Tango Tiger's site has a long list of unethical acts throughout baseball history. It's part of a project to try to crowd-source how unethical certain actions are considered to be by the fans.
Beyond that though, it's a pretty interesting list, and shows just how much time, thought, effort and creativity have gone into cheating and gamesmanship throughout baseball history.
Some of my favorite entries:
Potato: "It wasn't a major league game, to be sure, but the bizarre potato story is worth recounting. The Double A Williamsport club was mired 27 games out of first place in an Aug. 31, 1987, game against the Reading Phillies. Rick Lundblade was the runner at third for the Phillies when the enterprising Williamsport backstop, Dave Bresnahan, called time out. He ambled over to the dugout, supposedly to replace his ripped catcher's glove, an act that raised no eyebrows. Then he walked back to his position with a new glove, and, it turned out, a nicely peeled potato hidden on his person.
After catching his pitcher's next offering, Bresnahan chucked the potato far over the third baseman's head out into left field, in what appeared to be a wild pickoff attempt. Lundblade scampered home, only to be tagged out with the game ball by Bresnahan. When the umpiring crew finally figured out what had happened, they ruled that Lundblade had, in fact, scored. They tossed Bresnahan out of the game and fined him $50. Bresnahan was then let go by the Williamsport club, which nonetheless held a special promotion on the last day of the season, admitting any fan with a potato for $1. It seemed all had been forgotten; Bresnahan was brought back to the park by the Williamsport team for the special day and assigned the task of autographing the potatoes."
Cut the corner: "In 1880s and 1890s, many runners would cut the corner from first to third, without touching second, if they thought the lone umpire wasn't looking. They tried to do the same between second and home. This prompted a new rule in 1897, namely that a runner had to touch every base in order.
Note this wonderful anecdote from the classic baseball book, The Glory of Their Times: In the days before the rule was enacted, Cincinnati first baseman Jake Beckley scored from second on a hit to the outfield, although it was unclear if he had stopped at third en route. Umpire Timothy Hurst, a rough-and-tumble brawler himself, ruled that Beckley was out. This was a surprising call, since there had been no play at the plate. Basically, Hurst made the call on general principles. "What do you mean, I'm out?" queried the surprised Beckley. "You big S.O.B. You got here too quick," responded Hurst."
There's quite a variety of others, ranging from horrifying to silly. I found it to be an interesting and thought-provoking list on its own, apart from the ethics project.
Beyond that though, it's a pretty interesting list, and shows just how much time, thought, effort and creativity have gone into cheating and gamesmanship throughout baseball history.
Some of my favorite entries:
Potato: "It wasn't a major league game, to be sure, but the bizarre potato story is worth recounting. The Double A Williamsport club was mired 27 games out of first place in an Aug. 31, 1987, game against the Reading Phillies. Rick Lundblade was the runner at third for the Phillies when the enterprising Williamsport backstop, Dave Bresnahan, called time out. He ambled over to the dugout, supposedly to replace his ripped catcher's glove, an act that raised no eyebrows. Then he walked back to his position with a new glove, and, it turned out, a nicely peeled potato hidden on his person.
After catching his pitcher's next offering, Bresnahan chucked the potato far over the third baseman's head out into left field, in what appeared to be a wild pickoff attempt. Lundblade scampered home, only to be tagged out with the game ball by Bresnahan. When the umpiring crew finally figured out what had happened, they ruled that Lundblade had, in fact, scored. They tossed Bresnahan out of the game and fined him $50. Bresnahan was then let go by the Williamsport club, which nonetheless held a special promotion on the last day of the season, admitting any fan with a potato for $1. It seemed all had been forgotten; Bresnahan was brought back to the park by the Williamsport team for the special day and assigned the task of autographing the potatoes."
Cut the corner: "In 1880s and 1890s, many runners would cut the corner from first to third, without touching second, if they thought the lone umpire wasn't looking. They tried to do the same between second and home. This prompted a new rule in 1897, namely that a runner had to touch every base in order.
Note this wonderful anecdote from the classic baseball book, The Glory of Their Times: In the days before the rule was enacted, Cincinnati first baseman Jake Beckley scored from second on a hit to the outfield, although it was unclear if he had stopped at third en route. Umpire Timothy Hurst, a rough-and-tumble brawler himself, ruled that Beckley was out. This was a surprising call, since there had been no play at the plate. Basically, Hurst made the call on general principles. "What do you mean, I'm out?" queried the surprised Beckley. "You big S.O.B. You got here too quick," responded Hurst."
There's quite a variety of others, ranging from horrifying to silly. I found it to be an interesting and thought-provoking list on its own, apart from the ethics project.
