"I remember once during a lopsided game with the Cubs, Doug Dascenzo laid down a suicide squeeze on me in like the eighth inning.... So while he was running to first base, I drilled him right in the back. It had to hurt. As far as I was concerned, they were trying to embarrass me and my teammates, so I did what I thought was necessary to retaliate and send a message." --Baseball analyst and former "Nasty Boy" Rob Dibble

"Steroids are definitely a violation of the code. Players are looking for any way to enhance their performance, though, which ultimately enhances their paychecks. There are people out there who are willing to break the law if they think that they can get away with it, and some of them are compensated handsomely for cheating, which is really sad in my opinion." --Hall of Famer Dave Winfield

Ross Bernstein, author of The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL, has pulled back the curtain on baseball's tacit rules regarding retaliation, sportsmanship, and intimidation. The result of dozens of interviews with some of the biggest names in the game, The Code is a systematic description of every major "unwritten rule" in the game today--from brushback pitches, bunting during a no-hitter, and running up the score, to home-run celebrations, stealing signs, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Along the way, you'll read about some of the most memorable violations of the code in baseball history, including the home-plate collision between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse, as well as recent incidents such as Alex Rodriguez "distracting" the Toronto Blue Jays infield and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen ordering his rookie pitcher to hit a batter, then demoting the player when he failed to do so.

For the first time, get the complete, no-holds-barred truth about the unwritten rules of baseball directly from the players, managers, and umpires who live their professional lives by the code.