Continued from Post #2586

The roots of cheating likely extend back to a childhood park or a card table. The habit might include not counting that extra stroke on the golf course. Sadly, people get used to cheating and think nothing of it. They may not even know that they’re doing it. Accusations lead to fights or worse. Plus, it’s a hard habit to break because cheaters can sometimes prosper and losing is out of the question. 

As for cheating in baseball, it’s too often looked at as simply gaining an advantage. Pitchers have long doctored baseballs to get an edge. The spitball is a perfect example of how the surface of the ball is altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. Scuffing the ball by using an emery board or sandpaper also violates Major League Baseball rules. The illegal emery ball was banned in 1914 and the spitball in 1920. There was, however, a grandfather clause that allowed 17 active pitchers to continue to throw their suspicious stuff. Burleigh Arland Grimes, “Ol Stubblebeard” was the last to throw the legal spitter in 1934. He pitched in four World Series over the course of a 19-year career with the Pittsburg Pirates, Brooklyn Robins, New York Giants, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees, some of these teams multiple times. Grimes was the National League strikeout leader in 1921 and managed the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937-1938. He was given a license to cheat, while most just enjoyed getting away with it.  

Gaylord Perry wrote a book about cheating in 1974, “Me and the Spitter,” detailing how he doctored balls with saliva and other substances during his 22-year career. He obviously enjoyed getting away with cheating, earning the Cy Young Award at the age of 40. When he started pitching in 1962, it was 42-years past the grandfather clause. Another familiar name of that era is Joe Niekro who was caught with an emery board and a small scrap of sandpaper in 1987. He was ejected and suspended for 10-days. Elwin Charles “Preacher” Roe, a five-time All Star, who pitched for 12 seasons, was featured in a 1955 Sports Illustrated article entitled “The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch.”

Applying a sticky substance such as pine tar to the baseball may unfairly improve grip. It can enhance the spin rate, resulting in great movement as the ball leaves the hand. The only legal substance that pitchers may use is rosin, via a rosin bag kept on the mound. Since illegal substances are often hidden elsewhere on the body, it’s difficult to enforce. However, in the modern game, pitchers are checked as they come off the field each inning and balls are carefully examined. Seattle Mariners pitcher, Hector Santiago, was the first to be ejected due to the new 2021 rules. Yankees pitcher, Michael Pineda was ejected and suspended for 10-games after being caught with a smear of pine tar on his neck in 2014. He’s even got “pine” in his last name. His explanation was that he wasn’t cheating but rather trying to protect the batter from getting hit. 

These new rules were in response to increasing spin rates, part due to skill but also perhaps the result of a new grip enhancer that was on the market, Spider Tack. Designed for weightlifting, it was just another foreign substance requiring umpire education. Four Minor League pitchers received 10-game suspensions as the new rules began to be enforced. It’s a good example of how to cheat a cheater. 

Grip enhancers are also a factor with bats, just ask George Brett. His bat violated the little known 18-inch pine tar rule. In 1983 with two outs in the 9th, the Kansas City All-Star hit a two-run homer to take a 5-4 lead over the Yankees. Controversial manager Billy Martin struck again, arguing that the runs should not be allowed. Umpire Tim McClelland agreed with him and Brett had to be restrained. The game was and the call stood until American League president Lee McPhail ordered the game to be resumed after the overruled homer was counted with the Royals up by one. It became a fiasco on the field, with Martin ultimately ejected after employing numerous shenanigans and stall tactics. Oddly, the Commissioner did not get involved.

In addition to pine tar that is a messy, obvious application to the bat, it may be what’s hidden inside that makes it illegal. Substituting cork for solid wood makes the bat lighter, allowing a quicker swing. Cheaters who have been suspended for using a corked bat include Sammy Sosa, Albert Belle, Wilton Guerro, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher, José Guillén, and Miguel Olivo. A more creative Greg Nettles was caught using a bat loaded with Super Balls in 1974, but was not suspended. Like any aspect of cheating, some get caught and others don’t. Amos Otis and Norm Cash later admitted using corked bats during Major League Baseball game. 

It sometimes takes teamwork to cheat. Sign stealing is a good (or bad) example. Also, it’s not a modern-day trick, dating back to reports from 1900 regarding the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s one thing to figure out what your opponent will do next, and another to use technology for this purpose. Two notable examples include the 1951 New York Giants, who cheated using a telescope and buzzer system, and the camera employed by the 2017-2018 Houston Astros. The Boston Red Sox were fined in 2017 for using an Apple Watch to relay stolen signals. They also had their video replay operator suspended for the 2020 season for use of replay to decode sign sequences from games in 2018. These types of violations are tough to crack down on, so it often logically takes a cheater to find a cheater. 

Of course, the most abused cheating violation in any sport is undoubtedly performance enhancing drugs. For years, baseball players used amphetamines and steroids to enhance physical performance. It was probably a direct result of World War II where soldiers were often treated with Dexedrine and Benzedrine and brought them back to their teammates when they returned to baseball. Evidence began to emerge in 1985 during the Pittsburg Drug trials. Dave Parker and Dale Berra testified that Willie Stargell provided them with these drugs, while John Milner claimed that Willie Mays used them. Anabolic steroids were banned by baseball in 1991, but no program was established for drug testing.

I personally think that there’s a fine line between ingesting drugs and using surgical procedures when it comes to enhancing performance. Eye surgery can make a player see better, while surgery can correct skeletal and muscular deficiencies. Would the “Bionic Man” be allowed to play ball? Although maybe an unrealistic example, this enhancement of strength and sight through surgery could be considered cheating. Or, is it just the necessary, smart thing to do?

I been to all kinds of parties – beer, pizza, birthday, anniversary, wine tasting, graduation, surprise, garden, cocktail, tea, beach, bonfire, Christmas, bachelor, costume, dinner, farewell, pool, Super Bowl, potluck, karaoke, and dance, to name a few.  Last night, was my first RIP party. No, not a funeral wake!
This is an event where you “rip” open packs of baseball cards. In this case, 12 sealed boxes were involved including Big League Blasters (BL), Chrome Update Blasters, Heritage Blasters, Series 1 Monster, Archive Signature Series, UK Edition Hobby, Heritage High Number Hobby, Update Series, and Bowman Hobby. Each partygoer was randomly assigned a team after paying an entry fee and gets to keep those respective cards. 

Last night’s big winner, or hit, was the Dodgers and a signed/numbered rookie Bowman by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who just picked up a victory at Yankee Stadium. I drew the Cincinnati Reds and got numerous versions of rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz, who may set a league record for stolen bases. 

I arrived fashionably early at Blue Breaks Card Shop and was surprised to find that I was the only one there. I was anticipating an opportunity to meet the other players, but instead it turned out to be an online event. I had even foolishly taken some cards to trade. It was an indication of my age and old-fashioned expectations of social interaction. Instead, I ended up quietly observing the show from their back office. It reminded me of being in the studio watching a live TV show or newscast, as I often did before retiring from that business. The hosts of the show did all the ripping and staged the effort to make it more exciting. 

For me, after all these years, there’s nothing more thrilling than opening a pack of baseball cards. Once upon a time, it was also the smell of stale bubble gum, and even longer ago tobacco. It was interesting to see all the different types of cards available on the market, when as a kid, Topps was the only brand available for many years and then proceeded to buy up most of their competitors. Now, Topps has a line of various Major League licensed card products like Allen & Gunter, Bowman, Stadium Club, Heritage, etc. 

I was expecting a party where there was more social interaction than simply an online chat. I envisioned us sitting at tables talking about our favorite teams and exchanging stories and duplicates. I was lucky that the let me behind the scenes to watch but felt foolish about my expectations as a member of an older generation that once did everything face-to-face.