Stealing signs

[DG]

Originally posted by orioles35
To me, the game is about the kids. Especially at age 12.

Tournament semi-final game, team at bat is down by sevearl runs and coming out of the losers bracket, everyone well behaved. Catcher gets signals from dugout and gives them to the pitcher. In doing so, his fingers are near the dirt and can be seen everywhere, including by the third base coach. First the coach started saying "Fastball here", "watch the breaking pitch". Next inning he says, "Got some heat here", or "keep your hands back" for the breaking pitch. I wander over to the other coach and quietly inform him of what's going on (since he didn't seem to be figuring it out himself).

Agree/disagree?

Agree or disagree to what? That it's ok for one team to steal signs, or that it's ok for you to give coaching tips during games? I will answer both.

When I coached I never really cared if the other team was trying to steal the signs. It was my team's job to hide them, disguise them, change them, etc. so they never got good information, even if they could steal them. I made it a "game within the game" and the younger kids especially loved it. It was like learning a new language that only our team spoke. Stealing signs is part of the game, at all levels, and so is playing games with signs.

Some summer leagues I work are very competitive, with good players and good coaches. Sometimes I might be tempted to give them a tip, but would not. In a tournament, it would not cross my mind. They are on their own. If I start giving them tips, what's next - "hey catcher, this kid can not hit a curveball".