The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime
Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. All aspects of baseball—hitting, pitching, and baserunning—are affected by the Code, a set of unwritten rules that governs the Major League game. Some of these rules are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), while others are known only to a minority of players (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining.
At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field.
With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan.
Reviews (162)
Too grown-up for a 9 year old
Since I could not review what was inside the book, I took a chance and bought it for my 9 year old grandson who LOVES baseball. Unfortunately, it is written for an adult. So I guess my son will get it for his birthday :)
Behind the scenes
There are quite often unwritten guidelines for behavior for groups whether it be military, sports, or any such organizations. Often these unwritten rules carry more weight than the written ones. This book gets into many, but I'm sure not all, of baseball's unwritten codes and the influence they have over batters, pitchers, fielders, managers, or in relation to rookie and veteran players. Bean balls, pine tar, doctored balls, bats, and gloves are all covered. Trick plays. Practical jokes. Rookie hazing. Brawls and having someone's back. It's own version of "omerta" that includes marital infidelities. Some of the examples of these codes date back to the beginnings of baseball while other are from recent times. Names are named. The book is entertaining and enlightening. A must for any baseball fan? Maybe. Maybe not. But a fun read anyway.
absorbing, funny behind the scenes look at the national pastime
If you're a baseball fan (and even if you aren't), you probably wonder what goes on behind the scenes. In this funny, absorbing book, Jason Turbow tells you all about what goes on behind the scenes in our national pastime, particularly as to the baseball code, the unwritten "rules" of the game. The code has changed over time and no one is supposed to talk about it to other players, but, in general, the code boils down to respecting one's colleagues. Ballplayers who dig in too much in the batters box, who admire the home runs they've just hit, or who violate any of the myriad parts of "the code" will soon understand the error of their ways as the other team, or perhaps their own teammates, will do something to let them know where they've gone wrong. Turbow provides a lot of stories from the distant and the recent past to illustrate his points. This was a baseball book I simply could not put down. Cheating, sign stealing, doctoring the baseball with a foreign substance, and other such things are also covered, as is the "kangaroo court" whereby teams enforce their standards on their teammates. If a player does something stupid, his wallet will be a bit lighter, once the kangaroo court is through with him. I'm a long-time fan and an old school sort of person so this book really resonates with me. I absolutely loved and learned a whole lot about the game I love so much. Highly, highly recommended!! One of the best baseball books I've read in a long time and I read at least a dozen of them per year.
Great book on baseball's unwritten rules
The authors have recorded a great bunch of baseball stories based on the theme of the unwritten rules that players of a sport follow. Most of the stories I have never heard, though I am a long-time fan of baseball with a collection of 1955 Brooklyn Dodger cards and dozens of my hero, Willie Mays. Baseball has a pace all its own and it makes it more enjoyable when you know more about it. I think for a non-fan this book would be mostly puzzling and difficult to understand. And even for a fan, I found parts repetitious and the middle rather slow. (That's why I gave it 4 stars.) But how can you not love stories of the pranks these guys play on each other, especially when they involve some of your favorite players. Some of the stories are so funny that they had people looking at me oddly as I tried to keep from busting out laughing while reading this book in public. And if you have a family member or friend that is interested in baseball, you can't go wrong with this book. 4 stars.
Amazing Insight of the Game
I brought the book with me to Camelback Ranch near Phoenix AZ where I watched a number of Dodger spring training games. I live about 7 hours drive away in So. CA. As my 23 yr. old son was driving, I commented to him, and quite sincerely, "I've learned more about the game of baseball in the first 48 pages of this book than I learned in my whole life." May I mention that I'm in my 60's and watched the Dodgers play at the LA Coliseum before they even built Dodger Stadium. I consider[ed] myself a student of the game. I was wrong, not to mention naive. There are three chapters that more or less deal with the cheating that goes on in the game, from corked bats, doctored balls to stealing signs. What's more interesting is the seeming acceptance of anything you can "get away with" in the game. That's why the atmosphere was so conducive to the steroid era. My advice to fellow baseball fans: buy it, borrow it or "steal" it (if you can get away with it).
GREAT FOR VERY SERIOUS BASEBALL FANS!
My husband is quite a baseball aficionado, so I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for him last year. Because he's such a huge fan (not only has he watched and gone to as many games as possible since he was a young boy, he also played Little League for 8 years, and coached for more than 20 years so far), it's hard sometimes to find books that offer something different or new that he hasn't already read a thousand times. This book had a lot of interesting tidbits and stories he hadn't read about before, so he really enjoyed it. My 14 year old son enjoyed it as well. I would recommend this to all truly devoted baseball fans.
Great Subject, well covered
I always curious about alot of the unwritten things that go on in MLB, and this books covers alot of territory. So its a good read. However I wish it went into more details about some of the subjects it covers. After reading the book I was amazed that after a pitcher purposely throws a 92 mph fastball at some batters head, that some of the fights did not carry over into the parking lot after the game. Best part of the book was when one batter went up to the pitcher, before his at bat and said if you throw that at me, you're a dead man, lol.... Throwing at a hitter may be part of the game, but you would think throwing at a guys HEAD, on purpose would be criminal assult.
Play ball!
Too many highlights to mention, but the best was probably Tommy Lasorda's "r-rated" yanking of a pitcher who couldn't just hand the ball to the manager and walk off the mound. Soccer is indeed the "beautiful game" while baseball is the lovely game with so many hidden things some of which this book covers quite well. New fans and longtime fans will both have things to take away from the book. The audio version is also very good.
Lots of fun
To really enjoy baseball, you have to understand all the nuances. Recently a friend of mine dismissed baseball as "boring." Well, yes, if you don't fully comprehend the game, it can be dull, I admit. But if you attend and watch a lot of games, as I do, you know there's a lot more going on than what they show on TV. There has never been a commercial times out in baseball, and there is always something going on, even between innings when the pitcher is warming up. Once the ball is in play, deverything is wide open. This book helps you read between the lines.
There's Always Something New
When it comes to baseball, I've done it all: played, coached, announced, compiled stats, scouted, ushered, and even sold beer. On most occasions, I figured I've learned just about everything there is to the game. Until I read "The Baseball Codes". While not a literary masterpiece, TBC wonderfully held my attention throughout all of its 200+ pages. Every chapter had tidbits, insights, and anecdotes about the game that could only have been relayed by a skilled and enthusiastic author such as Mr. Turbow. How many fans know that: 1) It's often the pitcher who gives signs, not the catcher. 2) Carlton Fisk had a career-long routine about where he sat in every team plane and bus. 3) One of baseball's brawniest players was scorned for not participating in brawls. 4) Bob Feller used WWII technology to steal signs after he came home from combat in the Pacific. Mr. Turbow relates each of these and many, many more. The last few pages of TBC are about Rex "Hurricane" Hudler. A hustling, free-spirited utility man, Hudler's last career at-bat makes for a perfect ending for Mr. Turbow's classic. Regardless of what happened when that last pitch came toward Hudler (I won't reveal it here), he upheld the unwritten rules have made baseball and this book so unique.
Comments
Post a Comment