"I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad" - First 1st EditionThe book is unusual in that Bouton fully acknowledges that he didn't write much of it, nor did he do the research. Reporter Neil Offen was hired by Bouton to research the material, and he and Bouton made the selections themselves. Bouton's candor in crediting Offen is much like his style of writing in Ball Four. The book is also unusual in how it lampoons the publishing industry. Bouton writes that the book existed solely because Playboy Press thought