Buehrle thinks Rangers might be cheating

[IlliniKrush]

Buehrle's glare a signal to Texas

Wonders if Rangers cheating; Sox should go to 6-man rotation, writes Phil Rogers

August 29, 2005

 

 

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mark Buehrle couldn't help but wonder what was going on. He was making good pitches, and Texas Rangers' hitters were right on them.

 

Maybe, Buehrle wondered after Monday night's 7-5 loss to the Rangers, the rumors really are true. Maybe Buck Showalter's Rangers really do steal signs electronically and signal them to hitters using one of the lights on the hideous office building in center field at Ameriquest Field.

 

 

"I wasn't paying too much attention," Buehrle said of the lights. "I might [Tuesday] night, though. … A lot of people think it, but I guess it will sound like I'm making excuses."

 

With three games in 24 hours remaining between these teams, things could get interesting before the White Sox mosey home to Chicago. Showalter, whose skin is as thin as wax paper, isn't likely to react kindly to Buehrle going public with one of the American League's loudest whispers.

 

Asked if the Rangers were a "dangerous" team, Buehrle answered with a question of his own.

 

"Which team are you asking about?" Buehrle said. "The team that struggles on the road or the one that uses the light in center field? Something's strange. They don't play so good on the road, and at home everybody's Babe Ruth."

 

Texas, which has played itself out of the playoff picture because of the usual lack of pitching, is hitting .285 at Ameriquest Field, which ranks third in the AL, and a woeful .256 on the road, which ranks 11th. It is averaging 5.9 runs per game at home and only 4.8 on the road.

 

Buehrle said he pitched better Monday than he had in his previous start, when he held Minnesota to one run over eight innings.

 

"I felt a lot better tonight than against Minnesota," he said. "The first couple of innings, I was making pitches and they were hitting them."

 

The way Tadahito Iguchi was boxing around balls at second base, Buehrle was going to be in trouble. But this was no crackpot blowing off steam afterward. Buehrle long ago earned the respect of his fellow players and validated his standing in the first half, when he was got the call from Terry Francona to start the All-Star Game.

 

The kind of chutzpah it took for Buehrle to honestly discuss his feelings is just another example of why the White Sox have no real choice. If they protect their seven-game lead over the Cleveland Indians, he's got to be the anchor of the playoff rotation.

 

That theoretical postseason rotation is on the mind of the Sox's management team these days, although they're not going on "Larry King Live" anytime soon.

 

"The last thing we want to do now is put the cart before the horse," said Don Cooper, the pitching coach who is on the ride of his life.

 

But Cooper admits that he is putting what he calls a "soft focus" on October. The Sox would be crazy not to start getting their house in order for the playoffs. That's one of the luxuries their big lead gives them.

 

They need to start taking it a little easier on their starters, who face the possibility of 10 or 11 start if there is an extended postseason run. That's why rookie Brandon McCarthy isn't just being called up to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Unless something goes horribly wrong, he'll also get a chance to start Monday's makeup game in Boston.

 

That's a good idea. But a better one is putting him into the rotation for the rest of the season, along with the five regulars. The six-man rotation would save the White Sox's Cy Young candidates, Buehrle and Jon Garland, one start apiece.

 

That might not seem like much now, but what if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior hadn't been ridden so hard down the stretch in 2003?

 

Keep in mind that the White Sox's ultimate goal, as general manager Ken Williams has talked about for years, is to win the World Series, not be one of eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. The Sox want Buehrle, Garland, Freddy Garcia, Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras as fresh as they can be in October, and that's where McCarthy comes in.

 

A disappointment in five previous major-league starts, McCarthy can earn his postseason share without being on the playoff roster. If he pitches well enough to keep the Sox in games, manager Ozzie Guillen should keep sending him to the mound.

 

"He's throwing the ball a lot better," Guillen said, referring to McCarthy's last six starts in Triple A, in which he's 4-0 with a 1.54 earned-run average. "We expect him to throw the ball good."

 

Unfortunately for McCarthy, he's getting the ball in the second game of the doubleheader, which should begin at about sunset. Garland gets the opener, when it will be a lot tougher to see lights blink on and off in center field.

 

The White Sox have had their own suspiciously skewed home/road stats in recent seasons. Buehrle acknowledges that he has heard opponents grumble that Sox hitters know what's coming at U.S. Cellular Field but swears he has never seen or been told about any secret cameras or signals.

 

He hopes his complaints will make the Rangers think twice if they have been giving themselves an edge. The ace of the staff is the guy who speaks up, and that's Buehrle.

[JoshPR]

I hate Phil Rogers.

 

Anyways,

 

Mark sould have hushed and told the team and sould have looked out and then say something, Now texas will be carefull. Wow Cheating those are real Pros

 

I mean something is fishy when Mark DeRosa takes you deep

[rangercal]

I love mark, He is not afraid to call the cheaters out. Be prepared to be ripped on national talk radio tomorrow Mark :headshake

[fathom]

If we're cheating at the Cell...we need to stop! Obviously, the players don't know which light is which!

[LosMediasBlancas]

I have to agree with Mark, it does make him sound like he's making excuses.

Get ready for the onslaught.

[aboz56]

Buehrle always speaks his mind, regardless of the situation.

 

This time, however, I think he's going to get ripped fairly good in the media, but I don't see it affecting him much.

 

He'll come back with a strong start next time around.

[witesoxfan]

Not that I don't agree with Mark talking out like this and speaking his mind, but...

 

One of the luxuries of pitching in the AL is that you only have to bat maybe 4 games a year, if you're lucky.

[Chisoxrd5]

I have to agree with Mark, it does make him sound like he's making excuses.

Get ready for the onslaught.

 

That article is good enough for Mark to be in the spotlight of every radio show tomorrow...very interesting. But for a team that had four errors in the field, they need to be worrying about themselves instead of what Texas is using to give them an edge so they can finish in third place in the AL West.

[JoshPR]

Well Tadahito Eguchi didn't help Marks cause either

Edited August 30, 2005 by JoshPR

[fathom]

This isn't really too big of a deal. I just want this team to shut up, and go out and do their job though. I don't want to see the 2004 Cubs the rest of the way. This comment was very Dusty-esque.

[daa84]

so change your signs?? make fastball a curve, make inside out, then change it back. then make a changeup a fastball. then chage it back again. this is stupid and could be prevented

[Soxbadger]

It does not matter if he gets ripped, the comment will most likely be successful.

 

Texas and Chicago do not play for the rest of the season, so with 3 games left in the series it is the perfect time to make this statement. For the next few games, people are going to try and watch for a light in centerfield. If the Rangers were cheating, there is no way they will try the next few games.

 

If they were not cheating, there is nothing except for denials they can really do.

 

Win win situation, and at this point the White Sox should be thinking about winning series, not making friends.

 

SB

[southsideirish71]

Tell me that they couldnt change the signs per inning, maybe change the indicator or the sequence.

 

I dont mind that Buerhle spoke his mind, but AJ and our coaching staff should be able to adapt to sign stealing.

 

And who are we to talk about stealing signs. We for many a year employed one of the best sign stealers in baseball as a bench coach.

 

Lets get real.

Edited August 30, 2005 by southsideirish71

[EvilJester99]

Considering I hear Buehrle has been 4 - 4 since the ASB he probably would have been better suited to just quietly watched to see if he could catch them cheating instead of putting it out there without any proof.

[wsox08]

I think Mark made a guess, but he could easily be wrong.. I respect him and what he says so I don't think this is that bad of a comment. He knows what to expect from the media and who cares? They will forget about his comments two days from now. GO MARK!

[JoshPR]

Tell me that they couldnt change the signs per inning, maybe change the indicator or the sequence. 

 

I dont mind that Buerhle spoke his mind, but AJ and our coaching staff should be able to adapt to sign stealing.

 

And who are we to talk about stealing signs.  We for many a year employed one of the best sign stealers in baseball as a bench coach. 

 

Lets get real.

 

 

I don't think Nossek stole pitches and Location. Was more like bunt and steal signs and stuff. I think telling your hitters what's comming is lil more disgusting. I could be wrong on Nossek tho

[fathom]

Yeah, there's a definite difference between having a coach on the bench trying to steal the signs, and having someone supposedly in the outfield relaying the signs to the hitter. To me, it sounds like Buehrle has a big case of Loser's Limp. This is the type of comment I'd expect to hear from Prior/Wood/Zambrano after a rough outing.

[Spiff]

Yeah, there's a definite difference between having a coach on the bench trying to steal the signs, and having someone supposedly in the outfield relaying the signs to the hitter.  To me, it sounds like Buehrle has a big case of Loser's Limp.  This is the type of comment I'd expect to hear from Prior/Wood/Zambrano after a rough outing.

 

No it's not loser's limp, it's pure frustration. He said he made good pitches, and somehow they knocked him around. Stop being such an ass every time a player has a bad game.

[JoshPR]

Ohh Ohhh There goes this thread.

[fathom]

No it's not loser's limp, it's pure frustration.  He said he made good pitches, and somehow they knocked him around.  Stop being such an ass every time a player has a bad game.

 

Well, Buehrle's not the first pitcher to get roughed up in Texas. I haven't heard any other pitchers come out in the press and basically accuse the Rangers of cheating. Buehrle's my favorite player on the Sox....but he's gotten a little too "open" in what he says to the media this year. Between this and the Cubs cheating comment he made, he's coming close to crossing the line of displaying good sportsmanship.

[fathom]

Ohh Ohhh There goes this thread.

 

Hopefully the mods don't delete this thread cause of the personal attack. And trust me spiff...if there's one person who should have a thread asking what in the world is wrong with them, it's Iguchi. He's had back-to-back horrible performances.

[Spiff]

Well, Buehrle's not the first pitcher to get roughed up in Texas.  I haven't heard any other pitchers come out in the press and basically accuse the Rangers of cheating.  Buehrle's my favorite player on the Sox....but he's gotten a little too "open" in what he says to the media this year.  Between this and the Cubs cheating comment he made, he's coming close to crossing the line of displaying good sportsmanship.

 

If you think a team is cheating, the perception of sportsmanship is the last thing on your mind.

[Capn12]

Lets just all agree that coming out right after the bad performance and making such comments was not a real smart thing to do by Buehrle, and leave it at that. It would have served him better to just tell his coaches and teammates to look out for it the next 2 days, tehn saying anything to the press.

[fathom]

If you think a team is cheating, the perception of sportsmanship is the last thing on your mind.

 

If you really think a team is cheating, then change your freaking signs!! I would think Buehrle and AJP are instinctual enough baseball players to catch on after a while if there really was something going on. I would all but guarantee there was no cheating like that going on. Do you know how quickly those lights would have to blink between the sign and the actual pitch? Especially with how quick Buehrle pitches, that is just not a likely scenario.

 

With the way Buehrle pitches, he's going to have games where the other team finds holes, and he gives up a lot of hits/runs.

[JoshPR]

Begs the Question. What if they were cheating, But those pitches that were hit, were hit hard but for outs or let's say the Sox would have scored 8 or 9 and Marky boy would have won, Would he have mentioned the cheating? Hmmmmm.

 

Loser's Limp? Frustration? Excuses? Cheating? ... No one knows