well as a few other notable sports personalities.  we also got to screen a documentary on the team bouton played for when he wrote "ball four", the seattle pilots.  as usual, the reliquary had a wide variety of artifacts on display for us to browse (photo of some of the items below).  you can also visit my other blog to see what i got signed.

it was a fantastic way to spend a day with some friends - especially on the eve of my birthday.  that's right, your favorite blogger turns 28 today!  crazy stuff.

8 comments:

Harold Life Center Church LA said...

Happy Birthday, Ben! God bless you, man! Enjoy your blogs! Harold, Life Center Church, Pasadena

HearkenCreative said...

That's funny, Ben, I was there on the film crew documenting the whole day. The panels were wonderful — insightful, funny, poignant — and I went to dinner with the organizers afterwards and they were so happy with the turnout and the mood of the whole day. Thanks for coming out and being a part of such a special event!

ben wideman said...

It was really a great time. The perfect way to spend a Saturday. Small world that you were there too!

JustinM said...

Happy birthday youngster.

Petrea Burchard said...

Happy birthday, whippersnapper.

ben wideman said...

Ha, thanks everyone!

Steve Scauzillo said...

Hey happy birthday. I remember the moments I spent as a kid reading that book. Growing up a Yankee fan in NY, it hurt. But in a strange way, it helped me to grow up.

ben wideman said...

So many people at the event talked about how it both destroyed their perceptions of the heroic athlete, and also allowed them to see the humanity of their heroes. I remember feelings similarly, even though it wasn't my generation.