Major League Baseball spring training games begin today, the first steps toward what promises to be yet another classic season of baseball.
(Though annually spiced up by an ever-changing flow of talent, the game of baseball is, for the most part, one of purity, beautiful in its form, governed by long-standing traditions. Within these traditions lie a universally-recognized set of unwritten rules that have commanded the respect of players, managers and fans for generations.
Don’t swing at the first pitch after back-to-back home runs. Don’t try to bunt for a hit to break up a no-hitter. If a teammate gets hit by an intentional pitch, the pitcher must retaliate.
These are immutable laws from which few players dare stray. And those who try to shake things up by disobeying this unwritten code of conduct might expect a 90 mph cutter to the gut in their next at-bat.
Why? Because the rules of baseball, both written and unwritten, are so respected and intrinsic to the system and its style of play that any deviation is seen as a sign of disrespect, a smear upon a definitive tradition that must be cleaned up within the course of a single game.
It’s a system that’s worked to preserve a sense of control of the game, as well as a standard of behavior, for over a century of professional baseball.
Ty Cobb’s slides into second base, his metal cleats high in the air, in 1915, merit the same in-game or next-game payback, according to the unwritten rules, that Chase Utley would have received, had he not been suspended, after taking out Ruben Tejada in the 2015 playoffs: a retaliatory curveball that “happened to slip” from the pitcher’s hand, finding its way to the arm, thigh or rear-end of the guilty party.
100 years later: same error-correction method.
But respectful adherence to the unwritten rules of other “games” is rapidly becoming defunct. In too many aspects of life, more and more individuals choose to boldly disregard unwritten rules, no longer applying them to their respective actions, creating a very different and unbridled culture, spirit and dynamic.
Take basketball. It’s an unwritten rule to shoot heavily-contested three-pointers only if the clock requires it; otherwise one should find a teammate with a clear shot or call a timeout to regroup. And yet, a player like Stephen Curry, who delights in taking—and, it should be noted, making—the most irresponsible shots over the most imposing defenders from way beyond the three-point arc, is celebrated. This tendency is a breach in the unwritten code, yet Curry has already been heralded as a legend of the sport.
And then there’s Donald Trump—who, coincidentally, is relevant to each of my columns concerning problematic topics—and his unprecedented approach toward achieving prominence in his political party. The unwritten rules of politics give clear direction. Respond with answers and opinions that won’t alienate the base. Represent the interests of the party. Don’t offend large groups of people.
These unwritten rules aren’t worthy of any consideration or adherence by Trump, nor are the more basic rules of civility ingrained on every kindergartner: play fair, clean up a mess, don’t call someone a bad name, say sorry. Even those simple unwritten rules feel most un-Trump, and, until he gets appropriately taken out by a spikes-high slide during a debate or plunked by a 90 mph important voting group, so he will remain in the race.
Our generation isn’t exempt, either, as the unwritten rules of our own lives seem to have escaped our consciousness. When do we put our phones away while in a group of people? When do we choose not to order Dominos five minutes before it closes, keeping in mind the drivers who have to work overtime? How often do we thank the hosts of our parties after helping them clean up?
We don’t. We Instagram more than we make eye contact, we deify whoever has enough battery charge to order that buzzer-beater garlic bread and we stumble drunkenly out of our friends’ homes, tossing our cups, and often our cookies, in grandiose exits without acknowledging even the existence of our hosts.
Many of us have chosen an unconscious—or at best, passive—approach to incorporating unwritten rules into our lives. Too often we exclude those rules that take too much effort, that create “awkward” situations or that could simply go unnoticed or unrewarded.
And because society, at large, has chosen to look the other way on such violations, there is no payback. No one will see the metaphorical high-inside fastball for eating their meal before others at the table get theirs. Odds are, anyway, fellow diners are all too busy playing with Snapchat filters.
But, here’s the rub: we’re giving each other permission to break the unwritten rules that made us civil human beings with respect for one another. We’re not draining three-pointers in traffic like Stephen Curry. It’s not an admirable feat. More often than not, we’re ignoring social codes, common courtesies and basic human responsibilities.
We’re Donald Trump-ing. And whether you like him or not, everyone will agree that a world full of Donald Trumps would be less-than-pleasant.
But that’s where today is exciting: it’s the first day of MLB spring-training action. There will be no bases stolen during blowouts, no exaggerated admirations of home runs, no stepping into the batter’s box while the pitcher warms up. It is understood, and it is practiced. And if these unwritten rules are broken, there is payback.
We can learn from baseball, re-embracing the necessity for the adherence to many unwritten rules. Sure, there are rules that are no longer relevant and so we get creative, when we feel we should be, pulling up for a three like Steph Curry. But we have to be aware that we are doing just that, and still maintain our humility.
Also, apparently today is also Super Tuesday? No idea how that’ll fit into this parenthetical.)
Jackson Prince is a Trinity freshman. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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