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New Little League rules regarding sign stealing


kylejt
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Provides umpires guidance regarding unsportsmanlike behavior. Additionally, clarifies that the local league may determine if stealing and relaying of pitch selection and location is considered unsportsmanlike. (Page 115 in Baseball; 110 in Softball; 76 in Challenger).

Summary:

Each umpire has authority to disqualify any player, coach, manager, or substitute for objecting to decisions or for unsportsmanlike conduct or language and to eject such disqualified person from the playing field. If an umpire disqualifies a player while a play is in progress, the disqualification shall not take effect until no further action is possible in that play.

NOTE: The local league has the option to adopt this rule application. The stealing and relaying of signs to alert the batter of pitch selection and/or location is unsportsmanlike behavior. If, in the judgment of the umpire, this behavior is occurring, both the player and the manager may be ejected from the game.

 

Now, as a long time LL umpire, I find this to be re-freaking-diculous. But I look forward to your thoughts.

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I have worked it for years as well, this is not something that I will worry about. It is part of the game to steal signs, so be it. They are taking this way too seriously.

I don't see LLers stealing signs - what it there to steal? The pitching isn't good enough to have multiple pitches (in general) and the hitters knowing what the pitch is won't help that much. It doesn't help HS kids either.

Kids should be taught sit on the fastball and adjust to the junk.

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Where I work LL, the coaches are calling pitches through some yelling out two or three digit number code anyway.    In my opinion decryption isn't stealing, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Yeah, this rule is dumber than the chicken in Moana.

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I managed LL teams through 18u, and there was sign stealing going on all the time. I didn't do it, as it felt it was a kids game, but I encouraged my players to do it, and be mindful of the other team. It's part of the game.

As an umpire, I hear/see sign stealing all the time. Now they want us to police it, and hand out ejections. It might be the worst rule ever handed down by Williamsport, in my opinion.

And this only for relaying pitches to the batter. Not stealing the bunt/steal/pickoff/etc signs. Those, I guess, are sportsmanlike.

The worst part is that it's optional in the regular season for local to see this as unsportsmanlike, but it's mandatory for the tournament. That makes zero sense. Either it is, or it ain't.

 

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7 hours ago, stevis said:

Yeah, this rule is dumber than the chicken in Moana.

How was that? Heard it was pretty good. 

Also... who does WP think this is unsporting to? I would argue it is more unsporting to the poor batter that is expecting a breaking ball cause his runner on second thought that was and it turns out to be a fastball in.

Oh... and never mind the general lack of control a majority of these pitchers have. That is despite their coaches yelling a them that they "need to paint that outside corner!"

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Can't we consider this rule as making a travesty of the game? 

3B coach yells to R1, "Get ready to go on the passed ball!" DHC, yells to F6, "Cover second base on the steal!" PU decides to eject DHC. 

Between this and the IBB rule, I don't know where to start. 

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4 minutes ago, Mister B said:

Can't we consider this rule as making a travesty of the game? 

3B coach yells to R1, "Get ready to go on the passed ball!" DHC, yells to F6, "Cover second base on the steal!" PU decides to eject DHC. 

Between this and the IBB rule, I don't know where to start. 

God's I hope not!

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8 hours ago, Mister B said:

Can't we consider this rule as making a travesty of the game? 

3B coach yells to R1, "Get ready to go on the passed ball!" DHC, yells to F6, "Cover second base on the steal!" PU decides to eject DHC. 

Between this and the IBB rule, I don't know where to start. 

That's giving signs. That's OK :)

 

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12 minutes ago, scrounge said:

How on earth will this be enforced? What is the definition of 'stealing signs' anyway? This is pure idiocy, nothing more than a vehicle to enable every whining coach out there.

Actually it's usually some whiny parent inf the stands that calls Williamsport and complains..

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17 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

Actually it's usually some whiny parent inf the stands that calls Williamsport and complains..

ugh, even worse....this is going to be like that old rule in college football where the crowd couldn't be too loud at the snap or the poor visiting team would cry and get a timeout/penalty charged to the home team. An unenforceable, idiotic rule put in because someone's sensibilities got offended. It will be either widely ignored or this mess will be undone in short order.

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2 hours ago, scrounge said:

ugh, even worse....this is going to be like that old rule in college football where the crowd couldn't be too loud at the snap or the poor visiting team would cry and get a timeout/penalty charged to the home team. An unenforceable, idiotic rule put in because someone's sensibilities got offended. It will be either widely ignored or this mess will be undone in short order.

Hopefully both!

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Can't we consider this rule as making a travesty of the game? 

3B coach yells to R1, "Get ready to go on the passed ball!" DHC, yells to F6, "Cover second base on the steal!" PU decides to eject DHC. 

Between this and the IBB rule, I don't know where to start. 

The note in the rule seems to only pertain to pitch signals... Not other signs

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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9 hours ago, ALStripes17 said:

The note in the rule seems to only pertain to pitch signals... Not other signs

 

Which make even less sense. It's okay to steal, relay the other teams bunt sign, but not for the other team to relay pitch selection/location.

Effing brilliant, Williamsport.

Why don't they think these rules through, before the put them to ink?

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What I am waiting for is the mid year or end of year change to this rule. When they realize that even experienced umpires would screw this up and the leagues have a huge increase of ejections to deal with because this will get OOOed like crazy.

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Just another example of our poor snow flake society watering down any form of perceived 'unfair' bias.

I try not to laugh at HS coaches complaining about signs being stolen... a LL coach complaining? The majority of the good pitchers at 12 have a decent FB and maybe a change or hanging curve but putting the pitch into the glove every time? highly doubtful until you get deep into the tournament. I hope to God the leagues in my area decide not to enact this rule... How am I going to determine if they truly are stealing signs? Ask the catcher every pitch what he is signaling and then poll R2 and if he is right eject him?

So many other things to worry about... this is not one of them.

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Oh how times have changed.  When I played 30+ years ago, even at 12 years old, if it was obvious that the batter (by looking back to the catcher) or the runner on second base was stealing the pitching signs, the next pitch went into the batter's ear hole.

If the catcher was really bad at giving signs sometimes the first base coach could see it - he'd say your first name for fastball, last name for curveball/junk.

As far as stealing the signs of the third base coach, every player who was not in the game had a job.  And one of them was assigned to trying to decipher the signs their coach was giving.   I try to do that today and people look at me like I just landed from Mars.

A couple of years ago my U18 pitcher/catcher were complaining about a three-hole hitter on second base giving away location to the cleanup hitter at the plate.   I said, "First, I'm not talking to the umpire nor their coach about it - it's part of the game, so you're gonna have to learn how to deal with it....I see some options.  Learn to pitch without a target, or delay the target, or even set up a decoy target.   Or, keeping in mind that first base is open, and you're going to pitch around this batter anyway...would you rather walk someone with four pitches or one pitch?  You guys figure it out."

 

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6 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

Oh how times have changed.  When I played 30+ years ago, even at 12 years old, if it was obvious that the batter (by looking back to the catcher) or the runner on second base was stealing the pitching signs, the next pitch went into the batter's ear hole.

And that's undoubtedly LLI's rationale, that they don't want to be responsible for 12 year olds policing their own game.

This is a stupid way around it though.  I stand by my point that if they can steal your signs, your encryption isn't strong enough. 

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During last years LLWS, a manager complained that the other team was relaying signs from R2. Well, the non-baseball folks in Williamsport clutched their pearls and gasped "The children are cheating on our TV show. The HORROR! We must never see this on the television ever again. "

 

Thus the idiotic rule, yet the option to have it perfect legal one week, yet unsportsmanlike, ejectionable the next.

 

Dopes.

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