Unwritten: Behind Baseball's Secret Rules

As baseball’s postseason approaches, how do the Unwritten Rules change or do they? Jimmy and Ron discuss the biggest Unwritten Rules of the playoffs.

7-time All-Star SS Michael Young has gone from the field to the Rangers front office. He joins Ron & Jimmy to discuss all the different unwritten rules surrounding contracts, free agency, arbitration and all things $$ in MLB.

Ron & Jimmy get into spitballs, pine tar, sticky stuff and all sorts of equipment edges players try to take advantage of. What’s fair game and what’s too far?

Albert Pujols joins the show again to discuss player / manager relationships. Ron & Albert on what it’s like to play for Tony LaRussa; Jimmy on getting benched by Charlie Manuel. And what is the ideal player / manager dynamic?

Jimmy & Ron go over everything from who controls the music to clubhouse fights and the dynamic with the clubhouse attendants. Plus the time Jimmy & Cliff Lee almost came to blows in the Phillies clubhouse.

Jimmy and Ron dive into the art of trash talking - on and off the field - and name the best trash talkers in the game. One of them might be Jimmy, who started a war of words with the Mets in 2007 by calling the Phillies the ‘team to beat." And the Mets never recovered. 

Road trips, card games, plane seating, shopping and the best cities to go out in. Ron & Jimmy talk about it all and there is no better guest than Ryan Dempster to discuss the Unwritten Rules of the Road - and where to get a limo if you're in LA.

Ron & Jimmy dive into all the different dynamics of sign stealing. Jomboy - Jimmy O’Brien - exposed the Astros sign stealing scandal and explains how he figured it out. Plus Jomboy’s cutting edge approach to creating baseball content and the three discuss what’s fair game and what’s too far when it comes to sign stealing.

Ron and Jimmy discuss the Unwritten rules of how to act as a rookie…and how to treat rookies. Albert Pujols joins the show to tell the story of how he thought he got sent down when he made the team and his journey from rookie to superstar veteran.

Ron and Jimmy both made the move to the dark side - the media - after their playing careers. They discuss objectivity, criticism, and what goes on behind the mic with legendary MLB announcer Bob Costas.

Ron tells the story of a teammate who was cut for staying in the dugout during a brawl. Jimmy went looking for the middle of a brawl against the Braves when he was stopped dead in his tracks by this week's guest: Gary Sheffield. Gary joins the show and also tells the story of one brawl that went from the field, to the VIP room at a club, to his local bar years later.

Jimmy and Ron were both named to All-Star teams and there are plenty of Unwritten Rules around MLB's Mid-Summer Classic. Who do you have a catch with? Who can you take pictures with? Plus Jimmy gets ready to manage in the MLB Futures game.

Ron & Jimmy peel back the curtain on those heart to heart discussions with the men in blue. Longtime MLB Umpire Fieldin Culbreth joins the show. What’s the dynamic between player and umpire? Manager and umpire? And what are those magic words to get tossed?

Don’t run up the score. Don’t steal or swing 3-0 when your team is up big late. What’s the cutoff and why did this rule actually start in the first place?

The Hidden Ball Trick, chatting up an opponent, faking out a baserunner - all of these are forms of baseball ‘Gamesmanship.’ But some are fair game and others are 'bush league.' Sean Casey joins Jimmy & Ron to discuss. Sean has an A-Rod story (of course), plus how Sean pulled a fast one on slugger Henry Rodriguez - as a rookie! - without even knowing it.

Don’t talk to a pitcher - or even mention a no-hitter - when a pitcher is throwing a no-no. Right? Jimmy & Ron discuss the Unwritten rules for players, teammates, broadcasters, social media and more. Jimmy takes us through Roy Halladay's playoff no-hitter vs the Reds and Ron once took a no-hitter into extras. But it time to put this silly superstition it to bed?

A good hard slide vs a late slide vs a dirty slide. Jimmy was in the dugout and Ron in the broadcast booth for one of the most debated slides of the last 10 years: Chase Utley’s takeout slide of Rubén Tejada at second base in the 2015 NLDS. That slide changed the written rule…what about the Unwritten rules?

Ron & Jimmy discuss the rules of ‘keeping score’ - and they’re not talking about the final score. Larry Bowa joins the show. There is one active manager Larry & Jimmy both despise in these situations. Plus, Larry shares some stories about when he would call for a guy to get hit. 

Guest: Larry Bowa

Jose Bautista’s bat flip heard ‘round the world in the 2015 postseason changed everything. Jimmy Rollins & Ron Darling define the Unwritten Rules behind bat flips, Jimmy got cursed out by an opponent for bat flipping as a rookie and Ron has become a bat flip enthusiast. Plus, the international influence behind bat flips and why they should be here to stay.