Sunday, April 6, 2014

Catchers: squat to give signs, then stand to receive the pitch? Is that the evolution?

This is the third post since late March on this with new anecdotal evidence.

Catchers once stood upright and roamed the earth much like their human counterparts.  Wednesday, March 26, 2014

June 1, 1925 ... the catcher ... stays in an upright position the entire time.  He never squats.
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When did catchers start to squat?  Thursday, March 27, 2014

In the (1935) Time cover photo (Mickey) Cochrane has the in-between position.
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Now new information sent by Cliff Blau:

BASEBALL HISTORY DAILY April 4, 2014 - Joe Tinker, Jr.:

http://baseballhistorydaily.com/2014/04/04/father-isnt-disappointed-because-i-took-up-dancing/

Photos of Joe Tinker Jr.
demonstrating what his dad taught him
In the spring of 1916 Joe Tinker Jr., ten-year-old son of Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Tinker “wrote” a series of articles that appeared in newspapers across the country.  Tinker’s articles provided tips for playing each position: ...

(Catchers) Stand up close to the batter ...

CROUCH WELL DOWN ...

KEEP SIGNALS CONCEALED ...

STAND FIRM SO YOU CAN JUMP ...
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1. The film in the first post (March 26, 2014) is clearly edited so that we do not see the catcher giving signs to pitcher Walter Johnson as he prepares to pitch to Babe Ruth in 1925.

2. The Tinker evidence of 1916 is interesting but not definitive.  It does present reasons for both positions and why a catcher might crouch/squat first and then stand.

Comments welcome.

Signs are archaic.  Wednesday, April 15, 2009

... the Giants stealing signs from the catcher to the pitcher in 1951 ... The Giants had someone with binoculars in their center field clubhouse observe the catcher's signs and a member of the Giants bullpen would relay them to the Giant batters.

Giant Bobby Thomson hit a home run off Dodger Ralph Branca, a starter who had just entered in relief, in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the 1951 NL pennant over the Dodgers ...

1951 is 58 years ago.  What the heck are MLB teams doing using the same system today?

This is especially absurd considering that every televised game has a camera in center field doing exactly what the Giant spy was doing in 1951.  It seems impossible to keep such signs secret.  Teams can record an opponent's games, take all the time they need to decode the signs and at the very least have that knowledge available to any of their players who reach second base.

It is archaic.

Why not use wireless communication, you know, like the rest of us do?
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Google Glass, anyone?

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