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. ( )

Yeah, it's mostly just a collection of baseball anecdotes, but you have to admit, they're some pretty great anecdotes. ( )

An eye opening look into the darker emotions and traditions in baseball. While these traditions have somewhat died out today, people still get plunked for rounding the bases a little too slowly. ( )

This was fun and interesting and you don't have to be a rabid baseball fan to understand or enjoy it. I'm a casual baseball fan at best and I liked this book. It was good to read the stories about some of the players who's names I knew.

Some of the 'unwritten' rules were things I already knew about but others were rather obscure. The authors interviewed many players and had many stories to tell. Some were funny. In the chapter about cheating and stealing signs this one made me laugh out loud.

If the warning works, there's rarely reason to escalate things. Some pitchers, however, like to ensure that their message has been received. In 1993, when Blue Jays pitcher Jack Morris was clued in to the sign-tipping efforts of a baserunner at second, he spun on his heel, walked toward his opponent, and, pointing toward the plate, said, "I'm throwing a fastball and it's going at him. Make sure you tell him that." Then he delivered the pitch, as promised, knocking the hitter down. At that point, Morris made a second trip toward the runner. "Did you tell him?" he yelled. "Did you?"

I liked this one and I'm keeping it out from the library so The Hubster can read it. ( )

This one really drew me in right from the start! Of course, the first story is one of my favorites - the fight between Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura! From that point on, this book is a baseball fan's delight! Lots of insight, behind the scenes drama, and some fun stuff too! If you love baseball, like I do, than pick this up right now, during the season, and give it a rip! ( )