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michael
14 years ago

You mentioned in the newsvine piece thatyou thought Glanville was being a bit coy about addressing his NY Times colleagues. There is actually a Times policy prohibiting editorial columnists from directly addressing other columnists, which would explain that coyness.

Craig Calcaterra
14 years ago

Hmm, thanks Michael. I did not know that.  Is there some source out there I can link to with that for an update, or is it just general info?

MJ
14 years ago

There’s an exerpt up on si.com that details the pitch tipping

some highlights:

From his shortstop vantage point, he would tip pitches to the batter at the plate in a quid pro quo. It would always be a middle infielder, who could reciprocate…

Alex expected the same courtesy. If he was having an off night near the end of a meaningless game, he could look to a buddy in the middle infield for a sign.

Neither Texas nor any opposing team was ever in on these tipping conspiracies. In fact they were detectable only because of repetition over many games and because Alex’s mannerisms were so animated. The few Rangers who were aware of the tipping, however, were maddened by it.

Like others have mentioned, this doesn’t seem to be really concrete evidence.  It almost sounds like Arod was doing this for the benefit of others but never experienced any help in return. 

Seems to me the only people who could be aware of these mechanics are those who had a direct line of sight with Arod (2nd, CF and catcher).  Michael Young has already come out defending Arod and Glanville says he didn’t see anything.  Could the “anonymous” source be Pudge?  Does a catcher have time to give signals, watch for the pitchers response, get into position and watch his SS?

By the way, this is atrocious writing and makes zero sense

Alex Rodriguez is blessed with a museum-worthy swing, an angler’s snap of the wrist on his throws and an impeccable instinct for damage control. He needed all three of those special attributes to survive another trip to Seattle, for the 72nd All-Star Game in July 2001.

He deftly defused the hostility of Mariners fans with a heartfelt—not to mention ingenious—plan he had hatched a week earlier. He told American League manager Joe Torre about it, but few others. In the first inning, as spectators were getting comfortable in their seats at Safeco Field, the “home team” AL players jogged out to take their positions. Alex was the starting shortstop, and beside him, at third, was Cal Ripken Jr. This was Ripken’s final All-Star Game—the 19th of a 20-year career—but his selection had been based more on sentiment than on merit. One of the greatest shortstops in baseball history, he had switched to third base before the 1997 season to accommodate a changing of the guard in Baltimore. Ripken was stirring the dirt around third with his cleats when Rodriguez walked over and nudged him ever so gently toward his old position.

“Here, this is yours,” A-Rod said. “Why don’t you go play an inning at short?”…

What does all those traits have to do with being a good guy and letting Ripken play SS in his last ASG?  Did Ripken feel the “Angler’s Snap of the wrist” when Arod patted him on the back? 

Maybe she’s saying it’s his impeccable instinct for damage control?  But even that doesn’t work since it wasn’t Arod’s fault that Cal was playing 3b, so why is he performing “damage control”?  Also, considering all the press conferences we’ve seen the last 6 months or so, I wouldn’t say his instinct for damage control is impeccable…

Jeff
14 years ago

Just a note in another column about inaccuracies in the book: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8590096/14893870

Lisa Swan
14 years ago

Looks like Sports Illustrated had to correct Roberts’ own book when they ran the excerpt about the 2001 All-Star Game. Here is the original passage about Ripken, from page 124 of “A-Rod”:

“One of the greatest shortstops in baseball history, he had switched to third base this season to accommodate a changing of the guard in Baltimore.”

The corrected passage says, “he had switched to third base before the 1997 season to accommodate a changing of the guard in Baltimore.”

There is no note on SI.com indicating the change. It’s an odd error, given that A-Rod had previously started in the All-Star game at short with Ripken at third two earlier times.

Starkweather
14 years ago

@MJ:  To make it just a little worse, doesn’t the Ripken anecdote actually, for once, show A-Rod living up to his PR?  For a guy who came up saying that he emulated Ripken and that’s why he even played the position (SS) this can (and has been) construed as borderline genuine.  And I’m pretty sure it was the swing he got at the museum of swings that really helped him the most on this one but I could see a reading of the situation that prizes the angler’s snap a little more.

Hizouse
14 years ago

Orel Hershiser last night was saying that the Rangers knew he was tipping, but it was completely unintentional.  Actually, it was intentional to his teammates; apparently it is routine for the SS and 2B to signal other teammates what pitch is coming (I knew this happened sometimes—there’s a good story about Chipper making a diving stop in the NLCS, I think, due to a tip—but Orel made it seem like it was routine).  Anyways, A-Rod was apparently pretty obvious about it, and the Rangers knew other teams could pick up on it and tried to get him to be less obvious. 

Orel said it was completely motivated by A-Rod’s (good) desire to stay involved and help his teammates.  And it’s true some of his teammates may have been frustrated by it, but no one thought it was intentional or occurred more often in out-of-reach games with opposing MIFs at the plate. 

The whole discussion was quite fascinating, actually.  Orel was the pitching coach for part of A-Rod’s time there, and he should know what he’s talking about.  Every team is trying all the time to steal signals and to confuse the other team about its own signals. A-Rod was just bad at it.

Matt
14 years ago

My biggest question in all of this is: If ARod is supposed to be the worst ever me-first player in the game, how does he have all of these MI friends that he would know and trust well enough to do this tipping with?

Also, if it is true where is Roberts’ outrage at his co-conspirators who all were at least as guilty as he?