Competitive edge versus cheating is a fine line

“If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”

So goes the often heard moniker as it pertains to sports at all levels.
Within the past week, the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal surrounding
technology usage to steal signs from opponents has drawn everything
from justification to outrage but mostly the latter. 

So how did the Astros cheat? The team had a camera in centerfield at
Minute Maid Park, which the home venue of the Astros, to ascertain signs
from the opposing catcher to pitcher. These signs are to relay what pitch is
on the way toward the batter. The cameras were reportedly meant to help
manager A.J. Hinch on whether or not to challenge an umpire’s call.
However, the technology usage escalated. Alex Cora, who at the time was
an Astros bench coach, reportedly instructed those in the replay room to
relay the signs to a player who subsequently shared them with teammates.
Astro players also had electronic devices under their uniforms so as to relay
which pitches were coming. 

Yours truly sounded off about that issue in this space that included a link
with extensive details from cbssports.com: 

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2020/01/houston-asterisks-err-astros-
took.html

Traditional and social media have been full of spirited expression over the
past week. Having soaked in the various responses, the question begs, what
is cheating? What is gaining a competitive edge? In dictionary terms,
cheating means, “act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage,
especially in a game or examination.” Competitive edge is reflective of
developing attributes to allow yourself (on an individual or team level) to
outperform your competitors. The attributes can be physical or mental. 

Several people have drawn parallels to the Astros cheating scandal being
worse than the Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) era. Others have said
that both are on equal levels of bad. While I accept that everyone is entitled
to their opinion, I fail to see the logic behind the latter. 

I don’t condemn or condone PED usage but what bothers me most is the
hypocrisy of those who scorn such behavior. For openers, these PEDs were
not against the rules at the time players of this era used them so where does
the cheating part come into the equation? The time frame in which the use
began and ended is far from definitive.

Who are we to say that some players used but never got caught? If such a
player earns a Hall of Fame plaque, it hardly seems fair to deny the honor
to players who confessed their guilt. Even if they did not confess any guilt,
who gives a damn.

PED use did not make the playing field unlevel because pitchers as well as
hitters were using them. I can stick a needle in my ass today and it’s not
going to make me a better hitter. Hitting a baseball is not about strength,
it’s about hand-eye coordination. PED use might be the difference between
a warning track out versus a ball clearing the fence by say 8-10 feet but
when I look at those linked to PED use such as Barry Bonds, Mark
McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, etc., I don’t remember
many of their home runs barely clearing the fence.

In addition, there were several marginal players that used PEDs did not
benefit them. More than half the players listed on the Mitchell Report were
scrubs.

The biggest advantage in a pitcher versus batter matchup is the former
knows what is coming while the latter does not. The essence of pitching is
the chess match between pitcher and batter. The batter thinks curveball,
pitcher throws fastball. 

If a pitcher is facing a hitter on PEDs, he still has the advantage of fooling
the hitter or giving him a pitch he can do little to minimal damage. However,
once the batter knows what’s coming, the chances of making solid contact
go up enormously. If a batter knows that a fastball is coming, he knows to
start his swing earlier. If he knows an offspeed pitch is coming , he knows
to wait on the pitch. 

Some would argue that, “you still have to hit the ball.” True but these are
professionals, what makes you think they won’t take advantage? That idea
is no different than if a student is given a copy of a test with the answers on
it before taking it, of course they are going to ace it. Granted, they may ace
it without that advantage but with it ensures such will happen. 

There is a fine line between doing things to gain a competitive edge and
flat out cheating. Picking up a third base coach signs, noticing pictures
tipping pitches or in football watching individuals tip plays is fair game
because they are doing it out in the open for everyone to see. Why wouldn’t
you take advantage of information not being screened? But when you have
signals that are only meant for pitcher and catcher to decode and you have
an entire organization using technology to decode them is flat out wrong.
It is an advantage that cannot be countered and goes far beyond the human
element. 

Therein lies the fine line and in some cases big difference between gaining
a competitive edge and cheating. 

Houston Asterisks (err Astros) took cheating to an art form

So much for the Houston Astros being a lovable rags-to-riches
story. 

From 2011-2014, the franchise went 232-416. The next three
seasons, thanks to good old-fashioned rebuilding through the draft
and acquiring some useful veterans via trade and free agency, the
franchise went  481-329 from 2015-present with four playoff
appearances, two World Series appearances and a World Series
title in 2017. 

After a long investigation in which the Astros were deemed guilty of
using technology for stealing the signs of opposing teams, Major
League Baseball, led by commissioner Rob Manfred, levied heavy
penalties against the franchise. The sanctions included but were
not limited to manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow
being suspended for the 2020 season. Both have since been fired
by the Astros with current Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora
suffering the same fate since he was on the Astros coaching staff at
the time of the infraction. Former assistant GM Brandon Taubman
has been suspended for one year. The Astros must forfeit their first-
and second- round draft picks the next two years. The organization
was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB’s constitution.

For full details, read the link below: 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-hammers-astros-in-cheating
-scandal-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-suspended-then-fired-draft-picks-lost/

So how did the Astros cheat? The team had a camera in centerfield
at Minute Maid Park, which the home venue of the Astros, to ascertain
signs from the opposing catcher to pitcher. These signs are to relay
what pitch is on the way toward the batter. The cameras were reportedly
meant to help Hinch on whether or not to challenge an umpire’s call.
However, the technology usage escalated. Cora, who at the time was
an Astros bench coach, reportedly instructed those in the replay room
to relay the signs to a player who subsequently shared them with
teammates. 

The reaction to this scandal has compelled some people to think that
the Astros should have to vacate their aforementioned 2017 World
Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3. This lifelong San
Francisco Giants fan would not go that far but I can understand the
outrage. There are, however, a few things that cross my mind on
this issue: 

Initial reaction versus how to feel now

I’m not here to tell you how to emote because everyone feels different.
My initial reaction without reading any news stories was, “big deal,
people have done things at every level of sport to gain a competitive
edge.” There are several examples whether it was Fred Biletnikoff and
Lester Hayes’ stickum to catch the football, Jim Burt’s tight jersey to
keep linemen from holding, etc. 

However, when I researched further into the Astros’ version of gaining
a competitive edge, I became appalled. The Astros’ form of cheating
is undeniably the most overt form I have ever seen. 

Individual versus team

Baseball has had a few scandals. To limit them to the recent ones,
there was the Performance Enhancing Drug era along all-time MLB
hits leader Pete Rose being banned from baseball and not being
inducted into the Hall of Fame because of gambling on games he
played in or managed. The alleged PED use, led by the San Francisco
Giants slugger Barry Bonds, is believed by many to have helped many
MLB hitters reach enormous numbers, specifically home runs. 

I have long argued that hitting a baseball is a hand-eye coordination
skill, not a matter of strength. I can stick a needle in my rear end today
but that doesn’t mean I will be any good as a hitter. In addition, pitchers
took those enhancers as well and several hitters took them and were
still hungtooths as players. 

My question is that when an individual does something that is linked
with bending the rules, we call for Armageddon. Yet, when there is an
entire team that cheats, very few bat an eye in terms of taking away
glory. Why? 

Scouting versus cheating

Though I could create a zillion examples, I’ll limit them to a couple. In
football, there are instances when receivers might tip off a running
play by lining up in nonchalant fashion. Whereas, if it is a passing play,
they might line up with their body being more tense. Offensive linemen
may similarly tip off a running play by leaning their body forward.
Whereas on a passing play, they have their body leaning backward.
Coaches will inevitably pick up on those tendencies but they are out
in the open for everyone to see. 

Catcher to pitcher signals are given with the former squatting, thus
meant to be more discreet. The only ones that can decode the signal
are either the latter or an opposing runner on second base. While
stealing signs are not illegal, per se, they are considered an unwritten
rule that have ramifications. 

What punishment should the Astros face?

I’m into making them vacate their World Series title because it sets a
dangerous precedent. Plus, you can’t un-dogpile the players
celebrating said title. You also can’t un-parade the joy the city of
Houston felt. Vacating draft picks is a viable punishment because
for an organization that prides itself on rebuilding itself through the
draft, suddenly the farm system becomes weaker. 

Since an entire team was caught cheating, I think the punishment
needs to be more severe. Perhaps, we can allow all 30 MLB teams
to draft a player from the Astros and make them operate with a
skeleton team that looks like an expansion outfit? 

The art of constructing all-time NFL teams by franchise

Sometimes you have to get bold and defy what history suggests. 

Having lived most of my life in the Northern part of the San Francisco

Bay Area, I recently put together an all-time San Francisco 49ers and

soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders team. In case you have lived in an

igloo, the Raiders called Oakland home for two stints (1960-1981;

1995-2019) and Los Angeles from 1982-1994. 

The columns were a revised version of what I wrote for the Napa

Valley Register, 1998 for the 49ers and 2000 for the Raiders, in my

previous career. I constructed the team on the basis of creating a

two-deep depth chart. Whereas, if I did so in a 53-man roster format,

more players would have made the list. 

Before I go into further criteria, here are the two columns: 

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2020/01/presenting-all-time-

49ers.html

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2020/01/presenting-all-time-

raiders.html

Before selecting the teams, I had to establish some rigid criteria: 1)

You had to play for the franchise for at least four years, 2) If you are

in the Hall of Fame, and fit Criteria No. 1, you are on the team.

Period. No further debates allowed. 3) All Pro or Pro Bowl seasons,

especially the former are top consideration. 4) Statistics are a

consideration but not a huge one. 

To expound on these points. For No. 1, since free agency has been

so volatile, you have to draw the line. While Deion Sanders is in the

Hall of Fame and played a significant role in the 49ers 1994 Super

Bowl championship, he does not make the team because he was

only a 49er for one season. Eric Dickerson is also in the Hall of

Fame but just because he was a Raider for 42 minutes, he’s not on

this team. 

For No. 2, don’t come at me with any nonsense of how Player A

played in a different era and would have done X, Y, or Z had he

played in the same era as Player B, who had a better supporting

cast. Just stop. And please, don’t come at me with the, “it’s the

system” garbage either. You do not luck your way into a Hall of

Fame career. That’s not to suggest that you don’t take those factors

into account but to convolute the discussion is inviting paralysis by

analysis. 

For No. 3, I put more credence into All Pro because it takes into

account all 32 NFL teams rather than 16 per conference. In addition,

Pro Bowls are such that many players get selected either a year too

late or keep getting selected four years too late. 

For No. 4, this is one area where you must take into account the eras

in which someone played because of the evolution of the rules of the

game benefitting offenses. For example, 4,000 yards passing in 1985

is like 5,500 yards in 2020. Eras will skew numbers. 

Most of all, the purpose of constructing these teams is to recognize

every era, not just the Golden Age or the era which you have affinity.

Every franchise is sports has Golden Ages and Dark Ages, some

more golden or dark than others. However, just because a player

was on the team during the Golden Age, does not guarantee a spot

on the team. Also, just because a team was bad during the Dark Ages

does not mean there were not good players. 

You can also speculate which players would or would not have

performed well in this era or that era. There are valid points to be

had for both the current era and from say 30-plus years ago. This

may be blasphemous for Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers fans

to hear but Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke would have limiting playing

time, depending on opponents. Why? More teams employ 3-5 wide
receivers along with a tight end in the slot. When that happens,

more defensive backs come on the field and substitute for

linebackers. Butkus and Nitschke’s game was built to play between

the tackles, not in space like today’s game. However, if I comprise an

all-time Bears or Packers team, there are still on it. 

You can also take any random great quarterback from the modern era

and ask how they might have done 20-plus years ago when

quarterbacks were more protected by the rules. Again, fair point but

Tom Brady is still my all-time New England Patriots quarterback. 

Though I have watched the Bay Area teams up close, who knows I

may go through some of the other 32 teams and do an all-time one

in two-deep format. 

Tennessee bill right to get in front of transgender competition issue

At least one state is getting out in front of the issue of transgender

student-athletes competing in their converted gender rather than

the one established at birth. 

Last month, the state of Tennessee introduced a bill that would

require student-athletes to only compete in sports against other

athletes in their birth gender, not their converted one. For instance,

if a student’s birth certificate reads as female but the person’s

present status identifies as male, they must compete against

females. The same applies for those whose birth certificate reads

male but presently identifies as female. 

Rep.Bruce Griffey, who sponsored the bill, cited that males have

larger hearts and more upper body strength than females, thus

giving them an advantage. The issue also stems from the fact that

there are few, if any, woman to man transgenders that are winning

big at top level sports against males. Conversely, there are man to

woman transgenders that are smashing female records. 

Transgender advocates view the bill as demeaning. For extensive

details, read the link below: 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/08/politics/tennessee-transgender-

sports-bill-trnd/index.html

The transgender movement has become more common in recent

years. In 2016, Williams Institute conducted a study that found 0.6

percent of the United States population identified themselves

as transgender. The population has likely increased since that

study, it’s just a question of how much? 

I’m not going to use this space to discuss the moral compass of

someone choosing to become a different gender because in

America, you have that right. I will also not use this space to go

into transgender rights in society on the whole because this is a

sports story. 

The notion I keep coming back to is, “You have men’s and women’s

sports for a reason. They call it Title IX.” In the simplest of terms, it

was established in 1972. The basic premise behind the ruling was,

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be

excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be

subjected to discrimination under any education program or

activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

In my judgment, allowing student-athletes to compete against

their converted gender rather than the once given at birth,

bastardized Title IX. 

To truly understand the premise of Title IX, however, it is not just

about females having the opportunity to play sports. It was

about them having the opportunity to compete in sports on a

more level playing field.

In my previous career, I was a sports reporter covering primarily

high school athletics. Throughout those years, there were a few

females that would adequately compete well against the boys but

if I counted, I doubt I could reach one hand. 

So if the examples are outliers at the high school level, they would

really be fewer and farther between at the college and professional

ranks, if they would even exist at all. 

Another example I could give is wrestling, which has become

more mainstream, particularly at the high school level over the past

quarter century. In the state of California, there is a state tournament

for the girls as well as boys. There are probably examples in other

states but since I live in California, that is the only place I can state as

an example. 

Even in a sport like wrestling, which does not penalize a kid for their

size because of weight classes, there are competition issues. Just

as a broad generalization, and I covered many wrestling meets, I

witnessed girls emerge victorious over boys. However, if you took

the state champion, for example, 130-pound female wrestler and

placed her against a mid-level or below wrestler in that class, she

will emerge victorious a fair amount of times. Against the top level

males, however, that is very seldom if ever the case. 

One of my older sisters graduated from Napa High (Napa, CA) in

1982 and wanted to try out for the soccer team. Mind you, this was

before the days of girls soccer teams. That scenario meant she had

to play on the boys team. Suffice it to say, the idea of a girl even

thinking she could play sports with boys did not go over well at all.

My sister has told me on a few occasions how the boys would get

overly physical when competing in practice or games, trying to get

her to quit. Well, something strange happened, my sister lasted the

entire season and earned the respect of her peers but in an ideal

world she would have competed on a girls’ soccer team had it been

offered. At the time, however, there was not enough demand.

Given the outrage culture in which we live, I find it no surprise that

this topic has gotten strong responses on both ends of the

spectrum. However, in the grand scheme, let’s not lose sight of why

there is a reason for men’s and women’s sports -- Title IX.