The whole process of devising and delivering baseball signs has always fascinated me.
Instant Communication – Coach from Player, Catcher from Pitcher to Player – is the secret code of the game. That appealed greatly to me.
The signs that my baseball and softball teams use, called alternatives, ranged from ridiculous to ridiculously simple.
I played on a team that each player had their own signal set. It was chaos.
On another team, the coach gave a signal that meant nothing at all. That was what he would do next. If he was completely stationary, nothing had happened. If he moved forward, it meant a bunt and stole it backwards. Devilishly simple!
Bob Maskirt
My charm has grown into a lost art of stealing signs. It is a player who stares at a coach or player who is gazing at a coach who communicates his coach more slowly than usual. What kind of clues was something happening!
The first time I remember stealing an autograph was during a Grape Belt League match. My dad was the manager of our local American Legion team and he went to us in the Grape Belt and picked up the experience of playing old teams. We were under 18 years old.
One day we were playing a team that couldn’t hit business. The Townball Club boasted of pitchers with minor league experience. He’s at Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame, so let’s start speculating.
Anyway, when I realized something unusual about the ace pitcher catcher, I was coaching a base.
Whenever he wanted a fastball, he immediately reached out one of his right hand and put in and out of his right hand. On the other pitches he wanted, he displays two or more fingers much more slowly.
Tom Preeble
I took the information back to my dad and he came up with a plan.
Our team couldn’t match the curves, sliders, drops and changeups of the ace. But we managed to hit a fastball. If the batter wanted to know when the fastball was coming – some weren’t – my dad would call him by his last name.
It worked great. We knocked their ace out of the game early and rolled into an upset victory.
My Fredonia coach Tom Provett has strictly designated two non-stars to steal the sign. One looks at the bass coach and the other monitors the manager.
Back in high school, I misunderstood the signal from Bob Muscato, the coach of Cardinal Mindszenty. Or did I do it?
As I remember, we were playing for Luckawana against Baker Victory High School.
After doubled to the left field, I somehow reached 3 base. This is an interesting place. Earlier in the season, Coach Maskirt spoke to players about articles he read in the Coaching Journal. It was on a squeeze bunt and I identified the perfect ball strike count to trigger it.
The author argued that the pitcher would likely throw a ban-troubled pitch on a three-ball, no strike count.
Well, soon, first time Smith division champion Monarch was about to test the theory. If the situation presents itself, the masker signals the batter and base runner by raising the right hand.
The early games didn’t create opportunities and nothing more was mentioned about the play. I assumed (yeah, I know what it’s made from you and me!). The play was still in effect.
Well, the count went 3 and 0 with left-handed batter Ace pitcher Terry Leja.
I looked at Coach Maskirt to the right in the third-base coaching box and he slowly raised his right hand. In my opinion, the squeeze bunt was just ordered.
When the pitcher started windup I went home. A look of surprise, worry and fear passed my teammate’s surprised face as I realized I was on my own path.
Terry had interpreted the coach’s hand gesture as a “no swing” signal, which made him naturally confused.
I quickly realized there were no squeeze bunts from Terry.
Director Muscato said, “What are you doing, Hammond? Back here!”
The fuss clearly surprised the pitcher, so he threw four balls into the dirt, which bouncing off the fence.
I got up early and scored and won the game.
Director Mascato later questioned my crazy dash and I explained my rationale. He was skeptical, but made sure to proceed with our signal (realistic and imagined) before every game from that day.
On my bus trip, I fought a losing battle with the team’s scorekeeper. He wanted to praise my run on the wild pitch, but I wanted to call it a house steal. It would have been the only thing in my career. Ah, well, I think it could have easily gotten worse. It’s even worse.
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Did your team use unusual signals? What did they do? Please let me know at mandpp@hotmail.com
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Bill Hammond is a sports editor for the former Evening Observer
Buffalo State Women’s Basketball Nysphsaa far West Regionals Friday March 14th class…
Buffalo State Women’s Basketball Nysphsaa far West Regionals Friday March 14th class…
