The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Baseball players, Baseball fans or someone wanting to understand a different aspect of the wonderful game should make this a must read. Very well written, with an oral history style of baseball stories to illuminate the unwritten rules. If I were a baseball coach, this would be required reading. Heck, it should be required reading for empire schools.

My grandson who is sixteen is into baseball, so it was a fun book for him to read.

This is a great baseball book that I wish every player in the younger generations would read. Enjoyable and easy to read - quite funny at times, too

This is easily one of the best baseball books I've read in recent years. Completely original with in depth discussions of all the unwritten rules of baseball we've heard about for years. If you've followed baseball for anytime at all this will be a trip down memory lane. So many incidents that I had forgottten about over the years (and many I never knew about) are explained with the story behind the story. Remember Jeffrey Leonard's flap down home run trot? Here you'll find the back story about what led to it. There are dozens of fascinating stories like this throughout and if you even just 'like' baseball you'll love this book.

Fun read if you love baseball. Wish it was more up to date but still a lot of entertaining stories I had never heard before.

I really loved this book. It had a lot of nuisances that I was unaware of. The author also had a lot of great stories that I found entertaining. It gave me a better understanding of baseball. I loved it so much that I bought 4 copies for my son's baseball coaches. An added bonus is signing up for Jason Turbow's blog. Everyonce in a while I will get an email. The blog talks about the code in recent games. If you are a baseball fan I think you will like this book a great deal. Even former players have mentioned to me that it is a good read.

As a kid I was never really into baseball. I never watched it, and I didn't play little league or anything. As an adult, however, I decided I wanted to get a little more into it. Its never good to let all your coworkers and friends know you're completely clueless about stuff you should have learned in grade school, so I picked up this book and "Watching Baseball Smarter" by Zack Hample. This was the first of the two books I pulled out of the amazon box, so I read it first. So take this review for what it is, someone with very little understanding of the sport trying to learn about it as a 32 year old who hasn't been to a MLB ballpark since probably 1992. The first time I ever heard about them was when I watched an umpire walk up to the pitcher to talk to him during an MLB game. I asked the guy sitting next to me watching the game what was up. He told me that it was an unwritten rule that if the pitcher accidentally hits the catcher the ump will walk up to the pitcher and back as a courtesy recovery time. And if the ump gets hit the catcher goes and does that same. He mentioned it as one of the unwritten rules. Being curious about the subject I came across this book. After having read it I certainly understand a little more of the various things to look for. I also happen to love mysteries, so now I have things I can try to figure out. For example if a pitcher beans a guy, I can watch the rest of the game to see if there is going to be a retaliation, and try to figure out the reasons for it. Or I can go back and read about the last time these 2 teams, or players, met and what happened that may have started animosity. Its got some great stories by players about cheating and getting caught, cheating and getting away with it, being the clubhouse spy, stealing signs and the elaborate ways players and managers go about doing it (burying electronic devices to give clues to the manager through vibrations in the ground where he's standing?!). All in all I'm happy with it. I was able to learn a lot even though I don't know much about the sport. Its certainly making me understand the depth of the game which is not apparent on the surface.

The beauty of the game and it’s unwritten etiquette. Something the game is cleansing itself of making this a bit of a historical record you and your little leaguer should know. An important part of the games nuance.

This is an interesting book, and there are some wonderful insights into baseball's unwritten rules. A few of the stories are hilarious, but the writing is not all that engaging. It's good, but it wasn't one of those books I couldn't put down such as Boys in the Boat.

I love this. I love this.

A fun book that goes into the unwritten rules of baseball. For example, don't show up a pitcher, esp if you aren't a superstar. Or, retribution should be swift (but it is more entertaining if the revenge is years late). Its full of the sort of stories that a good color guy will tell during a game. I've even heard a few of them myself over the years. The writing is better than average for a sports book and is altogether enjoyable.

I gave it to my son for Christmas and he loves it! Great baseball book for any fan.

This is a great book. It's fascinating to read about "behind the scenes," so to speak. But I warn you, after you read this book, you will never look at baseball the same way again. Every time a pitcher hits or brushes back a batter, you'll be wondering what the payback is for. If a runner steals a base when his team is leading 9-2, you'll be watching for the payback. You'll be looking to see who's pitching in front of the pitcher's mound and where he's hiding the pine tar. And how is each team relaying the stolen pitch sign to the batter? You'll be looking at the field to see what the grounds crew may have done to make it more difficult for the opponents to hit or field or pitch. Call me naive, but I thought baseball was all about the game. This book suggests it's all about what you can get away with; or not. On another note, this book is an easy read, and I love all the anecdotes, but the authors tend to discuss one topic five different times. That's not egregious at all, but it would have made the book better organized (and a little shorter) if they had covered a topic completely and then just moved on.

I'm a lifelong baseball fan and enjoyed reading this book. It offered some new insights, but the majority of "the codes" were not big news. But there were so many new and entertaining stories about players interpreting and enforcing "the codes," that I found myself smiling and laughing frequently as I read them. I thought that it was worth the money to purchase and the time invested in reading.

The author delivers exactly what he promises...stories that relate to the many unwritten codes of major league baseball. If you're a fan of the game, you'll love this book. At times intense, the stories are also often funny, and they range from the early days of the major leagues all the way to stories from just a year ago. As my title says - this is a light read and you'll fly through it. Completely enjoyable.

I was somewhat disappointed by the layout of this book. It goes over all the different secret codes of baseball, but its not in a very cohesive or comprehensive manner.

Great book

Found this to be an interesting read as a baseball fan. The unwritten rules seem to be the way the players sort of police themselves and protect the integrity of the game. There are many aspects to them that the casual fan may never have thought of. Now when watching a game in the future and seeing a player moved off the plate or taking out an infielder with an aggressive slide, I can maybe discern the bigger picture of what is going on.

Now I finally understand what the signal are...... So cool

Book was not age appropriate so I returned it Ups decided to deliver it again Seller needs to contact me

There was little new information in this book, although I was reminded of incidents that had occurred years ago. The style is easy and the names are all familiar. I just thought there could have been a little more mining of the subject matter. Still, I'd recommend the book to any baseball enthusiast.

Gift for a friend. Lots of interesting often little known information for the ardent baseball fan.

I stumbled upon this book by accident as I was looking for something to read on a trip. It is one of the best baseball books I have read to date. If you enjoyed The Cheater's Guide to Baseball then you will defenitely enjoy this one. It adds an extra layer of knowledge about the game that helps you understand what you are seeing at the ball park.

Everyone who is a fan at any level should read it to enhance their knowledge and enjoyment of the game.

Purchased as a gift for a baseball fanatic, and he loved it. Like other reviewers mentioned, he told me there was a lot of content in the book that he didn't previously know.

Explains about many of the unwritten rules, just as promised. Offers many stories and incidents, some of them dating way, way back. They are mostly interesting, sometimes very interesting. But at times this seems a little repetitive. It's the kind of book that is nice to pick up for a few minutes at a time. If you are a baseball fan, chances are you will enjoy this.

I have witnessed retaliation on the high school interscholastic level. Did they learn this from the pros? Is this something to be teaching kids? The book sure explains a lot of what goes on in MLB. It adds a dimension to watching a game.

Good book for the baseball fan, lots of inside knowledge and some belly laughs. Baseball still is America's game and learning or relearning what is in this book helps.

Can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this book ! Any baseball fan will love it. It gives us a inside view on how the game is played, that the average fan doesn't know about. It puts names to all stories and talks about brawls, brushback pitches and fooling around in the locker room. I've read a lot of baseball books in my lifetime but have not read one as enjoyable as this one. I highly recommend !!!

Not quite what I thought it would be but I still like it.

very interesting book.

Great book for any baseball lover. I knew a lot of what was presented but the stories and anecdotes were a pleasure to read.

Very funny book and audio book.

Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author begins with an excellent, descriptive account of Nolan Ryan's bongo-playing performance on Robin Ventura's head. And from there the book never really takes a breather. There are no uninteresting parts, as far as I could tell. Very good job.

This book was a gifr for my son's birthday and he loved it. The description said slightly used, but it looked brand new to me. No rips or smudges. The book looked like it was never even opened. Great seller and fast delivery.

Very good book that brought back many memories! I enjoyed it thoroughly!

A very good read for any serious baseball fan. A lot of the stories are episodes I recall from my youth and was fun reliving them. Recommended read.

Really enjoyed the stories. Most fans will know a majority of the codes and how they work but the sotries of actual on filed examples and how the players felt and reacted was interesting.

Just finished this book and it is full of history and baseball anecdotes for the casual or more serious baseball fans. I'm not sure if it would rivet those with only a passing interest in the sport, but I'd recommend it for the baseball lover.

Very interesting. Inside info about baseball. I especially liked the sign stealing data and I will really be paying more attention to the actions of the players and coaches at the next ball game I attend.

This was a gift and I hope he loved it !

Decent book, some interesting stuff.

My godson received this book as a Christmas present and enjoyed reading it. It was nice to see him reading an old school book while giving the electronic gadgets a break.

Very informative for baseball fans.

Glorious

It's definitely not a fast read. It gets repetitive, but some of the stories are funny.

Love this one. Plain language, and a very interesting look behind the game within the game. We may never understand the full meaning of...constant cup adjustments, but still....

GREAT!!!

If you are a baseball fan, you will greatly enjoy learning about unwritten rules of major league baseball. I was laughing out loud after reading some of the stories.

Great Book for the old-school ball player! I couldn't put it down from start to finish!! I mean this is just a great book written on the code of the game

For my baseball playing 13 yr old grandson.

Funny, insiders look at what really goes on during a baseball game.

Super

Recipient loved it

My grandson liked the book....he loves anything baseball!

I am a novice to base ball. Good book, but I wondered how many younger players and stars know or practice these codes.

I knew much of this but it was still enjoyable light reading

If you are a baseball fan then you need to read this book. So many great players with so many great stories. Every page was fun.

Good book for baseball fans and fantasy/sports simulated gamers. The baseball aspect is enjoyable but the author deiviates and goes off on very surreal tangents with the main character that makes it hard to read. All in all, it's a good read.

Bought this for my husband and he hasn't put it down yet. He is a big baseball fan, coach and instructor and he loves this book.

great

This book will fascinate any baseball lover. The book is written using lots of anecdotes and player interviews. A must read for anyone who ever wondered what the players did behind what you can see on the field.

I love the premise of the book but much of the information I pretty much knew beforehand. I follow baseball closely so maybe that makes me an exception to the majority of the book's audience. I'm not sure but I didn't gain as much as I was hoping. The overall tone and style is very engaging, so if you're somewhat light on the inside workings of the ballplayers, then this is a great book to read.

A fun read!

Best baseball book I have read.

Learned a lot, even as old (77) fan of the game. Read a library copy, and bought one for my son who plays senior BB and my grandson who plays at a Community college. Another grandson will be a LHP in the majors some day, will need to know these things.

Great Book!!!

Constantly trying to read the signs

As a baseball aficionado, this was right up my alley. It was informative, insightful and explained much that I did not know. Great book.

Anybody who loves and understands baseball will enjoy this book!

greast book

The auther showed me a view of base ball, Inever new existed. You feel you are inside the game Base ball vwas never one of my favorite sports. Turbow gave me an entirely different view of the game. Great reading. Marvpapa i might add Amazon made me happy I purchased the book thru them. M.T

I enjoyed this book as it provides interesting commentary on the inside dealings of baseball and the way players think.

I like reading about the unwritten codes in baseball. I had heard and taught about some as a high school coach. Very interesting to read about the codes and the actually happening about the codes in the major leagues.

Well written and very entertaining.

Great stories of how baseball was played in my generation. Kids now days are too soft and intimidation is very limited on the high school level. Great baseball players are much tougher mentally than people realize.

True Baseball fans will love

Unwritten codes and traditions we sometimes hear of piecemeal, but never compiled in one place. Most of the situations mentioned are fairly recent and memorable. Now we get the inside story.

The game within the game..

This book is very well written. Love the author's use of examples to show the code in action. Highly recommend.

A good look into what goes on 'on the field' and 'off the field' that you may not realize. If you're a baseball fan, it's definitely an enjoyable read.

Like baseball read this book

Very interesting and entertaining. Perfect for my age as I knew the players referenced in most of the examples.

Very fun read.

Very interesting!

Fun read. In a day and age where finding time for the unimportant but fun thins in life, this book is worth the few hours it takes. You won't regret it.

This book gives you some insight into the Baseball Codes. I probably have more than average baseball knowledge thus this book was kind of just reiterating what I already knew. The stories behind the famous fights was good. Overall, just an average book to me.

The print is microscopic! My eyes aren't that bad, I wear 1.25 readers and I still can't see the words. Disappointed because I wanted to read this over the summer on the beach but when I opened it no way! I'm going to buy the kindle edition because the book sounds interesting.

This is a great book for the baseball lover! Great stories and a glimpse into the world of professional baseball etiquette. A must read. Makes a great father's day gift.

I got about halfway through the book and lost interest/ got busy with work. I would still recommend it to the casual baseball fan. Written well with some interesting history.

For a diehard baseball fan, this is a very interesting topic. The author talked to hundreds of baseball insiders for perspectives and stories. Overall, it's a good read and covers the topic well. There are a handful of very intriguing stories and a few that make you laugh out loud. The book suffers in a couple of ways. First, the author doesn't do a good job of telling the reader about the relevant written rules of baseball (as opposed to his topic of the unwritten rules). There were several instances where a short description of what the rulebook says would have been helpful. Second, the book drags as times as the author seems compelled to recount 5 examples of a particular aspect of the game when two or three would do. If you like baseball a lot, the book will be enjoyable, but not one of the best ever.

Jason Turbow captures the reader's imagination. The 'Baseball Codes' reawakens stories dimly remembered now vibrantly reset in my BB memory banks. Neill Brownstein

Must read for the avid sports fan

One of the best insider books about the game ever. If you love baseball or just want to know more about the inner workings of the game it's a must, fun read.

Not as good as Don Zimmer book but it is informative. While it called baseball codes it refers to much to the code and I'm sure it's just a personal preference.

Much emphasis on when it's considered acceptable or even obligatory for a pitcher to throw at an oposing batter's head. A few other topics also included. It was interesting but I was expecting a broader scope.

Love it!

I recognized teams & player names that were referred to but as a casual baseball fan most of it was over my head. I didn't understand most of what was discussed which is why I gave three stars. I pretty much gave up and didn't finish reading it.

Great topic but the book moves a bit slow. Topic good. Writing could be better. A little Bay Area focused

I thought the book was okay. The parts I enjoyed could have been printed in a book half this size. There were too many stories and not enough of the real unwritten rules in my opinion.

Fun reading!

The book is very dry. It has its moments but they are few and far between. I'm still reading it and struggling to finish. I wouldn't recomend it to any true baseball fan.

Book was purchased as a gift for family member. The article arrived within the time frame and was of the condition listed in the for sale description. The article was adequately packaged to prevent damage during shipping.

Not as captivating as I anticipated. Can't put my finger on why. I think more use of real and historical examples might have helped. But still an interesting subject and information for the ardent baseball fan and students of the game.

This has been one the best books about baseball I've ever read.

This was highly rated by a friend, but I did not like it at all. Maybe it is my fault, but I am disappointed. Very repetitive.

Un written rules are a code that every player should live by.

started buying my own gifts and putting in the closet for my wife/kids to give me. thumbed through it real quick and it looked alright.....from playing, coaching, and watching baseball you pick up on a lot of these, but interested in finding some new ones, or getting the back story to where some of them may have started....post back after x-mas.....

The "unwritten rules" of baseball always seem to come up once in a while when confrontations occur over the course of a season, and people usually speak of them in a condescending way, and I admit that I do just that many times. What the authors do here is try to actually write down what is known as "unwritten," and while you still may not agree with many of the ideas encapsulated by the rules, I thought this book really did a good job of at least giving you some background information and insight into why and how the rules actually exist. This isn't just a list of unwritten rules. It is a list that also provides the reader with how and why these rules came to be, and how they have evolved throughout the history of the sport. Even if you think these rules are non-sensical, you should give this book a shot because at least you will learn about why they do exist, and I found the stories told by many of the players to be very insightful in at least helping you understand the reason for their existence.

The 'code' is a set of unwritten rules baseball players play by and enforce on the field. Most of the 'rules' are really about good sportsmanship. Pitchers are the primary enforcers, hitting batters to retaliate for infractions. Sometimes runners will be the enforcers, punishing vulnerable infielders with a hard slide. This book goes into great detail about those rules, but that's not why I read it. I read it because inside there are many examples of times the rules were enforced. I loved reading the old stories about players I remember. I think that's really what the book is about; the untold stories of the players we all remember (and a few we might not recognize). Turbow has done a great job telling those stories, making the book a fun read for me and I would recommend it for any baseball fan who is also a reader.

It's simple. How could a simple game of baseball be misunderstood? Hit the ball, score runs, three outs, 9 innings, and what else is new? But there are rules in baseballs, some of them are hidden and this great, detailed, humorous, entertaining book describes all the rules in baseball that every baseball fan will enjoy reading about. I chuckle at the idea that nowadays we can even challenge plays and have experts watching every move and can over throw the final decision on the playing field. This book is an excellent account of baseball rules that every fan would want to know about. Are rules made to be broken? I don't think so unless you want lots of chaos on the playing field. I strongly recommend every fan read this book , I give it five stars, and I'm Marvin P. Ferguson, author of Boys On The Gold Coast.

I can't say that I'm very impressed with all the unwritten rules of baseball and the childish attitudes of the grown men who play the game. Many are petty, immature, undisciplined, and vindictive. I watch baseball all the time and am appalled by the bench-clearing that I sometimes see. Now I know the pressures put on players to clear the benches, and it's a shame that grown men feel so compelled to to conform for fear of the wrath of the mean girls. I like the game and am glad that modern technology, including instant replay, and newly-instituted rules regarding sliding and blocking the plate can at least reduce much of the pettiness, brutality, and cheating that goes on in baseball. I wish they would suspend players for rushing the field and then financially penalize the principles in a scuffle. (And while they're at it, outlaw that unnecessary spitting, too!) By comparison, tennis is about the purest major sport I know. Lots of aggression but no physical contact, all your peers are your competitors, and even if your coach in the stands throws some signals to you, most people think the no-coach rule is dumb anyway. Fans boo bad behavior, and there's no spitting.

In baseball, as in life, there are the written rules and the unwritten rules. In major league baseball the unwritten rules are known as "the code." While I'd heard of "the code," it's even more complicated than I realized. As a lifelong baseball fan I found it valuable to understand how the game of baseball is actually played by major league players. Personally I would be annoyed having so many unwritten rules to try to understand, maintain and pass on to the next generation. Each rookie class was expected to learn, know, and follow the code; no questions asked. Unfortunately, players don't always remember the code in the midst of the game. The book is filled with insightful illustrations of the code and how the code is maintained and broken. The code says that code-breaking demands retribution. If, there is no retribution that's also a code-breaking offense. For example, the written rules have no "mercy" rule, but the code does. The code demands that when your team is ahead by seven runs in the eighth inning, it's a code-breaker to swing at a three balls-no strikes pitch because the pitcher has to throw a good pitch or walk the batter and prolong the game. The code expects the batter to be merciful. If the batter swings it's considered "rubbing it in." My favorite example from the book features former Minnesota Twin Torii Hunter made the mistake of swinging on a 3-0 pitch late in the game with a big lead against the Boston Red Sox. After the game, Twins' manager, Ron Gardenhire, brought Hunter -- like a parent leading a child back to the store from which he stole -- to the RedSox clubhouse, to apologize in person to the team's manager, Terry Francona. Gardenhire said that he wanted Francona "to know we didn't give a sign for him to swing away, that Torii just made a mistake...I thought that it was good for Torii to explain it to him, so I took him over." Gardy was also trying to prevent retribution that would likely escalate and lead to unnecessary bad blood between the two teams. Why would there be bad blood? Because there was an offense. The code was broken. Gardy was trying to smooth things over. (See Chapters 7 and 9) Here is the list of the chapters to give you a greater sense of what the code entails: 1. Know When To Steal `Em 2. Running Into The Catcher 3. Tag Appropriately 4. Intimidation 5. On Being Intimidated 6. Slide Into Bases Properly 7. Don't Show Players Up 8. Responding To Records 9. Gamesmanship 10. Mound Conference Etiquette 11. Retaliation 12. The Wars 13. Hitters 14. Off The Field 15. Sign Stealing 16. Don't Peek 17. Sign Stealing (Stadiums) 18. If You're Not Cheating, You're Not Trying 19. Caught Brown-Handed 20. Don't Talk About A No-Hitter In Progress 21. Protect Yourself And Each Other 22. Everybody Joins A Fight 23. The Clubhouse Police Conclusion: I enjoyed reading The Baseball Codes, though the language can be raw as the authors explain the multifaceted "code" in great detail. Herein lies one of the flaws of the book, the book drags as times. More than a couple times I skipped ahead. Too often, in my opinion, the authors gave us several examples to illustrate part of the code when the best two or three would have been sufficient.

Professional baseball has a long tradition self-governing its participants to abide by some convoluted "Code" of behavior, which for the most part, is understood and followed; no questions asked. However, things can get out of hand rather quickly when opposing teams have a difference of opinion in interpreting that "Code"; that's when the fun begins. Jason Turbow and Michel Duca have compiled an extensive array of "Code Violations" throughout baseball history, and how everything played out between the warring factions; often, peace never quite gets restored, and fueds fester for many bitter seasons. Usually, when some unwritten protocol viotation pops up, peace is eventually restored; quite often the offending party's own teammates dole out the prescribed corrective action, and the problem never rears its ugly head again. For any fan of the game who finds this kind of stuff fascinating, this book is filled with enough anecdotes to entertain and amuse, from start to finish. It gives a wonderful perspective on what you'll never find in the boxscores; however, it's as much a part of the game as anything that goes into the official record books; and in many cases, its impact has shortened some careers, while adding a colorful piece of folklore for others. It's the perfect book to get any fan of the game riled up for a new season. Now you know there's much more to the game than the hits, runs and errors taking place between the lines; there's much, much more.

In The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing and Bench Clearing Brawls - The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime, author Jason Turbow compiles an amazing collection of anecdotes from major league baseball, past and current, which are all the more amazing when one realizes that baseball, like fight club, has its own severe code of silence. From this we are supposed to glean proper baseball etiquette on the field, in the clubhouse and pretty much anywhere else the game's players are recognized as such. But unlike Emily Post's dos and don'ts, those who breach these rules of etiquette can face a pretty harsh sanction in the form of a ninety mile per hour fastball to the cranium and other painful or humiliating treatment. The first part of the book is especially dark and might easily be renamed "the history of the beanball." If you're the kind of sports fan who enjoys vicious hockey fights or career-ending football hits, you'll probably like these accounts of the rules and their punishments for breach, but if you watch the game for pin-point pitch placement, hitters who can find the sweet spot on the baseball, nimble fielding and the like, you will probably tire of this subject matter. The section on sign-stealing is quite interesting, especially in the author's description of how it's done and how it's detected. But we are told of big league baseball's curious ethic: cheaters are severely punished on the one hand, but on the other hand cheating is expected. In fact honest players are condemned for the lack of a will to win. The moral of the story is "cheat, just don't get caught." The author also describes the hierarchy inside the clubhouse and how rookies are treated. Many of these stories don't do much to endear you to the game's players. Some are just flakes, while others are cruel and sadistic. But there is some hope on the horizon as the author concludes that the worst of all of this may be in the past. If you read this book expecting to get a better understanding of the strategy of the game, this is doled out in a very small dose. If you're looking for a behind the scenes look at the secret world of big league ball players, the author has some excellent sources, many excellent stories to tell, some of them exceedingly funny. One subject that the author avoids completely however is steroid use and other performing enhancement drugs. On this topic either the author agreed to avoid it, or the firewalls players put up on this subject are impenetrable. This book is a terrific source of insight into the game. Unfortunately it's mostly an insight into the darker side of the game, and will leave the reader with a lesser opinion of America's pastime.

This is one of the best books about baseball in recent years. The only thing it requires is an above average knowledge of the game, i.e. beyond the basic rules as you know them. If you don't, there might be times when you wonder why something is wrong or why someone is doing something a certain way. Any amount of time you actually played baseball helps tremendously. The entire book is anecdotes, stories, and blunt proclamations about "the way the game is played." Some of them are so amusing, I laughed out loud. The players and teams involved go from now back to the turn of the last century--the "modern era." There are even behind the scenes explanations for some of baseball's more famous (or infamous) moments. You learn about the pipeline, the kangaroo court, and the clubhouse police. I couldn't recommend this book more highly, especially to any hard core sports fan you might know. I thought I knew a lot about the game but I was surprised about elements I never even considered. And the things I did know went a lot deeper than I previously believed. In fact, some of these unwritten rules get so complex you couldn't keep them straight without consult from your dugout consigliere. I listened to the audio version of this book and while the reader did a nice job he had a kind of rumbly monotone. If the publishers had gotten Bob Costas to read this, it would have been perfect.

A fascinating (if a bit repetitive and uneven) look into the inner workings of baseball. A good read for both baseball fanatics and the casual fan, the detailed anecdotes, rules, and quotes surrounding the way the game used to be played, should be played and is played--governed by a gentleman's (sometimes not so gentlemanly) code--makes one pine for the old days of baseball. You know, when a pitcher could throw at a batter's head out of a sense of justice and wouldn't automatically be slapped with a fine, a bi-team warning and possible ejection. Of course, as a Minnesota Twins fan, I was super delighted to see examples from Doug Mientkiewicz--even though he's not listed as a Twin. He's the kind of guy who wore his socks old-school high, so it doesn't surprise me in the least that he would adhere to the set of codes as old as the game itself. Bert Blylevin anecdotes were also a treat. Turbow balances modern and historical examples nicely--Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb are in there, but so is Sammy Sosa and his counterparts. The book does, however, focus heavily on drilling batters and beanballs and the like--even in sections detailing other codes. I would have liked to have seen more of the obscure little rules (i.e. Don't watch a home run. Cheating is okay within bounds. Sign stealing is fine until you get caught. Etc.) and less of the examples of guys getting hit by a pitch. Overall, though, a fascinating read for anyone who loves baseball.

I've become quite a baseball fan in my old age, even if the Diamondbacks don't always give me a good reason to cheer. So I was particularly interested in reading this book about "the unwritten rules of America's pastime." I could never figure out why some things clearly offended baseball players (or at least the TV analysts), such as when Hanley Ramirez gently trotted after a ball rather than running after it lickity-split, or why Orlando Hudson banished then-rookie Mark Reynolds to travel on the media bus after Reynolds watched admiringly as his home run flew outside the ballpark. The authors explain the genesis for the accepted behavior (what in business we'd call "corporate culture") and in doing so they tell an amazing number of fascinating anecdotes about players putting them in action. There are four general areas: on the field, retaliation, cheating, and teammates. The well-written book gave me a lot of insight into the ball players' motivations, such as why and how a pitcher tries to intimidate players ("The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid," said Don Drysdale, "And if he is timid, he has to remind the hitter he's timid"), and the lengths to which players will go to support their teammates ("...and I've been Nancy ever since," said Buck O'Neill). Some made me laugh out loud, such as the tricks played on rookies. If you're looking for a whole bunch of funny and interesting baseball stories that go outside the scoreboard, you're sure to enjoy The Baseball Codes. It has some WONDERFUL stories. But it's not just a set of anecdotes. This book by Turbow and Duca gave me plenty of insight into these unwritten rules and their genesis, and in doing so it changed how I see the game. I'm actually not sure that I like that. I think it's because like to imagine that the game is all about people sticking to the formal rulebook: that magic tension in the second right before the pitcher throws the ball to the hitter, when nobody knows where the ball will end up. While I can tell myself that anyone will take advantage of an opportunity to help his team win, I really don't like to consider that one team figured out the other pitcher's signs. (Even if it's fun to read about the Comiskey Park "exploding" scoreboard that signaled hitters to the type of pitch: a blinking light in one spot meant breaking ball, solid meant fastball.) I tell myself that the hitter still has to HIT that pitch, but.... Still, I recognize that these guys are paid to win games, not to hang around (as former league manager George Bamberger is quoted saying, "A guy who cheats in a friendly game of cards is a cheater. A pro who throws a spitball to support his family is a competitor"). And when I think of the unwritten rules about retaliation (such as a pitcher aiming to drill a player with the ball), I recognize that this is a gang of husky men who are willing to throw things, put under pressure. These rules are the way testosterone-laden men keep each other in line, and conforming to What Is Done. Am I glad I read this book? Absolutely. It really did give me a lot of insight into the game within the game, and I loved the historical background on how things got to be the way they are. Since I finished reading the book, I watch the games a little differently.

An entertaining read, with plenty of juicy details. Found myself laughing out loud and then passing on several of the stories to fellow baseball nuts. Ever find yourself wondering about some inscrutable action on the field? Odds are, the unwritten rules of baseball were involved. The rules are enforced by retaliation (pitchers intentionally hitting or brushing back batters or runners spiking infielders), onfield fights, kangaroo courts in clubhouses and veterans passing on their wisdom to rookies. Generally, the rules reinforce respect for oneself, one's teammates and for the Game itself. A portion of the book addresses the various methods for getting a leg up over the other team -- stealing signs, doctoring balls and corking bats for example. Depending on where you stand, this is either cheating or an expected part of the game. Major leaguers are quoted as accepting that players do whatever necessary to get an advantage in this ultra-competitive world. The recent performance enhancing drugs scandal in baseball would seem to have been a natural result of this apparently accepted 'code.' Surprisingly, the authors stay well away from steroids. How the Keepers of the Code really felt would be incredibly topical and interesting. I suspect many of their sources were unwilling to go on record in this age of federal grand juries and media outcry. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book, and especially as I remember many of the games discussed. I'd recommend to baseball fans anywhere.

Jason Turbow and Michael Duca have done outstanding jobs researching, interviewing, talking with, and stimulating discussion about the dozens of baseball's unwritten rules. True baseball fans will know most of these unwritten rules by heart, but for the uninitiated, those rules include acts or practices such as: doctoring baseballs, not stealing bases once a team is up by more than a few runs, running into the catcher, how to tag properly, sign stealing, and retaliation - just to mention a few. The authors use primary source material to break down these baseball codes and use many actual examples of their implementation and practice. Baseball, with the exception of perhaps golf, has the greatest sense of the importance of its history. That sense of history is clearly delineated by the authors in "The Baseball Codes". Fans of the game will enjoy reading anecdotes from some of the greats of the game such as, Gibson, Aaron, Fisk, Drysdale, Berra, Yount, Torre, Ryan, & Robinson, just to mention a few. Hard to put down, but quick to read, "The Baseball Codes" should be on the bookshelf of every baseball fan.

This is the kind of book that you hope will be more than it ultimately is, but is really as good as it can be. "Baseball Codes" ends up being a laundry list of baseball's "unwritten rules". What you hope "Codes" will be is a magical portal onto a major league bench, where we can hear the profanity and smell the tobacco spit and feel the brush of a major league fastball. What you get is a collection of vignettes about each of the quasi-rules, strung together with a thin taffy of reflection, nostalgia, background apologia, commentary, admiration and genuine gee-whiz affection. And a somewhat unbalanced collection, too, as the authors have far more yarns to spin regarding beanballs and brushbacks than they do about the rest of the table of contents. Luckily, for the serious fan--the grown-up kid who would have given an arm or a leg to be one of those guys on the bench (though, on reflection, the market for one-armed or -legged ballplayers is fairly slim)--such a taffy is satisfying enough to while away a few off-days in the company of "Codes."

The Baseball Codes is about the unwritten rules of America's pastime. Predictably, those rules are clearer to some players than others, are often open to interpretation and enforced to different extents. Most of the unwritten rules are related to respect for the game. Former major leaguer Rex Hudler perhaps summed it up best: "Give respect to the other team, expect it in return and know how to react should it fail to be reciprocated." The authors did an impressive job of interviewing lots of players and gathering stories about beanball wars, sign stealing, cheating, retaliation, intimidation, and brawls. The anecdotes span from the 1920s to the present. While some of these stories are fairly well known (George Brett's pine tar incident in 1983), most are not. These are seldom the types of stories that you can glean from box scores. This is an interesting, inside look at the game of baseball. Most baseball fans should enjoy it.

If you love baseball, you will absolutely love this book. This is a primer on the culture and unwritten rules of baseball. It's also chock-full of fascinating anecdotes and tidbits about interesting players and funny moments. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.

I have always loved to watch baseball, but I'm going to love it even more this season, thanks to the insight I've gained from reading this colorful, entertaining book. "The Baseball Codes" assembles a dizzying array of stories, from the recent past and from long ago, spelling out all the different unwritten rules of the game. Like any reviewer, I can't help but share some of the delicious stories from this delectable book: * Mike Krukow, throwing at brushback specialist Joaquin Andujar in 1984, and missing him -- twice -- only to rush the plate "in a rare instance of the reverse mound-charge." Krukow, incredibly, was not ejected, and considered one more attempt, but feared another miss. He instead struck Andujar out - and Andujar fell apart on the mound, securing a Giants win. "We exposed his macho," Krukow said. "It was great." * Phil Garner, who emerges as one of my favorite characters, doesn't subscribe to the rule that you don't steal bases with a big lead. While I appreciate the gentlemanly sentiment behind this rule, I also view it as ridiculous - these guys are clearly not gentlemen (witness chapters on beanballs), and they are trying to win games. Why should they stop trying? "I'm not going to go home at night thinking I shut a ballgame down and let you guys back in it to win it," Garner told old-school Sparky Anderson. * Nolan Ryan - who emerges as a real villain, in my opinion, for his head-hunting tactics - learned the "bow-tie" pitch from Satchel Paige, meaning the art of throwing a fastball right by a player's neck. He's lucky he never killed anybody. He'd throw at guys just because he was mad they bunted on him. He knocked down Lenny Dykstra in the 1986 NLCS, both for bunting and for what he saw as excessive cheering after a hit. (What I loved in that story: Dykstra got up and lined a single. They called him Nails for a reason.) One of the most critical parts of the Code is that ballplayers never admit to the existence of the Code. (Sort of like Fight Club.) Fortunately for us, however, ballplayers talked to Turbow. And talked. And talked. And each story, in Turbow's relentless reporting, gave way to more stories, until the reader is left feeling like he's got a seat in the corner of a major league clubhouse.

I will give Mr's Turbow and Duca their due, they have done their homework. They did manage to crack the wall of silence that seems to have evolved in baseball clubhouses about not saying anything about cheating in baseball. Having said that, it is remarkable about how little new information is out there. There almost seems to be the attitude that since we all know cheating is happening and all of the players in the book are out of baseball, what is the harm in telling what is already known. Some things are OK some things are not. Signs are stolen and players can play rough but only to a certain degree. All in all this is an OK read but serious baseball fans will find that it offers nothing new. I would have been much more interested to have seen them go more in-depth on the use of PED's from various era's and such gray areas as the hidden ball trick. Still it is not a bad book and if you're a baseball fan, it is well worth your read.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick and informative read, full of insights about the national game and the players engaged in it. I was surprise to find anecdotes about team dissentions (such as an important feud between Troy Percival and Mo Vaughn of the Angels). No doubt, you'll be aware of MLB's players daily life and routine, how they interact together, what they accept and what they don't. The "Code" is at the core of it all. So important in fact that a guy like Bob Gibson stick to it, even in Old-timers games! Real fun to read.

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. Packed with stories illustrating traditional rules, this book is a treasure trove of baseball history. You'll find tales of Satchel Paige, Lenny Dykstra, Bob Lemon, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and many more. If you haven't followed baseball very closely, this book might ruin your innocence. You'll find that a lot of the stars of the past (and present) had some help on the diamond. The only thing that will help you maintain your child-like awe of ballplayers is the knowledge that everyone was cheating, so it really was a level playing field. Great book.

I have been a baseball fan for 50 years, ever since I was a little girl watching Jack Brickhouse announce Cubs games. I still love the game, but after reading your book, I've lost some respect for it. I learned a lot, and now know to view every good pitch, hit, catch, and stolen base with a large degree of skepticism. Odds are, most successes are tainted. How disheartening to know that most pitches are doctored, because pitchers apparently believe they are not good enough to pitch honestly. Likewise, how disappointing to know that batters often know what pitch is coming their way, because they believe they are not good enough to hit honestly. I will never understand practical jokes. Their purpose usually involves physically hurting someone, destroying someone's property, and/or embarrassment and humiliation. Hotfoots seem to do it all. And this is funny? Likewise, rookie hazing is counter-intuitive. Harassment, humiliation, shunning, and outright lying are supposed to create team spirit? I am a woman, and I just don't get it. I have to think that if this had been a book about women's professional baseball (if such a thing existed), there may not have been much to write about. Follow the rules, treat your teammates and opponents with respect, and respect the game. Men seem to have a convoluted way of accomplishing this. I've been laughing for years at people's indignation about steroids and the need for asterisks. Are they so naïve that they think cheating just started? This book shows that while the methods have changed, cheating in professional baseball has been around a long time and will likely never go away. After all, it's all part of the unwritten code.

Baseball Codes is a wonderful book that is filled with interesting antecdotes that illustrate the unwritten codes in baseball. I enjoy baseball even more having read this book. Having read this book and having described many parts to my seven year old son, we knew our small town team's DH was going to get hit by a pitch, and he was. My son wants to do what Norm Cash did every time he was on base and a raid delay was called. I want to go to Fenway to see where the pitcher's grip was read from the bullpen and flashed to the batter. I watch to see if any first basemen do what Willie Stargell did on pick off plays. That will shorten a runners lead. So much more to watch and do... This is a fun, fun book. Congratulations to the authors for an easy reading of many years of research and interviews.

This is an entertaining read with story after story about baseball traditions. I question whether a lot of artistic license took place, since there are some direct quotations that I doubt the author actually heard. Also, this book includes a lot of salty language and F-bombs, and if that's what people said (and I'm sure it is), that by all means it needs to be included. It certainly adds to the color and authenticity, as you get right next to Tommy Lasorda during a tirade. But just beware that this means the book probably isn't appropriate for, say, an 11- or 12-year-old baseball fan. Overall, though, I found it far superior to the similar book put out by Bernstein.

I don't normally read books about sports. Ever. But I do enjoy watching baseball. This book is about as "inside baseball" as you can imagine, telling the hows and whys of pitchers hitting batters, cheating, stealing signs, and other mischief that is condoned, even expected, in major league baseball. It includes many interesting, often funny, examples. The book uses a whole lot of baseball jargon, so I kept a window to Wikipedia open at all times to help decipher some terms. A fun and educational read for baseball fans.

This book is marvelously entertaining. Frequently I laughed out loud at some of the recollections by players. The Codes may be silly to some but in reality every job and workplace has its own codes to some extent. The Codes in baseball stand out because they are often on display in front of thousands of people. As is the case with almost every book I've read that was great fun to read, I was almost sorry to see it end.

Purchased for a baseball fan and relative who said "It's a winner" and that he already "started reading before even thanking you".

If you are any kind of a big league baseball fan, you must read this book. Very well researched; informs the reader--even the ones who think they know everything about MLB--of "codes" they never knew existed. Filled with humor and anecdotes.

Turnbow and Duca have delivered a hard-hitting behind the curtain look at the codes that define a baseball players actions both on and off the field. Needless to say, you always back up your teammates (whether or not they are right). I loved this book. The stories are timeless and timely. If you are a baseball fan I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed!

If you love baseball, you'll love this book. Lots of baseball secrets revealed, both funny and surprisingly complicated. The author really got into the dugout, to talk with everyone from Hall of Famers to minor league humps. Terrific sports book!

Good book. Has many interesting personal accounts and stories by some of the bigger names in baseball. Not a riveting read but a good book for fans of America's Pastime.

After reading the forward, I was initially really excited about this "insider's view" of baseball's unwritten codes. However, the book should have been better organised and should have been about half the size of its lengthy 304 pages. While the anecdotes are amusing and at times insightful, there are just too many jammed between the front and back cover. The overall result is a product that dilutes itself in stories rather than actually comparing the unwritten rules of the game to the written ones. If you are a forty or fifty something, you might enjoy the tales from the 60's, 70's and 80's, but I don't see this book really appealing to anyone under the age of 35 quite frankly. To bridge that "age gap," the authors should have worked harder to find current examples of "code breaking" (ie Milwaukee's Miller Park hosting a Brewers team that over the past six seasons has trounced home opponents and struggled on the road). The authors could have gone the extra mile to interview recently-retired baseballers, whose names would resonate with today's baseball fans. All things considered, this book should have revealed more insight within its pages rather than offering yet another story to support a particular code as it tended to do again and again.

What a great book to get one psyched for the new baseball season, and indeed to restore some of the faith, history and mythos lost in the steroid scandal. Packed full of anecdotes and quotes from hall-of-famers, insiders, and goats, this is an extremely accessible, fun read that will enthrall everyone from baseball novices to the historians of baseball minutia. It has great stories of respect and revenge, courage and comedy, and is written in an informed voice somehow devoid of know-it-all-ism. Splendid!

A very funny and entertaining account about the unwritten rules of baseball. As noted in the conclusion, the ultimate rule is to foster respect for the game. Very well done.

Anyone who was raised with a love of baseball... when the grass was still real... when baseball was still truly America's pastime... and was governed by "THE UNWRITTEN RULES... or CODES" as much if not more than the actual written rules... will love this book. Anyone that was raised when much of the grass was ASTRO Turf... but was lucky enough to have a prior generation's lover of baseball teach them the way a professional really played AND RESPECTED this great game... will love this book. This is a true unveiling of what really went on between the lines... in the clubhouse... and away from the field. The great game of baseball had its own unwritten laws... and thus the players and managers were able to police themselves... when the official rule book didn't provide proper justice. When should one team throw a bean ball at the other to reciprocate for a hit batsman? Who should be hit by a retaliatory pitch... the offending pitcher?... the hitter who watched too long as his ball flew out of the park?... the hitter who "hot-dogged" around the bases?... the guy who slid too hard into a base?... the batter who took too long getting into the batter's box?... the batter who walked in front of the catcher?... the player who was stealing signals? The questions and situations are almost endless... and almost all of these questions are answered in this book. When there's a fight on the field which members of the team should join in?... Should any of the team not engage? What type of cheating is ok? Spitballs?... Scuffed balls?... Pine tar/Vaseline/slippery elm?... Corked bats? How long should a *PAYBACK-GRUDGE* be carried and still be acted upon. In one such case fireball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson waited for fifteen years AFTER HIS RETIREMENT to hit a batter he felt he owed... in an old-timers game. Now don't get me wrong some of the "RULES" still exist today... but the author makes it clear that due to the enormous money in today's game... agents... and most players becoming more like "visitors" on a team as compared to lifetime veterans in the old days... the full book of rules are no longer enforced. The author astutely points out major sections of the *CODE* such as when is it okay to steal... when is it okay to plow into the catcher... and of course if a "code/rule" is broken there... the resultant verdict leads to "bean-ball" retaliation rules. Interspersed with rules and historical proof are great quotes from players like Hall of Famer "BIG-D" Don Drysdale who said: "THE PITCHER HAS TO FIND OUT IF THE HITTER IS TIMID, AND IF HE IS TIMID, HE HAS TO REMIND THE HITTER HE'S TIMID." There is the sage wisdom that Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige passed on to future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan that would help shape Ryan's record breaking career: "ONE OF THE BEST PITCHES IS THE BOW-TIE PITCH." "Ryan had no idea what Paige was talking about. A bow-tie pitch, explained the ancient ballplayer, was "WHEN YOU THROW IT RIGHT HERE" - HE THEN MIMED A HORIZONTAL LINE ACROSS HIS ADAM'S APPLE, AS IF SLASHING HIS OWN THROAT- "WHERE THEY WEAR THEIR BOW TIE." A true fan will be mesmerized when many of the great baseball fights are re-created including the game on August 12, 1984 between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. SAN DIEGO INFIELDER KURT BEVACQUA LATER CALLED IT "the desert storm of baseball fights." "TOTAL DAMAGE: SIX BRUSH BACK PITCHES, THREE HIT BATTERS, FOUR BENCH-CLEARING INCIDENTS, TWO FULL-ON BRAWLS THAT NEARLY SPIRALED OUT OF CONTROL WHEN FANS RUSHED THE FIELD, NINETEEN EJECTIONS, FIVE ARRESTS, AND A NEARLY UNPRECEDENTED CLEARING OF THE BENCHES BY THE UMPIRES." Additionally one player out of uniform on the disabled list was sitting in the broadcasting booth... and he even wound up down on the field fighting. There are also codes on how a pitcher being removed from the game by the manager should act. There is an absolutely hilarious transcription that covers parts of three pages (90-92) involving Dodger manager Tom Lasorda removing pitcher Doug Rau (Lasorda was miked) that has more four letter words than would be emitted by a drunken sailor who hit his finger with a hammer. The enjoyment derived from this book for any old school baseball fan is limitless. I'll just list the chapter descriptions and you will have an idea of the fun awaiting you here. 1) KNOW WHEN TO STEAL `EM 2) RUNNING INTO THE CATCHER 3) TAG APPROPRIATELY 4) INTIMIDATION 5) ON BEING INTIMIDATED 6) SLIDE INTO BASES PROPERLY 7) DON'T SHOW PLAYERS UP 8) RESPONDING TO RECORDS 9) GAMESMANSHIP 10) MOUND CONFERENCE ETIQUETTE 11) RETALIATION 12) THE WARS 13) HITTERS 14) OFF THE FIELD 15) SIGN STEALING 16) DON'T PEEK 17) SIGN STEALING (STADIUMS) 18) IF YOU'RE NOT CHEATING, YOU'RE NOT TRYING 19) CAUGHT BROWN-HANDED 20) DON'T TALK ABOUT A NO-HITTER IN PROGRESS 21) PROTECT YOURSELF AND EACH OTHER 22) EVERYBODY JOINS A FIGHT 23) THE CLUBHOUSE POLICE.