Thought I'd send you a note to see how things were going, and to tell you about my experience with meeting Jim Bouton. He appeared at a book signing in Seattle for "The Final Pitch" , so my roommate, a friend of ours and I made the trip up. First we stopped off at Seattle U., where a buddy of ours lived and the four of us walked from the campus to Borders, where he was scheduled to appear. We got there, and it was tough to find him at first; I thought there'd be a much bigger display than what there really was. Plus, I almost didn't recognize him, because every photo I'd ever seen of him was from the '60s or '70s. He's a really nice guy. We talked for a little bit, and he signed two copies of the book--one for my dad back in California and one for me. He signed mine: For Steve--"Smoke 'em inside."
—ballfour56

NOTE FROM MIKE: Steve took a bunch of photos at the former site of Sick's Stadium, which you can see on his site.

Thank you for bringing back memories to this 43 year old Seattle native. It was great to hear the Pilots fight song again, I was able to attend about five games that year. I was at a game when the first step on the moon was taken, they stoped the game and played the radio broadcast for all to hear.
—ScottRRad

I lived in Seattle from 1966 to 1970, leaving at about the same time as the Pilots did. They were the first Major League team I ever followed, and I saw my first Major League games with my family at Sick's Seattle Stadium. Rich Rollins lived a few blocks from me, and there were two kids on my Little League team who lived next door to him. A good friend of mine in school, Jim O'Brien, had an uncle on the coaching staff. It was a lot of fun that season while they were in Seattle. I sure wish my mother hadn't thrown away all of my game programs and other items. About 10 years later, after I got out of college, a roommate of mine had a Seattle Pilots cap. He kept it hidden in his room for fear that I might swipe it. I'm anxious to see your book, as I never understood why the Pilots left. As I recall, their home game attendance, while not strong, was not the worst in the league, or even the AL West.
—john.thorsen

I'm looking at your web site of the Seattle Pilots and it brings back alot of memoreies when I was a kid. In 1969, I saw the Seattle Pilots play at Fenway Park in Boston. I believe the game was in August and the score was 5-4, Red Sox. I remember one play in which a Pilot (Tommy Harper I believe) got called out at first base and good old Joe Schultz came running across the field in got into one heck of a fight with the umpire. That day, I was rooting for the Pilots and was sad that they lost, I wished the Pilots had stayed in Seattle. I now root for the Yankees (I know that would make Bouton happy). The game is not the same as it was in the summer of '69 when I was a kid rooting for the Pilots. By the way I have read "Ball Four" 12 times and enjoy it every time. I know this sounds crazy but I am still a Pilots fan and will always be one. Baseball should remember the Pilots this year at the All-Star Game and remind people where Major League baseball started in Seattle.
—yankee1

NOTE FROM MIKE: The game to which yankee1 refers took place on August 7, 1969.

I found your site about the Pilots through a magazine...and I'm glad I did...the page is awesome! I was a wee lad in 1969, but I remember the Pilots very well. I also remember them being in my '69 version of Strat-O-Matic baseball...remember that? Anyway, I'll write later and kick around some more things with you. For now, I just want to say thank you for bringing back some baseball memories from long ago.
—petrowski