Three words:
Bitch Sox bitch.

ndtf said it perfectly

Stealing signs is cheating?

Stealing signs has been a part of baseball since day one.

You don't want them to get your signs? Mix up the order. Change your "tell" sign every couple batters,

Or, in the immortal words of BatGirl, "quit whining and grow a pair"

reaction from Rangers in today's Dallas Morning News. click my name for the link.

Buehrle is a total assclown.

God Buehrle, quit being such a pansy.

I'm going to go with another BG quote from a while back..."Put your playing where your bitching is, boys!"

Of course, Boss Guillen comes through again with the class: "The way Buehrle pitched yesterday, it seemed they didn't need signs. Everything was right down the middle of the plate."

Oh, Mark, you whiner. Shall we call a waaambulance?

It's ironic that it's Buehrle that's bitching about this. Isn't he, like, the fastest pitcher out there? I mean, at the rate he pitches, there's no way that someone could read the sign and communicate it to the batter before the ball leaves his hand.

k-bro

You've got to be kidding me. He can't be serious? Total assclown.

He's just unnerved because Batgirl exposed his deal with the devil, but he can't SAY that, so this is his excuse.

Oh, honestly. I guess it's cheating to run too fast or dive for line drives too effectively, as well.

Dear readers,

BG believes wholeheartedly that signaling batters about the pitches using the light system would, in fact, be cheating. But she also believes the whole notion is quite wacko.

Sincerely,
BG

Gardy on 'CCO:

"I think they cheat, too. They cheat by drafting good hitters."

Lol. Gotta love Gardy.

I agree. A runner on 2B stealing signs and signaling them to the batter is one thing. Using technology from off-field is another. But this whole thing reminds me a lot of the Tigers' accusations of the Twins using the Dome's A/C fans to cheat.

Every time I start to think that Buehrle isn't all THAT bad, he pull some ass-monkey bitching like this.

This all reminds me of that commercial on FSN where the guys watching on TV see the sign and it gets relayed back to the Dome.

Hey, I posted this two days ago in the Nick Punto BOD thread.

/sigh

Dearest Mr. Eric,

BG apologizes. Sometimes she misses things. She does try not to.

Woefully,
BG

If this were the case, they wouldn't currently be buried in the Wild Card and Division races.

...Crybaby.

No doubt--cheating goes on all of the time in baseball--like the old play with opening the doors in the HHH Metrodome to change the wind.

To everyone just joining in, it has been statements like this over the years that have earned the White Sox the moniker "Bitch Sox" by the BatCommunity.

I'm glad that Guillen took the high road, even if he had to dump on his pitcher to do so.

A very sad RD would rather have an ass-clown pop-off of a lefthander like Buehrle than an offense that cranks out 13 hits and no runs.

I'm going to watch soccer.

For a system like that to have a prayer, it could only be used against very slow pitchers. I'm talking Kenny Rogers, here. Buehrle? Not a chance.

Besides, there are much easier and faster ways of relaying a stolen sign, if that's what a team wanted to do! "The Hidden Language of Baseball" gives about a dozen real-life examples, and that's just one book.

Dear Blonde Bat-Girl

Not really off topic , but a different kind of cheating. If guys like Raffy and Swinging Sammy are going to be judge differently now for the HOF because of the steriods or even kept out because of them, what about pitchers that doctor the ball ?

Gaylord Perry and Whitey Ford are two guys that never meet a ball they didn't lube up in some form,(out of the gutter, you sickos) but yet they are HOFers.

Is this a double standard in cheating ?

Confuzzled
mike

p.s. gentleman truly do prefer blondes.

I think he needs to stop whining and start playing. If he thinks they are cheating he better tell his team to step it up and play better. Or maybe just go and pitch. And tell his team later, but I don't think a whole article is really nesscery. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I think.

mike-

Interesting column about that very subject if you click my name.

good column Eric , but I say double standard. I have a feeling if so new pitcher came along and started to break a ton of records in Ks, wins, and CYs and there were rumors of spitters people might get a little more upset.

Whitey and Gaylord both have good personalities and think that helps soften their images a bit.

Buehrle didn't mention how much better opposing hitters do in Texas. Or how much worse Rangers pitchers are at home.

m&m,
obviously, they're stealing the signs for the visiting team too! those bastards!
-amr

Last week, I speak out against the "Bitch Sox" moniker.

Thanks for making me look good, Mark.

Squirrley says it's the only way to explain the Rangers hitting 27 points higher at home than on the road.

Somebody better figure out how the Yankees are doing it - - they're hitting 37 points better at home than on the road.

Stupid Bitch Sox.

I don't think Buerhle needed to air this out, whether or not it's true. For that matter, I have seen no dead solid proof of this occuring. But, I also don't think the idea is totally ridiculous (especially coming from Showalter's team, since he's been accused of this for years with other teams).

There is quite a plethora of circumstantial evidence to take in. Here are 3 pieces to consider...

1. Texas' mid-lineup hitters

The middle of Texas' lineup isn't just doing better at home. They are doing staggeringly better. To whit, their 3-4-5 hitters...

M.Teixeira
Home, 254 AB, .325 AVG, 25 HR, 69 RBI, 59 R, 37 K, 1.063 OPS
Away, 270 AB, .252 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 33 R, 65 K, .744 OPS

H.Blalock
Home, 261 AB, .314 AVG, 19 HR, 56 RBI, 48 R, 54 K, .941 OPS
Away, 270 AB, .237 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 22 R, 54 K, .624 OPS

A.Soriano
Home, 254 AB, .327 AVG, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 51 R, 39 K, 1.028 OPS
Away, 262 AB, .237 AVG, 11 HR, 27 RBI, 37 R, 62 K, .675 OPS

all the other Rangers hitters have very comparable home/away spilts, but these 3 have ridiculous splits, and they are the 3 who fit the profile of the type of players who you would assist if you were to cheat.

here's their combined numbers

Home, 769 AB, .322 AVG, 64 HR, 186 RBI, 158 R, 130 K, 1.010 OPS
Away, 802 AB, .242 AVG, 24 HR, 86 RBI, 92 R, 181 K, .681 OPS

***NOTE: These stats compiled by a blogger elsewhere, but I checked them myself. Just to be fair, I did cut and paste some of the above stats.***

Pretty ridiculous - an 80 point jump in average, and triple the power numbers. Possible, but seemingly unlikely by chance or ballpark effect.

2. When it happens

The Sox played four games against the Rangers. In the three games Pierzynski caught, with known pitchers, Rangers were knocking down the walls with hits.

The one game when Chris Widger, the little-used backup catcher with a different set of signs, and Brandon McCarthy, an unknown pitcher who just changed his mechanics? Rangers had a grand total of 2 hits, no runs.

3. Buerhle

You can not like him all you want. And you can say the Sox bitch a lot, 'cause, at least in past seasons, you're right.

But I challenge you to find Buerhle having done it. Ever. He's never been anything other than a guy who takes responsibility for his pitching alone. He wouldn't say it if it weren't at least possible, IMHO.

And FYI, while stealing signs ON the field is technically allowed, using anyone or anything OFF the field is against the rules.

Dear Mr. Matt

I think if you looked around the league you would notice that most teams play better in their own stadium. The Phillies, Cubs, and Reds all play in parks that allow for more hrs and I'm sure if you looked at the team numbers that those teams would have more at home then away.

As other people have stated if the Sox think that the rangers are stealing signs, change your signs or have them come from the dugout.

Calling people cheaters after a loss is just, well, bitchy. And just beacuse a player knows what pitch is next doesn't mean they can hit it. I have seen plenty of games were everyone in the stadium knew a fastball was next, that doesn't mean it will be hit.

Hey Buerhle.... Suck it up, princess !

mike

Has Buehrle been eating Crazy Carl's breakfast cereal? 'Cause bitchy is one thing, but this one is just nuts.

Mr. Mike-

I of course understand that players play better (usually) at home, and in particular, batters to better in hitting ballparks.

But that should NOT result in the kind of jump seen above. Using ESPN stats, the Ballpark Factor numbers seem to indicate a general multiplier of 1.090 for that park - a roughly 10% jump in offensive numbers.

The jumps exhibited here are far outside of that - by numerous times over.

I'm not saying it's true - I'm saying it's not a ridiculous idea.

And you are right, if they changed the signs or did other things, the situation could be addressed.

Matt, I don't discount your theory as plausible otherwise but your comment:

"and they are the 3 who fit the profile of the type of players who you would assist if you were to cheat."

is really taking subjective liberty. Players 1-9, (AL) are professional baseball players/hitters. You can not just throw out 2/3 of the data because it doesn't fit your hypothesis. The parameters of the "stealing" set forth would/should benefit all.

Your theory on the catcher variable could work both ways: 1) AJ's signs being more recognizable as you have stated; 2) AJ and his battery mate(s) calling a flawed game where these 3 hitters are concerned...in a park that may play to their strengths...either poor scouting or poor execution of the scouting report.

Another theory: Certain teams have become slaves to the computer and preparing for pitchers by video tape. Some players embrace this more than others. However, when a AAA hurler is called up...or any pitcher with little enough experience that players do not have access to his wares via electronic media, these same hitters can look pretty silly. My home team went through an entire season of very telltale games such as this. We used to joke that any team facing ours should call up enough random arms just for that series. Did I mention my team's manager used to be Buck Showalter?

By the way, an extention of this theory is the pitchers-tipping-their-pitches theory. Again, with more video available on established arms, it's much easier to find the nuances of adjustments made pitch-to-pitch.

Oh and in 2002 and 2003, Soriano's (the only one I checked) stats were reversed. Was he stealing signs on the road?