The Unwritten Rules of Baseball: The Etiquette, Conventional Wisdom, and Axiomatic Codes of Our National Pastime

by Paul Dickson

From beanballs to basebrawls, the most important rules governing the game of baseball have never been officially written down—until now.

They have no sanction from the Commissioner, appear nowhere in any official publication, and are generally not posted on any clubhouse wall. They represent a set of time-honored customs, rituals, and good manners that show a respect for the game, one's teammates, and one's opponents. Sometimes they contradict the official rulebook. The fans generally only hear about them when one is bent or broken, and it becomes news for a few days.

Now, for the first time ever, Paul Dickson has put these unwritten rules down on paper, covering every situation, whether on the field or in the clubhouse, press box, or stands. Along with entertaining baseball axioms, quotations, and rules of thumb, this essential volume contains the collected wisdom of dozens of players, managers, and reporters on the secret rules that you break at your own risk, such

1.7.1. In a Fight, Everyone Must Leave the Bench and the Bullpen Has to Join In

1.13.3. In a Blowout Game, Never Swing as Hard as You Can at a 3-0 Pitch

5.1.0. In Areas That Have Two Baseball Teams, Any Given Fan Can Only Really Root For One of Them

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Cultural

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2009

About the author

Paul Dickson is the author of more than 45 nonfiction books and hundreds of magazine articles. Although he has written on a variety of subjects from ice cream to kite flying to electronic warfare, he now concentrates on writing about the American language, baseball and 20th century history.

Dickson, born in Yonkers, NY, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1961 and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnae of that institution in 2001. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy and later worked as a reporter for McGraw-Hill Publications.
Since 1968, he has been a full-time freelance writer contributing articles to various magazines and newspapers, including Smithsonian, Esquire, The Nation, Town & Country, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post and writing numerous books on a wide range of subjects.

He received a University Fellowship for reporters from the American Political Science Association to do his first book, Think Tanks (1971). For his book, The Electronic Battlefield (1976), about the impact automatic weapons systems have had on modern warfare, he received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to support his efforts to get certain Pentagon files declassified.

His book The Bonus Army: An American Epic, written with Thomas B. Allen, was published by Walker and Co. on February 1, 2005. It tells the dramatic but largely forgotten story of the approximately 45,000 World War I veterans who marched on Washington in the summer of 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, to demand early payment of a bonus promised them for their wartime service and of how that march eventually changed the course of American history and led to passage of the GI Bill—the lasting legacy of the Bonus Army. A documentary based on the book aired on PBS stations in May 2006 and an option for a feature film based on the book has been sold.

Dickson's most recent baseball book, The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign Stealing Have Influenced the Course of our National Pastime, also by Walker and Co, was first published in May, 2003 and came out in paperback in June, 2005. It follows other works of baseball reference including The Joy of Keeping Score, Baseballs Greatest Quotations, Baseball the Presidents Game and The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, now in it's second edition. A third edition is currently in the works. The original Dickson Baseball Dictionary was awarded the 1989 Macmillan-SABR Award for Baseball Research.

Sputnik: The Shock of the Century, another Walker book, came out in October, 2001 and was subsequently issued in paperback by Berkeley Books. Like his first book, Think Tanks (1971), and his latest, Sputnik, was born of his first love: investigative journalism. Dickson is working on a feature documentary about Sputnik with acclaimed documentarians David Hoffmanand Kirk Wolfinger.

Two of his older language books, Slang and Label For Locals came out in the fall of 2006 in new and expanded versions.

Dickson is a founding member and former president of Washington Independent Writers and a member of the National Press Club. He is a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine and a consulting editor at Merriam-Webster, Inc. and is represented by Premier Speakers Bureau, Inc. and the Jonathan Dolger Literary agency.

He currently lives in Garrett Park, Maryland with his wife Nancy who works with him as his first line editor, and financial manager.

Reviews

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no overarching narrative going on here, which is what I'd want from any book that tries to tackle such a complex and interesting code, but if you're both sufficiently interested in baseball and enough of a rookie that you're not actually sure, say, at what point it's no longer okay to swing at a 3-0 pitch, this is a fun coffee-table kind of read.

[Elliot Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost demoted this ranking to 3 Stars, since Dickson referred to Zack Hample as a “professional fan”, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless of Dickson’s view on Hample, it did not tarnish my experience while reading this.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about the unwritten rules of baseball. For those steeped in the sport, many of these will be familiar. Nonetheless, a nice little volume. The author, at the outset, says (Page xii): "I am convinced that the game runs on a code of behavior, a set of beliefs and assumptions and practices that gives it both strength and character. . . ."

Some examples of rules from a player's perspective: "The clubhouse is a sanctuary"; "Do not criticize a teammate in print"; "It is the pitcher's job to protect his hitters and enforce many of the unwritten rules"; "Respect the other team--Do not 'show up' the opposition."

There are also rules for other key actors--managers, umpires, official scorers, fans media, and so on. There is also a segment under the rubric "Axioms, principles, adages, rules of thumb, instructions, and seemingly immutable laws that define the national pastime" (whew!).

All in all, a slight work, but quite amusing.

[Benny]

The Unwritten Rules of Baseball is a very interesting baseball book. It talks about baseball rules that are not official, however they are asumed. These rules can relate to baseball etiquette or strategy. It talks about ways to bend these rules or even break them completely.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a baseball fan, or even were one when you were a kid, this is just great... funny and insightful into the inner game of baseball. I have used this book with business executives that are sports fans to get them to discuss those "unwritten policies at work." very impactful

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the 50 years that I've been a fan of baseball, I've known that the game has been played with a lot of unwritten rules. Some of these rules I've known, but, surprisingly, there are more of them that I wasn't aware of than I had known previously.

What Dickson was able to accomplish was an amazing feat by synthesizing all of the unwritten rules into their own easy-to-use written rulebook. Legions of baseball fans from Little Leaguers to accomplished sportswriters should thank him for this feat.

Some of this material is now dated but that's what happens when reading and reviewing books years after original print. Some of the Managers have chosen to ignore some of these rules, which have now made them obsolete, but that certainly wasn't Dickson's fault.

I appreciate the anecdotes that he was able to find. There were a lot of good ones that were humorous or absurd but each one accentuated the proper use or misuse of the rule in question. I just thought the book was too simple since there were more unwritten rules that had no anecdotes attached at all. This was too quick of a read. More anecdotes would have slowed down the pacing, provided more content and made this a more enjoyable reading experience.

[chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read for a new baseball fan.

The only time I played baseball was backyard with friends so I never was on a organized team. I thought I knew all the rules of the game but after reading I was definitely wrong. There is so much more to this game which is what makes it a incredible sport to not only watch but also to play.

[Ryan Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars just because the book is a tad outdated at this point. Some of the unwritten rules that were in place when this book was published are either not strictly enforced, or not enforced at all, in today’s game.
With that being said, a really quick and easy read with some good baseball anecdotes.

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read on the unwritten rules of baseball with limited history and background.

It could have been a little more in depth on the stories on how they came to be and why.

[Braden Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It taught me a lot about baseball and other facts too the game. I would recommend this book too any baseball fan, or anyone how knows to know more about baseball.

[Donald S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned many new things about a game I have been watching for more than 60 years.

[Budd Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of the rules unwritten. Makes watching baseball even more fascinating!

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned that base runners often don't touch second as they round the bases. It's too dangerous! When an umpire is hit by a pitch, the catcher will find a way to take a moment so the ump can recover. The catcher might visit the pitcher's mound, call for a new ball, or fiddle with his mitt [witnessed this on TV, Yankees v. Red Sox, last Sunday]. [I saw that the pitcher may step off the mound for a moment, too.] Mr. Dickson also wrote a baseball dictionary (recently published a new edition), which scored a home run!

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of the book was the second half, when Dickson delves into the various axioms and general knowledge of the game. It's always interesting to read the various quips associated with baseball throughout time, and Dickson digs deep. Overall, another good baseball book by the author, would definitely make a good gift for the baseball lover in your life.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this for my sister and decided to read it before giving it to her. It's an interesting read, but, if you're a baseball fan, you probably already know this stuff and, if you're not a baseball fan . . . you probably won't be interested.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book that covers many of the unwritten rules which govern baseball, players, umpires and media. Gives on an insight behind comments made by players, announcers, sports media about the game. Easy and quick to read.

[Sierra Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book. A great companion for the baseball fan, it's a fun, quick read full of great quotes (which makes sense since Dickson also compiled two books of baseball quotations). Loved it enough I gifted a copy to someone else.

[Mokieblylk · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big baseball fan, not much stuff you shouldn't already know, but it does have some interesting notes on umpires, sports reporters, and old time baseball quotes.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this book, only for those who have a passion for the game tho

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. I gave it away when I finished. I wish I'd kept it to reread every summer.

[Chris Theule · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm ready for opening day now.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book was entertaining and informative. The second half, not so much.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book of maxims, rules, and etiquette that govern baseball.