Dear editor,
Being first and foremost in sports a baseball fan, I read with interest Tim Dahlburg’s column in Tuesday’s Register concerning his opinion that the Houston Astros, because of cheating a few years ago, should not be in the World Series. Instead, he hints, certain players should have been banned for their role in “stealing” signs from the L.A. Dodgers during a previous series.
Be that as it may, I find his rationale to be liberally dipped in sour grapes.
No less an authority than Tony La Russa, arguably one the best baseball managers in the modern era, openly admits in George Will’s authoritative book “Men at Work” that cheating, intercepting signs given by an opponent and used to the transgressing team’s advantage, is and has been a part of the game since early in the 1900s. He notes one or more coaches, in addition to himself, and advance scouts carefully analyzed signs (touching of the face, body, whatever) game-in and game-out.
That the Astros took it to a new level with high-tech assistance is, I would assume, be expected in today social media environment.
I suppose that Dahlburg considers himself a woke sports guardian, although, I think, a bit on the arrogant side.
In a long segment written from the advantage of Will being an observer of La Russa’s daily meetings with coaches and interviews with other managers and team officials “cheating” by interpreting signs given for pitch selection, base running decisions and even positioning of defenders is a part of the game. Even to the point that signs and counter signs are used to confuse opponents, readily known to be doing the same thing. La Russa mentioned having a coach watch TV broadcasts of games, with a camera in center field showing the catcher’s signs for certain pitches, from the clubhouse during games and relaying that information to the dugout.
Ultimately, major league baseball is just a kids game played by adults — although by today’s standards highly enriching financially — and should be taken as no more and no less.
I’ve no strong favorite in this year’s series, but being a Royals and American League fan I would not be disappointed if the Astros won.
Bob Johnson,
Humboldt
