Goose Gossage Has Written A Book About The Unwritten Rules Of Baseball
The unwritten rules of baseball have been discussed a whole hell of a lot lately, or basically since Jose Bautista flipped his bat against the Texas Rangers in the postseason last year.
Nobody has been more outspoken about Bautista, Bryce Harper and the unwritten rules of baseball than Hall of Famer Goose Gossage. Gossage went as far as to say that Bautista is a “fucking disgrace to the game” of baseball, and has made several appearances on shows and in columns across the country to bitch about the unwritten rules of baseball. I’ve written about this topic a lot, and I’ve even wondered, what even are the unwritten rules of baseball, and why do they have to apply to the game today? They kind of don’t, nor should they.
The only people who passionately care about the unwritten rules of baseball are over the age of 60, like Gossage. In fact, Gossage cares SO much about these unwritten rules of baseball, that he’s actually written them out so that the young stars in today’s game can get to work on playing a game with significantly less fun involved. He’s going to be handing out copies of his book before an independent league game on July 6.
The bat flip. Staring at a home run too long. Pumping your first after a strikeout. Sliding into home after a walkoff home run. And the list goes on and on. Is it good for the game because it shows emotion or does it go against some unwritten code in the world of baseball? The Saints, along with former Major League pitcher and notable traditionalist Goose Gossage, will present both sides of the argument and let the fans decide with one of the more unique giveaways of the season at CHS Field.
On Wednesday, July 6 when the Saints take on the Joplin Blasters at 7:05 p.m. the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive the first of its kind Unwritten Rule Book. Coming in at more than 200 pages and 4.1” wide and 6.3” high the 2016 Official Baseball Rulebook explains everything from the layout of the field, to equipment that can be used to how a game should be scored. The 2016 Official Baseball Unwritten Rulebook will be similar in size with fewer pages and, by the end of the night; it will be packed with information that addresses baseball situations that have been hotly debated for decades. Wondering about the superstition of discussing a no-hitter? It can be in the book. What about stealing a base when you’re up 10 runs? It can be in the book. What about bunting on a pitcher throwing a no-hitter? All you have to do is flip open the book, grab a pencil and the answer can appear right before your eyes.
Guaranteed whoever Gossage’s agent is, they were like, “Man, LOOK at all this attention that your comments on the unwritten rules of baseball are getting. How do we turn this into a profit? We write the unwritten rules of baseball book, detailing everything that is fun about the game and why players should stop doing it.” It’s genius, really. I might actually read it just so that I can get upset. That’s why I never want robot umpires. Deep down, I know that I actually enjoy getting fucked over by a blown strike three call in the ninth inning. I love bitching about injustice, and this book is going to give me a full plate of that. Looking forward to it.
(h/t HBT)