An insider's look at baseball's unwritten rules, explained with
examples from the game's most fascinating characters and wildest
historical moments.
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.
