On Sunday, Milwaukee Brewers manager Davey Lopes stormed out of the dugout and berated San Diego’s Rickey Henderson for stealing a base with the Padres ahead 12-5 in the seventh inning. Lopes even went so far as to threaten Henderson that, if he batted again, he would be hit with a pitch.

Lopes was angry because Rickey, one of the greatest base-stealers in the League’s history, was breaking one of the "Unwritten Rules of Baseball:" Don’t steal a base when your team is comfortably ahead or behind.

Lopes later said, "There are certain things you don't do. You don't stop competing, what you stop doing is manufacturing runs."

Huh? In baseball, isn’t that the point? To manufacture more runs than the other team? This comment is even more off-base considering that the day before, the Pittsburgh Pirates came back from an 8-3 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Astros, 9-8. I bet the Astros wish they’d stolen an extra base or two in the seventh.

It’s issues like this that keep me from being a baseball fan. Whether it’s the Yankees simply spending more than anyone else to make the World Series, or players going on strike because they want more money, or the endless bench-clearing brawls, or a manager storming out of the dugout because somebody just showed him up, it seems that egos and the "He Hate Me" attitude pervade Major League Baseball like no other pro sports league. A lot of good it did the XFL.

This one instance, of course, is just the latest in seemingly a parade of players breaking some of the "Unwritten Rules of Baseball" this season.

At the end of May, we had the "Don’t break up a pitcher’s no-hitter with a bunt late in the game."  Arizona’s Curt Schilling had a perfect game and a 2-0 lead going into the eighth inning of a game against San Diego. Padres catcher Ben Davis bunted successfully and broke up the no-hitter. Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly called Davis’ play "chicken shit."

Can you imagine telling Ray Lewis not to intercept the ball in the fourth quarter because Brett Favre hadn’t thrown an interception? Or how about telling Jaromir Jagr with five minutes to go that he’s not supposed to score because the game is 2-0 and the other goalie deserves his shut-out.

Then there’s the "Don’t show up a pitcher after a home run." Also back in May, shortstop Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies homered off Cardinals pitcher Steve Kline. After flipping his bat, Rollins put his head down and ran around the bases with Kline cursing at him the entire way. Kline later said that it would have been OK if a veteran had done it, but Rollins was a rookie and wasn’t allowed.

Someone, quick--get a note to LaDainian Tomlinson. If his Chargers haven’t scored a rushing touchdown by the 10-minute mark in the fourth quarter of any game this season, he should refrain from doing so until he’s been in the NFL at least three years.

Then, there’s maybe my favorite: "If your team’s up or down by too much, never swing as hard as you can on a 3-0 pitch." So, folks, next time you see Daunte Culpepper launch a bomb on 2^nd and 1, be sure to send your hate mail in--the Vikings should just rush for the first down and be happy with that.

Before you know it, Major League Baseball will start implementing some of the rules that exist in local softball leagues around the country like, "If your team has hit three home runs, then you have to wait until the other team has also hit three home runs before you can hit another." Or how about "You may not steal a base--it wasn’t yours in the first place."

Baseball is the only sport with these lame unwritten rules. Some die-hard fans will point to other sports and say they have similar codes. They will say that a football team up by 17 points with two minutes left won’t try to score anymore--they will kneel on the ball. Or, if a basketball team is up by 17 points with two minutes left, they’ll slow their shooting and will hold onto the ball for the full shot clock. But there’s a huge difference between those things and these unwritten rules of baseball.

Baseball’s lame rules prevent a team from competing as hard as they can, and crack the door open just a little for the other team to come back in stunning fashion. In football and basketball, holding onto the ball HELPS the team in the lead win because they can run out the clock and, thus, prevent a disastrous turnover that can lose them the game.

Some of baseball’s unwritten rules also tell an offensive player they can’t show up the defense. Absurd. Baseball is a competitive sport, and these players are getting paid millions of dollars to play it. If they don’t have the balls to take their embarrassment if they allow a home run or commit an error, then they should go bag some groceries--it did Kurt Warner a world of good.

It is time to dump this unwritten code and get on with playing the game. These athletes are paid more, are in better shape, and can do more with their bodies than they could in the 1940s when many of the rules were "un"written.

If baseball is insistent on keeping its "unwritten rules," I can think of a lot more useful ones:

"If you’re going to spit your tobacco, spit it off the field of play." "If a manager brushes dirt on an umpire’s shoes, the umpire can punch the manager without repercussion." "Players should run a mile before the game to give the impression that they’re actually exerting themselves".

When does football season start?