Dubbed "Warm-Up Bouton" in high school because he never got to play in a game, Jim Bouton continues to show people everywhere the power of persistence and working toward a dream.

The retired Major League Baseball pitcher is known for many successes in his lifetime, including

• 21 wins in the 1963 season for the New York Yankees,
• a miraculous baseball comeback at age 39 in 1978 with the Atlanta Braves,
• the invention of Big League Chew - a bubble gum alternative to chewing tobacco - and
• a tell-all book entitled Ball Four.

Bouton's funny, controversial, best seller gave an inside look at Major League players' lives. The New York Public Library named it as one of the best "Books of the (20th) Century." Its latest update, Ball Four: The Final Pitch, now is available with new information that is entertaining another generation of readers.

Bouton's other career successes include creating, writing, and acting in his own television series and a starring role in Robert Altman's film, The Long Goodbye.

Perhaps his most successful business venture, Big League Chew -- created with fellow Minor League Baseball player Rob Nelson, netted an impressive $18 million in 1980, its first year of production, and continues to be a huge seller, especially among high school and college baseball teams.

Much of this former benchwarmer's time is spent these days entertaining audiences with his anecdotes, insights and inspiration. Join him for a discussion on "Beating the Odds."