Some of the best cheating goes on in the preps, where plays intended to create confusion or deceive the target are much more likely to work.
From the Arizona Daily Star
With one out in the fifth, the game tied at 2, and Dorados speedster Zach Tarbet on first base, Ironwood Ridge coach Nick Allen called for the “Rainbow Play.”
Knowing Tarbet’s reputation as an aggressive base runner, the Nighthawks tried something new. The trick play went something like this:
As Tarbet took off from first, Ironwood Ridge ace Zach Morales threw a fastball to catcher Jake Wilhelm. Rather than try to gun down Tarbet, Wilhelm tossed a rainbow-arched pop-up toward second baseman Brandon Collins.
The entire Ironwood Ridge crew — coaches included — screamed “pop fly” and pointed toward the sky, drowning out the CDO voices. Running with his head down, Tarbet tried to read the Ironwood Ridge fielders that were selling and yelling for the phantom fly ball, and he stopped and turned back toward first base.
If Tarbet would have continued toward second, he would have stolen the bag easily.
Instead Collins fielded the throw from Wilhelm, and Tarbet was caught between first and second base and was tagged out.
Check out the full story: they practiced the play just to get that one player out. Sweet stuff.
(h/t to Adam Stein for the suggestion)
11 comments ↓
Haven’t read the book, so maybe you’ve covered this already, but my high school coach taught us the “double squeeze” play:
With runners on second and third, run a squeeze play, except the runner on second, instead of going straight to third, goes part of the way there, cuts across the infield to get to the third base line, and continues home.
The play only works because a typical prep game has two umps: one of them has to cover first on the play and the other covers home, so there should be nobody watching.
We practiced it a few times, and tried to run it in a game situation once, but the batter missed the bunt (I was the runner on third).
This is trickery, but is it cheating? I.e., does it violate anything in the rulebook?
It’s not breaking the rules, but in the book I cover everything from legal trickery and groundskeeping to game-fixing, so I’m writing about all that here, too.
It’s not breaking the rules,….
Actually it is against the rules. NFHS rules specifically call for officials to enforce “verbal obstruction.”
The unpires blew this one in applying MLB rules to a high school game.
I didn’t realize there was an applicable rule in high school that covered that. My fault.
Just to provide documentation on this play for you, here is the citation from the 2007 NFHS Case book:
Obstruction 2.22.1 Situation A: R1 attempts to steal second. F2, upon receiving the pitch, throws a pop-up to F6. F5 yells “get back, get back.” R1 thinks B2 has hit a pop-up and starts back to first where he is tagged out. RULING: This is verbal obstruction and R1 shall be awarded second base.
The play is legal under MLB rules, but not in High School.
(This post is not to belabor the point, but rather to provide documentation for future reference. Quite simply, the umpires blew this call.)
I’m the head coach of the team that ran the play…and by the way I love the coverage in SI, thanks!! The play does not apply to Rule 2.22.1 in the Case Book. Yes the exact play is described but there is one major difference. Our fielders do not say “get back, get back”, they say “Ball, Ball, Ball”. There is nothing that says you can’t call for the ball when it is thrown to you from the catcher…we just put a little air under it. So Steve, I appreciate your efforts but you had to be there.
Is the play cheating? No, it is taking advantage of an aggressive baserunner. If we had said “get back, get back” like the rule book says, I would consider that cheating. I don’t teach my kids to break the rules, but I certainly teach them to take advantage of their opponents. How do you defend the play? Look in for the ball after a few steps.
By the way, we ran the play against our arch rival and ended up beating them 10-2 for the first win against them in our young school’s history. We also ran the play against Pinnacle High in the first round of the State Playoffs en route to a 12-3 win. It’s the sweetest play I’ve ever seen.
That one brings back some memories. We ran it when I was on JV in high school (about 10yrs ago) since our catcher had a horrible arm so he had no chance to throw someone out. We also tapped an aluminum bat against the fence post for added effect. Double squeeze is a pretty good one. We ran it twice (both successful), however, it was overturned once since it nearly caused a riot in a road game. A 2 man ump crew will almost never catch that if its done properly.
this posting is almost a month after the coaches “Nick” posting, but here goes.
Sorry coach, but the play is still illegal. The play DOES apply to Rule 2.22.1 The case book say “get back get back,” but that is an example of what can occur. If the case book listed every thing that could be said in that situation, the book would be a hundred pages long just on that one rule. So there is no difference in what the case book gives as an example and what your team did.
You have been able to get away with the play twice. The umpires who worked your games did not understand the rule (and I am not being critical of the umpires, they are doing the best they can esp considering the pay they get).
I am not saying you were teaching your players to cheat. I think you were looking for an advantage, which every coach would and should do. But it is illegal and you shouldn’t have been able to get away with it, let alone twice.
Note to Nick:
The rainbow play might not be a violation of the rules, but it is unethical and goes against the spirit of the game of baseball.
I have an idea for you: Instead of tricking your opponent or disrespecting your opponent to gain an advantage, try training your pitchers to conduct pickoff moves properly, teaching your catchers to have efficient deliveries to second base, etc.
You claim in the Arizona Daily Star article that you ran the play out of respect for the opposing player. Hardly. I am certain the opposing player and team felt disrespected as a result of this play.
I feel sorry for the young men who are learning unethical behavior from you. The messages you are sending are as follows:
1) The end justifies the means.
2) If you have not honed your craft well enough, find an easy way out (instead of putting your nose to the grindstone to improve).
I hope others in your players’ lives are teaching them the difference between right and wrong.
The game of baseball has many many rules, and many of them are to keep the game as fair as possible. The spirit of the game is the integrity! Remember it is not whether you win or lose it is how you played the game.Running a trick play is cheating you may have gotten away with it, but the pure satisfaction of a win by playing as hard as possible and playing the game with fairness is lost. This play is the same as the fielder pretending to catch the ball to get the runner to slide, or the first basemen holding the ball and the pitcher pretend to have it.It is all the same to trick,double-cross,deceive or mislead. I would have stopped the game calling ‘time out” then called the runner out and then turned and called the batter out, and last but not least turned to you coach and yelled, “AND YOU COACH YOUR OUT OF HERE TOO”
DAVE
UMPIRE DIST.23