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bballman
364 Posts |
 Posted - 03/10/2010 : 17:34:57
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quote:
Originally posted by bturner
What is everyones thoughts on stealing signs?
I see it (or hear it) every weekend.
Here is my take:
I dont like it in youth baseball because there is not a accepatble penalty. In High School and above a pitcher will send a message with an inside fatball. If that does'nt work the next one may be in the ear hole. Before anyone gets carried away I said High School and above. You cant do that in youth baseball. That is my problem with it.
Here is the original post. Says nothing about parents. This poster just feels it isn't justified because you can't (or shouldn't) bean someone at the youth level. I say there is a difference at the youth level because of the danger of injury. With stealing signs, there is no danger of injury.
You don't have to bean someone to get them to stop stealing your signs. You just change them. Make it a part of your game and the players game to make sure the other team is not stealing signs. If they are change them. You don't have to throw at someone for your signs to stop being stolen.
We can debate this all we want, but the fact is, signs will be stolen. Even if a coach doesn't encourage it, if the kids are into the game, they will be trying to figure it out at some point. Don't be too obvious with your signs. If you do it right, they won't be stolen. |
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teddy41
139 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 20:46:40
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| valid point, but i would still like to know if gman condones parents doing it and if it wouldnt be better to let kids learn to see a pitch. Go to a real good high school or college game and see if you hear daddy calling pitches for little johnny to show how much he knows. He would get tossed by the coach in a heartbeat. There is no reason to have to change signs at this level age 10-13 and it is not hard to pick them off. I have been to many major and world level tournaments and yet to hear it happen, only at the local level with modest teams. So anyway lets hope for dry weather this weekend. I know triple crown is already on the fence. |
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G-Man
141 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 20:52:55
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quote:
Originally posted by teddy41
G maybe you did not see the original post where the issue was parents outside the gate calling pitches to kids at the plate. If you played or coached at a high level or low level you must agree that is BS. You seem like a credible guy.
Oh yes I do agree with that. Parents shouldnt be calling pitches or catcher location. I would say that those type parents should be thrown out of the park. Its one thing to steal signs and relay them to your players by signals as a coach or player but its another issue if parents behind the fence are calling out pitch locations and where a catcher is setting up on the plate.
Sorry I must have misunderstood the original post. |
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bballman
364 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 08:25:33
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Teddy, I could be wrong as my son didn't play travel till he was 12 and is 16 now, so we have been out of the youth game for a while. But maybe you don't see it happening at the major level and big events because the teams are much more subtle about it. I'm not talking about parents, I'm talking about teams. I don't remember what age I started seeing this, maybe 12 or 13, the kids on our team would start trying to steal signs from the coach to the catcher. They would have it worked out amongst them selves how they would relay that to the batter. It was something along the lines of - if they said his name while cheering, it was a fastball and if they said his number it was a curveball. Coaches did not initiate this. I know, I was one of the coaches. It was the kids doing it. My son came and told me what they were doing. I was the pitching coach calling pitches. If my catcher caught them picking up our signs, he would either come to me between innings and say "coach, they got our signs" or he would do the twirling finger to let me know. We would change indicator and it would be over.
There was no big event that would let everybody at the park know that signs were being stolen. If you were sitting in the bleachers, you would never have suspected the strategy going on around it. I have also noticed, the higher level a team plays at, the less vocal the parents are. I think the parents of the higher level kids have more respect for the game than to be doing this.
So I guess my point is, just because you don't see stealing signs going on at the major level or big tournaments, doesn't mean it's not happening. It's very possibly being dealt with as a part of the game. |
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teddy41
139 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 16:08:48
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| Yep.thats my point. major teams do it with class, others do it with dad behind the fence |
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mikewells
45 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 22:26:35
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WOW !! if your gonna pitch a fit your signs being stolen you dont belong in the game of baseball !!
if you dont appreciate the art and tradition of stealing the other teams signs then gotcha you never played baseball !!
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gabandit
22 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 09:55:56
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Mike,
I believe that you are missing the point of my post. There is a distinct difference between Adult coaches of Youth baseball stealing signs from 10 yr old catchers and relaying them to their batters vs. what occurs in the Major Leagues... If the coaches that are on this board do not recognize that then I am glad that my son never played for you.
Be careful of generalizations... I played D1, was drafted and played up to the AA level...
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gasbag
198 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 10:05:56
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My 2 cents...
Players observing and figuring out signs and tips is a great part of their baseball development
Coaches teaching players to observe and figure out signs and tipoffs etc. is a fundamental part of coaching...just like teaching them situational baseball and what to expect and when etc.
Adults and fans trying to figure it out and yelling it out etc is IDIOTIC ! Let the athletes play the game. You are a fan so keep it that way. Shut up and eat your nacho's, stadium dog and fries with your diet coke and enjoy the game....cause it passed you by and now it's your kids time...not yours !
Now with that said, when observing signs, tipoffs and tendencies etc., it needs to be done with the subtlety that the game deserves and the other team deserves. No need to broadcast it and no need anyone should even have any idea you are doing it ! Nobody like their nose rubbed in something so do it smoothly and in a stealth like fashion.
...just my 2 cents ! |
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mrbama31
113 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 10:45:08
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| True Story...Both teams involved were MAJOR teams in the 11yr old division a few years back. The team we were playing against had a player on their team that is the son of a MAJOR University head baseball coach here in Georgia. His Dad would sit in the stands and steal signs from the pitching coach to the catcher and rely them to not only his son but the entire team. I called him out on it. I played in the SEC AND professionally....I thought it was pathetic. I told him congrats.. you are smarter than an 11yr old. We did change our signs and we beat them several times that year. But he was always trying to steal signs. |
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jaguars18
73 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 12:38:25
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| Come on now you guys don't like teams borrowing players but you do like dad stealing signs from a youth team to win a game? Is it more important to teach kids to hit breaking balls or off spead pitches or to win a game? Feel free to post your baseball resume for us all to view. |
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whits23
187 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 13:07:38
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I had a coach tell me in a game recently, "we have their signals do you want them" i said "hell no i want my kids to learn to see a curveball by the pitchers hand or rotation on the ball" when he gets to high school coach aint going to tell him whats coming.
The other thing is if you think most kids can throw what is called or locate it where its called good luck.
However i will steal your campaign sign out of your yard if i do not like it and you can tell me where radar is located on the way to the park. |
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Topic |
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Stealing Signs
