Unwritten Rules

If you are playing in the major leagues, one thing you don’t want to do is bunt in the ninth inning, trying to spoil the pitcher’s no-hitter. Big no-no. It’s an unwritten rule of baseball. Perhaps the church has a few unwritten rules. What are they?

The baseball season now is in full swing. The reigning World Series champions, the Washington Nationals, are hoping to retain the crown.

Baseball, like any sport, has rules. Most of these rules are codified in a complex document that has been revised and ratified at various times by the owners of the baseball clubs in Major League Baseball. You follow these official rules, and if you don’t, you pay a penalty.

But baseball has unwritten rules as well. Some of these include:

• Do not bunt to break up a no-hitter.
  
  
• Do not spend your time admiring a home run you hit.
  
  
• Do not steal bases if your team is ahead by a significant amount.
  
  
• Do not try to steal signs while standing in the batter’s box.
  
  
• Do not speak to a pitcher who is in the process of throwing a no-hitter.
  
  
• A pitcher should not indicate displeasure if one of his fielders commits an error.

 

If a player violates an unwritten rule, he probably knows that the next time he steps into the batter’s box,...