Joe McCarthy's Ten Commandments for Success : A Legendary List on Baseball Almanac

Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball

Joe McCarthy knew success. His winning percentage as a Major League manager is second to none and his seven World Championships are a record that has only been tied - by a fellow National Baseball Hall of Fame manager named Casey Stengel.

Given that success it is safe to say that if McCarthy were to speak, people & players would listen. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball — a truly legendary list that first appeared in print in the Boston Herald in 1949.

"Never a day went by when you didn't learn something from (Joe) McCarthy." - Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio

Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball by Joe McCarthy (1949)
#	Commandment
1.	Nobody ever became a ballplayer by walking after a ball.
2.	You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.
3.	An outfielder who throws in back of a runner is locking the barn after the horse is stolen.
4.	Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.
5.	When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.
6.	Do not alibi on bad hops. Anybody can field the good ones.
7.	Always run them out. You never can tell.
8.	Do not quit.
9.	Do not fight too much with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.
10.	A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything.
Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball by Joe McCarthy

Did you know that Joe McCarthy was often called "Marse Joe" and during his entire career at the helm he never finished out of the first division?

Famous firsts? How about that Joe McCarthy was the first manager to win pennants from both the National League (1929 Chicago Cubs) and American League (1932 New York Yankees)? How about that he was also the first manager in Major League history to win four consecutive World Championships (1936 through 1939)?

Joe McCarthy managed the Chicago Cubs from 1926 through 1930, the New York Yankees from 1931 through 1946, and the Boston Red Sox from 1948 through 1950; however, McCarthy never played a single game in the Major Leagues before, during, or after his managerial career.

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