There is a single sport with an “unwritten” set of rules that must be followed at all costs, at all times (before and immediately after games), and by all players: baseball. If any of these rules are violated, the opposing team is somehow justified at throwing at the lead-off batter in the FOLLOWING game. Yes, the next game.
Aroldis Chapman broke the unwritten rule of showing up the other team after doing something good. The Reds "old school" manager Dusty Baker didn't like it either.
If they do not play the next day, it may come in the next series (which may be months away). If an NBA player, let’s say Metta World Peace, picks up an intentional foul 35 seconds into Game 2 due to a player’s celebration after Game 1–say after a big play–MWP would probably be fined and potentially suspended depending on the level of the foul. I couldn’t even imagine what Roger Goodell would do to a player. But if a pitcher, say A-Roll-dis (accent on roll) Chapman, makes a fool of himself after the final pitch on Tuesday night, it is accepted that somebody gets hit tomorrow. But baseball doesn’t stop there.
It is a crime for a batter to cross over the pitcher’s mound after making an out. Where else does this occur? Does anyone in the NFL give a crap about how a receiver trots back to the huddle after a dropped pass (providing it is not through the defensive huddle). The jawing between teams never stops in the NBA. Hell, hockey players fist fight. Legally!
In baseball, it is absolutely impermissible for a player on second base to look at the catcher flashing signs in his crotch. Assistant football coaches stare across the sidelines for 60 minutes. Basketball coaches are studying an opposing team’s play calls ahead of tip-off, and its called defensive preparation. Does a league exist, worldwide, in which opposing teams attempt to intercept in-game communication? Human beings have employing that strategy since the first battlefield skirmish; the military calls it intelligence. But in baseball, that is cheating my friends.
You must not make noise while running the bases in an attempt to distract a fielder. As previously stated, the talking never stops in the NBA. Basketball fans will come up with endless distractions to opposing players at the stripe. NFL players are notorious for talking, not to mention the stuff that goes on at the bottom of a dog-pile… in the 4th quarter… of a playoff game. The home crowd stands up and roars for fourth and goal from the 2.
Never, ever try to time the pitcher from the on-deck circle. Never try to guess which way a keeper may dive for a penalty kick. Don’t try to time a blitz. NFL coaches take time-outs an instant before a ball is snapped for a game winning field goal… doesn’t always work.
I will give partial credit to the legitimacy of one of these “unwritten” rules: stealing when up big and late in the game. If a team is up 7, and it is in the 3rd inning, run all day. If a team is up 11 and it is in the 8th inning, just see if you can knock them in. To me, this is like pulling your starters in basketball. I get it, be a pro and don’t rub it in their face. But that is the only one. The bottom line is that baseball’s “unwritten” rules are ridiculous. Just play the damn game and worry about the score.
Did I leave out any of these ridiculous rules? Are there any that you cannot stand? Think I’m an idiot? You gonna throw at me?
By: Dru Boyer
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And again. Nice writing. On that, all will agree.