Garrett Park, MD (WFN) -- Habits like spitting and crotch-grabbing are repulsive in polite society but they're actually intricate codes on the baseball diamond.

According to baseball buff Paul Dickson, ballplayers have all sorts of ballsy ways of communicating with each other on the field.

One coach might tell a player to steal a base by grabbing his crotch and another might predict a pitch by spitting out of the left side of his mouth.

It gets pretty dirty at times: Tony LaRussa used to communicate with players with an elaborate system based on how he scraped mud off his cleats.

Dickson discusses baseball signals in a new book, "The Hidden Language Of Baseball: How Signs And Sign-Stealing Have Influenced The Course Of Our National Pastime" (Walker Books).

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