Major League Baseball recently unveiled new rules and restrictions that were put in place to prevent, curtail, and punish anyone who engages in high-tech sign stealing.
It’s worth nothing that sign stealing has been apart of baseball lore for generations. The game doesn’t necessarily have an issue with the practice when done correctly i.e. naturally. It’s when technology such as video cameras enter the equation that the playing field becomes uneven and the game takes exception.
However, instead of banning technology from dugouts and bullpens what if we took the opposite approach? What if we added more technology? In the form of wireless ear pieces that would enable players and managers to communicate directly just like NFL quarterbacks and offensive coordinators do. After all, you wouldn’t need to worry about the opposing team stealing your signs if there aren’t any signs to steal.
It’s an idea that I first heard put forth earlier today on MLB Now by former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd and I think it has a lot of merit. Because in addition to making life easier for the people currently responsible for monitoring sign stealing it would also speed up the game. No more changing up the signs with a runner on second base, no more infield huddles. In theory, no more thinking. Players don’t have to waste time learning signs, trying to figure out when to bunt or when to steal. Now they can just do what they’re told. No possible chance that the message gets lost in translation either.
Of course, there will be traditionalists who will be against this idea. These are the same people who were against realignment, instant replay, inter-league play, and the advent of the wild-card game. But all of those innovations worked out and so too might this one. A high-tech solution to an age-old problem.
Are wireless ear pieces for baseball players the Greatest Idea Ever?
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