{"id":443,"date":"2008-05-10T09:01:59","date_gmt":"2008-05-10T16:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/10\/talkin-baseball-steroids-and-the-code-with-author-ross-bernstein\/"},"modified":"2008-05-10T10:26:18","modified_gmt":"2008-05-10T17:26:18","slug":"talkin-baseball-steroids-and-the-code-with-author-ross-bernstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/10\/talkin-baseball-steroids-and-the-code-with-author-ross-bernstein\/","title":{"rendered":"Talkin’ Baseball, Steroids and “The Code” With Author Ross Bernstein"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in baseball is an interesting but\u00c2\u00a0seldom discussed aspect of the game. Just this past week, both Richie Sexson and Joba Chamberlain have caused ripples in the game because of it. In Sexson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s case, he thought a Kason Gabbard pitch was a little too high (it was) and a little too tight (it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t) and charged the mound. The incident<\/a> led to a bench-clearing brawl spearheaded by Sexson chucking his batting helmet into the back of Gabbard but was precipitated by a series of events that escalated the incident. In Joba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s case, it was a fist-pumping display of emotion in a Yankees\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 blowout after a strikeout of David Dellucci that had many, including Dellucci<\/a>, feeling Chamberlain was showing him up.<\/p>\n

While I had a good understanding of the unwritten rules in baseball, the missing pieces of the puzzle were filled in recently when I picked up a copy of The Code: Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and It’s Ignore-at-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct<\/a> by Ross Bernstein. The fascinating read not only retold some events that I was very familiar with like Ben Davis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bunt single breaking up Curt Schilling\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfect game in 2001 (a major \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d no-no) but also told a number of stories I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know like that of Stan \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Big Daddy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Williams who used to drill batters to avoid walking them in order to reach an elevator clause in his contract by limiting his amount of walks. In addition, it elaborated on areas of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always been familiar with like actions on the diamond that require retaliation and what is considered acceptable retaliation but also introduced me to areas of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I had never heard before. I never knew it was unacceptable for a player who just hit a home run to immediately remove his batting gloves like Milton Bradley did before the ball even left the ball park much to the dismay of opposing pitcher Andy Ashby in a \u00e2\u20ac\u212203 game.<\/p>\n

I had an opportunity to talk baseball, steroids, intimidation and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with author Ross Bernstein on two occasions and here is some of that interview:<\/p>\n

BRIAN JOSEPH: There are a lot of great interviews and research in your book. How much research and time went into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

ROSS BERNSTEIN: It took over a year to write. I read about 30 books and conducted roughly 100 interviews on and off the record. It was a labor of love. Guys like Torii Hunter were awesome. I got to get to know a lot of guys and spend a lot of time at the ball park. Being a known author in Minnesota gave me great access. A guy like Hunter takes you around and introduces you to other players and the next thing you know, you are in.<\/p>\n

BJ: This was a sequel to your book on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in hockey and you compared the two in the book. How is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the two sports different?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: For starters, hockey allows fisticuffs and the penalty is five minutes. The penalty in baseball is a lot more severe. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get ejected or fined or a suspension. So, hockey allows it as part of the culture and essentially when things boil over, they allow the players to drop the gloves and fight like men. The linesmen make sure that it is fair and no one has an unfair advantage. Then, they go cool down in the penalty box for five minutes and then, game on.<\/p>\n

With baseball, the thing that was interesting was learning about the escalation process. You learn that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all these little events, little aspects, disrespects that occur. Someone showing someone up, maybe someone steals a sign and hits a home run or does something and it escalates and eventually leads to throwing high and tight or eventually someone gets drilled, charges the mound and a bench-clearing brawl ensues.<\/p>\n

They are two different things but they are similar. The unwritten rules are basically about respect \u00e2\u20ac\u201c play the game straight and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be fine. Cheat, take short cuts or take liberties or show someone up in either sport and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be held accountable. In hockey, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s maybe losing some teeth. In baseball, it means having to stand up and face a pitcher who might drill you.<\/p>\n

BJ: It seems that the hockey execs embrace \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but throughout your book you get the idea that baseball execs do not. Why do you think baseball puts so much energy into cracking down on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interesting. I actually spent an hour with (hockey) commissioner (Gary) Bettman and he loved \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hockey Code.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I gave him a copy of the book, he read it and liked it because it explains hockey in an honorable way. The honor code in hockey is more than just fighting. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blocking shots and sacrificing your body and standing up for your teammates no matter what.<\/p>\n

In baseball, the code is all these different little intricacies of the game. I think that the owners got in trouble because a big part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in baseball is steroids and a lot of those kinds of things. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sort of systematic cheating. The old clich\u00c3\u00a9 in NASCAR, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153if you ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cheatin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, you ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tryin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is prevalent in all sports. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheating and what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gamesmanship? If a guy in soccer and draws a penalty, is that cheating? If Paul Molitor figures out the poker tells of a pitcher and he can communicate to his hitter by a whistle or a clap what pitch is coming next, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair. However, if a team has a video camera or a telescope somewhere and interpret the signs that way, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheating. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all these unwritten things.<\/p>\n

As far as steroids go, I believe that baseball knew this stuff was going on but they needed the fans to come back to the game after the \u00e2\u20ac\u212294 work stoppage. Sosa, McGwire, Bonds, Brady Anderson, all those guys. I think this will be known as the Steroids Era. The Clemens stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. I think if people had any idea how many people were taking HGH and steroids, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be shocked. I spoke at a conference in Kentucky recently about steroids in sports and HGH is a miracle drug. Pitchers take it not to look like McGwire or Bonds but just so they can heal and pitch every day if they are a reliever or every fifth day if they are a starter.<\/p>\n

Most guys just take it to stay healthy because they are making so much money, they need to be on the field. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pressure to be on the field. Go back to the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153greenies\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and amphetamines back in the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc60s. It started when there was cross-country travel from L.A. to New York. They needed these guys to be awake. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a societal thing. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all doping. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all taking our caffeine and Red Bull everyday. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all overstressed, overworked and tired. Everyone needs an edge. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair? Caffeine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay but HGH isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t or creatine or andro.<\/p>\n

Then you talk to guys like Dave Winfield and they’re pissed because their records are crumbling from these people who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been artificially inflated. They did it the old fashioned way, they worked harder, they spent more time in the gym and sacrificed time from their families. Then, these guys come in and just take a drug and they can achieve those same results and make a lot of money. I definitely see where they are at.<\/p>\n

BJ: You talked about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d being similar to Fight Club <\/em>in that the first rule of Fight Club <\/em>is you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talk about Fight Club<\/em>. Did you run into any reluctance or resistance from players to talk about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: A lot\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 A lot of guys didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to talk and you just totally had to respect that. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been lucky. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a great journalist by any stretch. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not going to be winning any Pulitzers, I promise you. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written about 40 books and the hallmark of all my books have just been a lot of interviews. I sort of narrate the story a little bit but I let the players tell the story. The things that you are going to learn in my book are not from me but the players themselves who share insight. I think it was neat to have a lot of those interviews and I just tried to get whoever I could. In hockey, I can get a hold of anybody. I could call (Wayne) Gretzky right now and get a hold of him but in baseball, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot tougher. There were a lot of guys who were not comfortable talking about it.<\/p>\n

Some current guys were very open but others like Johan Santana didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to give up any company secrets. They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to put any bulletin board material out there.<\/p>\n

BJ: Were there any players that you were disappointed that you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a chance to talk to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: There were some players that I would call my white whales. They included Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 some people I would have loved to talk to that would have been awesome but for whatever reason, I tried and tried and tried and came close. I talked to a few of them but not on the record.<\/p>\n

BJ: What about Pete Rose? It seemed like he played by his own code. Did you get a chance to talk to him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another guy that could have been on the list of players I wanted to talk to. I think he would have talked if I would have paid him money. Unfortunately, I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t able to get to talk to Pete.<\/p>\n

BJ: Al Newman had a lot of interesting things to say. He said that today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s game is so different that a guy like him wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t survive in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s game because what he did didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter anymore. You really think Newman couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be Nick Punto for someone?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Al\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an interesting cat. He said some really insightful stuff. Al was kind of a role player and he embraced it. He was a utility guy who could fill in. He was like a fourth-liner in hockey\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 an energy guy. He was interesting to me because he was a middle infielder and I wanted to get his perspective on that part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 guys sliding spikes high to take out the second baseman. He told a great story about bunting on Nolan Ryan and I thought that was pretty cool. Newman could play. (laughing) He gained a lot of weight. I just played softball with him in a celebrity game a little while ago but he could still get out there and do it today.<\/p>\n

BJ: He contended that Twins\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 manager Tom Kelly walked away from the game because he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t relate to today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s players and I had never heard that before. Was that true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: A big part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has changed when you talk to the old guys. Back in the day, when you took batting practice, you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even look at those guys. If you talked to those guys or even waved, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d get fined $100 which was a lot of money back then. You were supposed to hate your opponents. Now, they all share the same manager, the same financial planner and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much free agency that all the guys sit around and hang out talking. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of down time in a four-game series. I think Newman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comment was more that the game has really changed in that regard.<\/p>\n

BJ: When you wrote \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, what were you hoping the reader would get out of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: Well, I hope they’re entertained. A guy like you who is passionate about it, I doubt I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to surprise you. I consider myself a fan first and foremost. I hope to share a lot of fun stories and hopefully entertain. I can tell you that the hockey code was found to be fascinating and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard from 1000s of people from all over the world who thought that and were completely enlightened. When you see a game live and in person, you see it very differently and understand what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on more.<\/p>\n

From reading your bio, I know you are a poker guy. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anything about poker but if someone were to teach me about it, I could watch it on TV and it would be much more enjoyable because I could follow the player\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history and their tells. That inside information would make it more enjoyable and I hope that is what this book does. I think \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in baseball is hard to appreciate unless you go the game in person and watch.<\/p>\n

BJ: On Sunday, I watched the Phils and Giants and in the game, a Giants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 player crushed Carlos Ruiz at the plate and later in the game, it looked like Giants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 first baseman Rich Aurilia was upset that Shane Victorino might have spiked him at first base. After the game, Victorino commented on the play at the plate and that he thought it was unnecessary. After reading \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d it made me wonder if maybe Victorino spiked Aurilia on purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: Exactly! If you pick up those things and now with the rule changes and what umpires can do, teams have to retaliate different. Intimidation, fear and retaliation are a huge part of professional sports. Rob Dibble said he would try to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153effectively wild.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He might throw over a guy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head on his first pitch just to scare the shit out of him and then get everyone on the bench talking. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d think he was nuts. That guy might not dig in as hard at the plate and might not reach for the outside pitch. He might be a little bit afraid of getting a 100-mph fastball in the neck. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a huge advantage because now you got guys wondering what are they going to do? I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tactic and this book celebrates that.<\/p>\n

BJ: Did you ever violate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d while conducting your interviews?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: One time, I asked Sidney Ponson a question on a day he was pitching. He looked at me and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to talk to anybody on the day I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pitching.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I kinda learned that lesson the hard way.<\/p>\n

BJ: After all of your research and interviews, who would rank as the top intimidators of all-time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: I think Nolan is #1. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the first guy who really broke the 100-mph plateau. Certainly, Bob Gibson because you have the whole racial overtones going on. And Jackie Robinson who could roll over a catcher and take out a second baseman when the situation presented itself. He was a victim of a lot of bench jockeying that went on towards the black players, the Jewish players, the Latino players. If you want to throw in a modern guy, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say Pedro. He has that aura about him that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a headhunter.<\/p>\n

BJ: What was the most interesting part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: Sign stealing by far. I was completely amazed by what goes on. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like 1000 signs in one game. All the constant decoding and changing and switching of signs from the pitcher to the catcher from the third base coach to the first base coach to the manager to the second baseman to the shortstop. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just amazing what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on and most fans have no idea. They just watch the game and miss this. All of the subtleties that come along with the signs, I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get enough of all the espionage and cheating. It was really interesting.<\/p>\n

BJ: And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Don Zimmer who climbed a light pole after being ejected to flash his signs\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 do you have a favorite story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RB: Mike Marshall had some great stories. The guy was nuts. He used to love to drill guys. Plus, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such an intellectual guy, I had no idea. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a PhD in Kinesiology and studies the stuff non-stop. He was funny as hell. Bert Blyleven, too\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I loved Bert. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just an old school guy. I loved when the guys talked about beaning guys for the love of it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like in hockey, some people hate it but I love it. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not one of those freaks on hockeyfights.com watching them constantly but I appreciate when there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good fight. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like that in baseball, too. Everyone has a role. If not, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like the Ozzie Guillen chapter about sending down Sean Tracey for not drilling a guy. Hey, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to do your job and drill a guy, get the f*ck out.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to personally thank Ross for taking time out to talk to me and highly recommend his book, The Code: Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and It’s Ignore-at-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Code\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in baseball is an interesting but\u00c2\u00a0seldom discussed aspect of the game. Just this past week, both Richie Sexson and Joba Chamberlain have caused ripples in the game because of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}