The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of A...
Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. What truly governs t...
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Jan 24, 2012
Steve
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This is a quick, fun read. I have never understood the unwritten codes of baseball and I guess I still don't. But they exist nonetheless. The book at length discusses my least favorite unwritten code--that when a team has a lead that the other team thinks is "too much" the winning team should stop trying. As a recent player on an adult softball team that regulary lost games by scores like 35-4 and 28-3, I can kind of empathize. But I still don't really support the unwritten rule. T
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Nov 05, 2011
Lisa
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The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime alternately entertained, educated and enraged me. I love that authors Jason Turbow and Michael Duca were not afraid to name names. They told some great stories about some of the great rivalries in baseball — not just between teams, but between players. They explain the rules — the unwritten codes that players learn in the dugout and in the clubhouse. Some of these rules are black and
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Oct 15, 2011
Kristen
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The book on the "unwritten" rules of baseball is a fun, easy read. It is split into four sections and I found some sections I really liked and some I just skimmed.
The first section is on the field and covers things like when to slide, when to steal, running into the catcher, etc. I found most of this I had already known just from listening to announcers who were formerly players (here in AZ Bob Brenley and Mark Grace, both interviewed for this book, have been broadcasters w More...
The first section is on the field and covers things like when to slide, when to steal, running into the catcher, etc. I found most of this I had already known just from listening to announcers who were formerly players (here in AZ Bob Brenley and Mark Grace, both interviewed for this book, have been broadcasters w More...
Sep 25, 2010
Stuart
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I happen to love baseball and I like the "inner game." I'll sit up close and watch the infield make slight adjustments for every batter, the expression on the face of the pitcher as he watches the signs, etc. At face value, I should love a book like this, but the reality is that this book is boring and probably makes the casual reader think that if these stories are as good as it gets, there is no need to ever attend a ballgame.
This is a hodge-podge of a book organized ar More...
This is a hodge-podge of a book organized ar More...
May 22, 2010
Matt
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A fun, quick summer read about major league baseball culture.
Turbow interviewed a whole lot of former and current big leaguers to put together this very solid overview of everything from the etiquette of hitting a batter to the hazing of rookies to the acceptance of cheating. Frequently we read about a pitcher getting caught with a foreign substance on his glove or a hitter getting criticized for trying to break up a no-hitter by bunting. This book is probably the most complete refer More...
Turbow interviewed a whole lot of former and current big leaguers to put together this very solid overview of everything from the etiquette of hitting a batter to the hazing of rookies to the acceptance of cheating. Frequently we read about a pitcher getting caught with a foreign substance on his glove or a hitter getting criticized for trying to break up a no-hitter by bunting. This book is probably the most complete refer More...
Apr 11, 2010
jeremy
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baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, can appear deceptively simple to the outsider or casual fan. it is, however, a richly nuanced game governed for more than a century as much by the written rulebook as by a constantly evolving tacit philosophy referred to as "the code." the code concerns itself with nearly every aspect of the game and can be considered baseball's moral compass, in place to engender loyalty not only to one's teammates, but also to the game itself.
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Jul 28, 2011
A very entertaining read. Every wonder why brawls start, the "right" way to take out the shortstop at second base (or the catcher at home), or the unwritten rules around "doctoring" the baseball? This book has this and a lot more. Our best friends live next door to the author, so I got a surprise, signed copy of this book for my birthday. Thank goodness. I probably would have never read it otherwise since I have mostly given up on baseball. This book tests that "g
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Apr 24, 2011
For better or worse, this book chronicles the unwritten mores of baseball's past rather than baseball's present. Even during my early days as a baseball fan, Carlton Fisk and Nolan Ryan were considered antediluvian for their adherence to the old definitions of "respecting the game". Nowadays that phrase doesn't mean brushing back aggressive hitters, blocking plays at the plate, and not running up the score... it means not doing anything that might injure the other team's star player,
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Jan 17, 2012
Ben
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Jason Turbow does a great job of detailing the inner-culture of professional baseball with his book The Baseball Codes. A great book for baseball lovers or the casual fan, The Baseball Codes tries to explain why major leaguers act the way they do.
A majority of the book focuses on beanballs. Why do pitchers throw them? What is the code for retaliation? What warrents being thrown at? Turbow also discusses sign stealing, bench-clearing brawls, clubhouse rules, and general baseball etiquette.
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A majority of the book focuses on beanballs. Why do pitchers throw them? What is the code for retaliation? What warrents being thrown at? Turbow also discusses sign stealing, bench-clearing brawls, clubhouse rules, and general baseball etiquette.
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Jul 31, 2010
Malcolm
rated it:
If you are a more-than-casual baseball fan, you watch the game with the belief that you know the game. You feel confident in your understanding of fundamentals of the game, knowing the motives behind the action on the field. But if you see a player steal second base in a hopelessly lopsided game and then in the next inning you see that same player limping to first base after being hit in the ribs by the pitcher, the dots don’t necessarily connect. That is because the guys in the broadcast booth
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Jan 26, 2011
Hilary
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Turbow and Dura take readers behind the scenes of the Great American Pastime and explain the unwritten rules of baseball through dozens of anecdotes from the earliest days of baseball through contemporary games. While some of the tenets -- “never talk to a pitcher during a no-hitter” and “what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse” -- are familiar to baseball fans, others will be new to most readers.
Entertaining, insightful, and engaging, this well-researched and comprehen More...
Entertaining, insightful, and engaging, this well-researched and comprehen More...
Mar 18, 2011
Tommy
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I learned a lot about the unspoken rules of Major League Baseball from this book. You might think of "The Code" as hallowed etiquette understood amongst most players in The Show. It's about knowing when not to show up the other team, knowing how to appropriately intimidate another player, when to throw at a batter, what you can and cannot say to a manager or veteran player. It's understanding how and when to cheat, and honoring superstitions. It's knowing how much you can intention
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Jul 13, 2010
Bethany
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3.5 stars
In The Baseball Codes, author Jason Turbow explains the unwritten rules of baseball using examples from the early days of baseball through the modern era. He shares engaging stories that illustrate the rules for the reader and describes the consequences of players and teams who neglect to follow the rules. Fans of baseball will be familiar with some parts of the code such as the rule prohibiting other players from talking to the pitcher when he’s throwing a no hitter, but More...
In The Baseball Codes, author Jason Turbow explains the unwritten rules of baseball using examples from the early days of baseball through the modern era. He shares engaging stories that illustrate the rules for the reader and describes the consequences of players and teams who neglect to follow the rules. Fans of baseball will be familiar with some parts of the code such as the rule prohibiting other players from talking to the pitcher when he’s throwing a no hitter, but More...
Aug 20, 2011
Mick
rated it:
Having what some may consider an unnatural affinity for the Atlanta Braves (hey, growing up in Iowa in the 70's & 80's with the beginning of cable TV, we had two choices: the Cubs or the Braves. I think I made the correct choice...), I was thoroughly pleased to see them represented prominently in this fascinating take on Major League Baseball. In fact, they were involved in what many to believe the fiercest brawl in baseball history (against the SD Padres) back in the early 80's, which gets cons
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May 20, 2010
Rich
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An entertaining and often insightful glance into baseball's sometimes ambiguous moral universe. While some of the codes--never talking to a pitcher during a no-hitter, what happens in the clubhouse STAYS in the clubhouse--are still firmly in place and rarely disputed, others, like when stealing becomes a matter of rubbing it in or when it's appropriate to give a hitter a "bowtie" with an inside fastball are constantly up for debate. Players from those in the HOF to the many dusted of
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May 16, 2010
Suzanne
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Well, it's summer and time for some baseball and this book is just all about the wacky stuff grown men impose on themselves and their playmates in the interests of playing this game. Have not finished this book but it seems to me that the pitchers are the "Wild Men" and control just about everyone plays and their attitudes. In describing the differences between 'brushbacks' - a pitch too close to the batter but does not hit the batter but does move him back out of the batter's box -
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Aug 26, 2011
Jonathan
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A collection of anecdotes is used to illustrate some of the unwritten rules that have governed baseball players over the decades. The book is very well researched and reported and the various tales are told in a breezy, entertaining style. This is a fun and informative read for any baseball fan.
The only real misstep is the brief section on the impact of money and free agency on "the Code" and on respect for the game itself. While there doubtless has been an impact, and th More...
The only real misstep is the brief section on the impact of money and free agency on "the Code" and on respect for the game itself. While there doubtless has been an impact, and th More...
Jun 16, 2010
Meghan
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A book for fans. The appeal is in the excellent amount of examples and anecdotes that the authors have pulled together. The research and interviews must have been exhaustive, or at least they feel like they are; it's hard of course to be definitive about an unwritten rule but they do a pretty good job backing up all of their theses. Eventually the rules kind of blend together in one big mush labeled Respect the Game; Expect Retaliation if You Don't. But the specifics are catnip and I read a coup
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May 23, 2011
Chris
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A collection of anecdotes explaining the unwritten rules of professional baseball which can seem quite infantile and, when acted upon, can be quite dangerous. A quick summation is: a beanball is delivered as justice for any perceived slight. There are a few stories that, since no one got hurt, were quite funny. One involved Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis, who is also famous for pitching a no-hitter on LSD (find that story on youtube). Ellis, upset that his team had begun the season playin
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Aug 23, 2010
Leslie
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Turbow's examination - expose isn't quite the right word for this thoughtful but hardly shocking book - gives baseball fans from newbies to the obsessed a rich look at the unspoken Code that governs the sport. Entertaining and informative, even the most devoted followers of the boys of summer can enjoy The Baseball Codes as it weaves baseball history and current stories into a cogent explanation of how the Code came to be and how it is evolving.
Read-alikes include Dickson's The Unw More...
Read-alikes include Dickson's The Unw More...
Apr 08, 2010
Heather C.
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I can't even imagine the research done and the hours of reels watched to make this book. The 'codes' are the unwritten rules that baseball players abide by. Don't steal bases when your team has big lead; if you pump your fists and gleefully watch your home run sail over the fence, expect to get drilled by the pitcher at your next at-bat. Those kinds of things. But the author doesn't just tell about them, he illustrates them with hundreds of specific examples, complete with names, dates and game/
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Jul 27, 2011
Ed
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Top-story baseball book, ranking up there with Ball Four. Jason Turbow looks at the cheating, pranks, rookie hazing, kangaroo courts, and the whole shebang. He uses lots of MLB players and relates their anecdotes. What I got from the book was baseball is played a certain right way, and "THE CODE" is what makes it the great game it is. I recognized many of the names like my all-time favorite pitcher, Dick Bosman, and the casual fan might not enjoy the detailed narrative as much as I did
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Oct 06, 2011
Chuck
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This would be a difficult book to read unless you are a die hard baseball fan. The inner workings of the clubhouse, the unwritten rules of baseball behavior are not only explained, but are done with a love of the game and a sense of humor that had me regularly laughing out loud. My wife suspected that I was reading a Larry the cable man novel. Turbow obviously conducted hundreds of interviews to resource this book which covers a period from the late 1900's through the present day. The real benef
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May 22, 2011
Jeremy
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The First Rule of the Code is don't talk about the Code. The Second Rule of the Code is don't talk about the Code...at least that seems to be the case as the author tries to patchwork together disparate anecdotes and "drinkin' stories" of the idiosyncrasies of America's pasttime. The major takeaway from the book is that baseball has changed-- it's not the same game it was a generation ago, as evidenced by the focus on stories from the past of adherence to a shifting, vague, and often
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Jun 24, 2010
Hilary
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I wouldn't say this one features any great writing, but it's still an entertaining read, full of funny, interesting baseball anecdotes. The 'codes' covered here range from sign stealing shenanigans to the etiquette of bunting for a base hit late in a game where your team is getting no-hit. I loved one story about the scorekeeper at Wrigley overhearing a Cubbie (not knowing who he was) joking about his weight; the scorekeeper proceeded to enact his revenge for the rest of the season, by scoring
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Aug 17, 2011
Crysta
rated it: 
I love sports, in general, and baseball in particular. I grew up watching the game, at the Richmond Diamond for minor league battles, on TV at home and in college, and in some of my favorite stadiums (Three Rivers, Camden, and good ol' Safeco). I was sure I would love this book. But, unfortunately, four chapters in I realized that the secret codes of baseball are all about perpetrating violence on the other teams, or avenging the violence perpetrated on your own teammate with other forms of viol
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Jun 21, 2010
Warren
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Mostly re-hashed stories I've read before in other, better baseball books. There are a couple winners, and overall it's a breezy read, but the middle section bogs down in less-interesting topics like sign stealing.
The real downfall of the book is that it focuses too much on players from 40 years ago, whose names aren't even memorable to baseball zealots like myself. The stories about Nolan Ryan, Rick Sutcliffe, Mark Grace, Carlton Fisk, Jack McDowell, et al are great, but too few and More...
The real downfall of the book is that it focuses too much on players from 40 years ago, whose names aren't even memorable to baseball zealots like myself. The stories about Nolan Ryan, Rick Sutcliffe, Mark Grace, Carlton Fisk, Jack McDowell, et al are great, but too few and More...
Apr 22, 2011
Anne
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I grew up as a Cardinals fan, in a family of Cardinals fans. Now, my husband and sons constantly play, talk and watch baseball from Spring Training through the World Series. They've even been known to watch the occasional historical game on the Sports History network during the off season. My problem is that I've never quite understood the occasional brawl or the pitch that intentionally hits the batter. So, when I saw this book, I thought I might finally "get it".
If Turbow More...
If Turbow More...
Sep 30, 2010
Jedishampoo
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This book seemed decently well organized, had lots of secrets and lots of great anecdotes. This is my first book about this genre and I loved reading things I'd always suspected about baseball. The author was a so-so writer and relied a little too heavily on epithets when telling his stories, i.e. "the catcher," "the right-hander," etc, so I sometimes lost track of who was doing what, but I enjoyed the stories nonetheless. Nolan Ryan sounds like a trip and a half, seriously.
Sep 06, 2011
Wendy
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This is my second non-fiction baseball book of the year (the first being Moneyball by the inimitable Michael Lewis) - oh dear. A fun read, though if you are not conversant in baseball lore, you may be like me and have to read the sentences multiple times to unspool them correctly. Rather reminded me of some law school tomes at times! An interesting way to look at America's pastime, and you'll be bugging other people to share some of these fascinating stories.
