Legal Cheating in Sports?
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by Ron Sen, MD
Peter Gammons writes an article in ESPN Insider today discussing what boundaries are acceptable versus unacceptable. Much as I'd like to claim unique expertise in gaining advantage in sports, I know little enough about it to raise the subject for our passionate readers. I trust they will add their inside baseball.
I'm not talking about corked bats (or biceps) but technical aspects of the game that violate the spirit of the law.
Baseball:
- Professionals regard stealing signs as normal. Former Sox catcher Jerry Moses told me he considered Jim Fregosi one of the best. If a curve was coming he would step on second base while taking a lead, and kick it for a fastball.
- 'Peeking' back to try to steal the catcher's signal historically often gets arbitrated with chin music.
- My college coach Loyal Park taught his first basemen to obstruct runners rounding first base, tactically of course.
- The Cleveland Indians were accused of stealing signals using a center field camera.
- Framing pitches to influence umpires figuratively is cheating, but literally is acceptable.
- Is baseball armor, so common nowadays, a form of unfair advantage?
- Oversize outfield gloves are a form of stretching the rules.
- Jeffrey Maier.
- Doctoring the field (baselines, infield consistency, grass length) does not uniquely alter the game in a way that only affects one team.
- Would teams employ "Baseball Annies" to detract from visiting player performance?
- Little League has its own birth certificate scandals. When I had a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds, we were "encouraged" to subtract a year of age on our prospect cards.
Football:
- Crowd noise piped in. The Colts...do they or don't they. It doesn't matter I guess.
- Stealing signals is encouraged in baseball and legislated away (to a degree) in football. If you're dumb enough to have your signals stolen, then I guess you deserve what you get.
- Intent to injure. Maybe this belongs in hockey under Chris Simon. The NFL has tried to dispel the bounty rumors.
- Stickum is gone. Has anything replaced it? Can running backs and wideouts grease the pants a little?
- The Replacements brought cheerleader antics to the forefront. Doubtful for the No Fun League.
- Dave Lapham of the Cincinnati Bengals tells a story about Mean Joe Greene asking after his family...seconds before blasting him under the chin with a forearm 'bull rush'. Just a distraction in the NFL.
Track and Field:
- Rosie Ruiz has a Boston Marathon legend of her own, avoiding checkpoints and appearing as the false winner.
Basketball:
- The Tim Donaghy scandal has a life of its own.
- Many high school coaches in our area are believed to coach moving screens as a part of their offensive strategy.
- A fine line exists between taking charges and flopping.
- I've learned a variety of ways to draw fouls illegally through the years...
- Home team manipulation of the clock is another well known ploy to gain a subtle advantage.
Hockey:
- Hockey has rules to define acceptable stick dimensions and curvature.
- Help me out here, folks.
Clearly management, coaches, and players will always seek to identify and to exploit advantages in game play and clock management. Generally, it is difficult (though not impossible) to alter playing conditions strategically to gain meaningful advantage for your team.
Individual technique advantage can occur in the mano-a-mano battles (holding in pro football has certainly evolved), and perhaps occasionally in the interactions between coaches, players, and officials. Drawing the line between sinning and winning won't be easy, particularly when career achievements and wholly subjective career awards hang in the balance.
