A review by tommyhousworth
The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime by Michael Duca, Jason Turbow

5.0

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 intentionally hurt a competitor without tipping your hand, how much you can haze a rookie, and how far you should go to protect a teammate, on and off the field. There's the semi-formality of the 'kangaroo court' that players hold in the clubhouse to keep players in line, and the practical jokes that keep the road interesting.

Nolan Ryan, Carlton Fisk, Ricky Henderson, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Dusty Baker, Tommy Lasorda, Pete Rose, Goose Gossage, Mo Vaughn, George Foster, and many more of baseball's more colorful personalities are chronicled here.

I will say, if you read this book, you'll never look at baseball quite the same way again. You'll understand a lot of the unspoken politics playing out on the field and view them with a new appreciation, or disparagement.

It's well written, well organized, and features plenty of anecdotes to illustrate the codes. I highly recommend it for baseball fans. It's the same kind of inside scoop we felt like we were getting when we saw "Bull Durham" for the first time. The book lets you inside the game, warts and all.