Is it only cheating if you get caught?

Recently, Major League Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred caught a “foul ball” in his office that provoked him to punish the Houston Astros for electronically stealing signs during their World Series title run in 2017 and in part of the 2018 season. Houston was fined $5 million and lost first-and-second round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, while Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were handed one-year suspensions from the league before they were both fired by the Astros.

Boston Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, a bench coach for Houston in 2017, was also fired by his team’s owner. During Boston’s championship run a year later, Cora used video-fed information that was relayed to the team trainer who wore an Apple watch. He signaled a Sox baserunner whenever one reached second base who then relayed the pitch type to the hitter.

Former Astros and current Oakland A’s pitcher Mike Fiers blew the whistle on Houston, saying they had set up a camera that took pictures of opposing catchers’ signs and relayed what pitches were coming to the hitters. The relay signal was claimed to be as low tech as banging on a garbage can lid and as sophisticated as setting off buzzers worn under the Astros’ uniforms.

Manfred made it clear that no players would be punished, although all were allegedly aware of the sign-stealing. Carlos Beltran was a player on the Astros’ title team and was recently hired to manage the New York Mets, but was subsequently fired by the Mets front office earlier this week after admitting his knowledge of the cheating.

Several questions come to mind since Manfred’s punitive actions. Before he went public, did he consider the ramifications for what now is another “shame on you” mark on baseball — adding to the steroid scandal of the late 90s?

Sign stealing in baseball has been part of the game for the past 100 years — and it has played a part in some of the sports most memorable moments. It’s been confirmed that the New York Giants had an elaborate sign stealing buzzer system that may have helped Bobby Thompson hit his iconic pennant winning home run in 1951.

Finding out what pitch is coming to the hitter has been a common practice even at the high school level. “Stealing the catcher’s signs by a runner from second base has always been part of the game,” said Jim Thorpe baseball coach Joe Marykwas.

It’s not illegal to steal signs. There is no rule against it, and certain players and coaches excel at the art by observing a pitcher’s manner of delivery or subtle movements of his glove. There is, however, an MLB directive dating to 2001 that prohibits the use of electronic devices or binoculars to steal signs.

Former Yankees and current Phillies manager Joe Girardi said he believes that every team was using electronics to steal signs. The Mets were accused in 1997, the Phillies in 2010 and more recently, the Indians and the Blue Jays have been suspected too.

This raises the question as to why the league has waited until now to lift an eyebrow and come down hard with punishment. Did Commissioner Manfred think this would involve just the Astros and the Red Sox? It’s very likely that other teams are hiding their evidence under a rock somewhere to avoid accusation.

In the early 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts, a woman was accused of witchcraft. Soon, fingers pointed to many of the town’s residents who were wrongfully found guilty and hanged for practicing the black magic.

In the late 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy went before Congress to accuse high-ranking government officials of being members of the Communist Party. But McCarthy ultimately failed to produce the evidence.

MLB has produced definitive evidence to implicate two teams, but did Manfred consider that the issue might become baseball’s version of a modern-day witch hunt? This isn’t to say cheating should be condoned, but if the finger pointing becomes widespread, MLB better be prepared to dish out more fines and more suspensions, which ultimately may lead to litigation if one or more of the accused loses his job and goes to trial to prove his innocence. Should this scandal, just like the steroid finger pointing, make its way to the Supreme Court, baseball will have to withstand another significant blow to its already tarnished reputation.

While the Commissioner’s office sends a commendable message that baseball is a game to be played fairly and ethically, one has to wonder why the offending managers and players didn’t think they’d get thrown out at the plate. And why did Mike Fiers apparently have trouble sleeping at night and only came forward long after he had won a World Series with the Astros.

“Despite everyone knowing about the camera, I don’t think any player was going to stand up and rat out his team while it was happening,” said Marykwas. “Now that Fiers is no longer with the Astros, his decision to confess is a classic example of sour grapes.”

Marykwas’ remark brings up another thought. If Fiers’ moral convictions are so strong, he should be willing to refund his World Series bonus money and return the diamond and gold ring awarded to each of the winning players.

Marykwas feels that there is an on-the-field solution to the problem that could have prevented the crime from getting to the commissioner’s office.

“If you know they’re stealing your signs, then you change the sequence of order that the catcher uses to signal the pitcher,” said Marykwas. “The sequence can be different every inning.”

We’ll never find out for sure if knowing the incoming pitches was a significant reason why the Astros and Red Sox won championships, but the black cloud that now hangs over the game has brought about debate from both players and fans.

Have all star players, Carlos Beltran, Jose Altuve, and Mookie Betts risked their chances to be elected to the Hall of Fame because cheating inflated their batting averages? Will they join the banned bad guy club led by steroid users Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire?

Is stealing signs a violation that is worse than using PEDs?

Jim Thorpe assistant baseball coach Neil Yurchak thinks so. “Every one of the nine hitters in a lineup has an advantage if he knows what pitch is coming as compared to a lineup with only one or two batters who might have an edge because they used steroids,” Yurchak said.

Some have demanded that World Series titles be forfeited by Houston and Boston, and one can only imagine if the issue is decided by a Supreme Court jury someday, what that will do to MLB’s storied history.

Manfred must be hoping this latest windstorm will not escalate into a hurricane that blows through baseball’s ballparks right into the mid-summer months. Will Yankee fans in mid-July shout, “Beat the cheats!” when the Red Sox come to New York? Will a Twins fan hold up a sign in August that says, “Houston, We Have A Problem!” when the Astros visit Minnesota?

Perhaps fans will forgive and forget, but they can be sure of one thing. MLB’s investigation will continue with jobs and livelihoods still at stake. Whoever is next to fall from grace when another foul ball lands in Manfred’s office will be added to the list of rule breakers who have played America’s pastime without integrity.

Regardless of accusations and asterisks, the game will survive. We just need to recall the words from James Earl Jones in the movie, “Field of Dreams.

“Baseball reminds us of all that was once good — and could be good again.”