CLEVELAND — If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.
That phrase has been around the game since the first time a pitcher figured out how to make a baseball move oddly by scuffing its surface or the first time a batter glanced back at the catcher’s signs.
Cheating was the subject of pregame discussion around Jacobs Field on Friday after the NFL fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for videotaping defensive signals from New York Jets coaches during the teams’ regular-season opener.
“They are different games,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “I can feel 10 eyes on me when I’m giving signs. I’m sure they feel the same way.”
Football coaches, especially at the college and professional level, are notable for their paranoia. Wedge said he doesn’t plan to take great measures to avoid an opposing team picking up his strategies.
“I’m not going to hide down in the corner and have towels put up around me,” Wedge said. “If they want to spend all of their time and energy on that, go for it.”
General manager Mark Shapiro didn’t elaborate on the issue, but he has an interest in both sides of the NFL’s problem. Patriots Vice President for Player Personnel Scott Pioli is one of Shapiro’s best friends, and Jets coach Eric Mangini is his brother-in-law.
“You always hear rumors in baseball,” Shapiro said. “I always figure it isn’t true. If you let it get in your head, it can become a negative.”
Wedge said he doesn’t consider studying pitchers to see if they are tipping off their pitches to be cheating.
“It’s no different than a guy leading off first base trying to pick up the pitcher’s move,” Wedge said. “That our responsibility, to figure that out.”
Boston manager Jimy Williams accused the Indians in 1999 of using a center-field camera to steal the catcher’s signs. White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle in 2005 accused the Texas Rangers of using a light system in center field to signal the pitch to their batters.
Wedge noted that hitters are provided so much information, some don’t even want to know what might be coming.
“We’ve got plenty of information,” Wedge said. “You have to be efficient with how you use it.”
n Bring on the Tigers — The pitching matchups for next week’s critical series against Detroit at Jacobs Field have been set. Kenny Rogers will start against Paul Byrd on Monday, Justin Verlander against Jake Westbrook on Tuesday and Nate Robertson against C.C. Sabathia on Wednesday. Plenty of tickets remain — the approximate presale for the three games is 25,000, 30,000 and 24,000.
n Reinforcements — LHP Jeremy Sowers will join the Indians at the close of the Eastern League finals, Wedge said. Sowers was scheduled to pitch Game 3 of the series Friday against Trenton at Canal Park.
n Southpaw speak — Wedge said Sowers remains the most likely candidate to make a spot start during the Sept. 26 doubleheader at Seattle because Cliff Lee will have pitched only in irregular relief duty. Wedge also said LHP Aaron Laffey will remain in the rotation through the end of the regular season. “He’s done a good job for us, for a young man coming up late in the season,” Wedge said. “He’s given us a chance to win ballgames, he’s pitched well, and he’s made some adjustments.”
n A good guy — Shapiro said he was “completely surprised” at the resignation of his Minnesota counterpart Terry Ryan. “There’s a lot of frustration exacerbated by working in a market like ours, like his,” Shapiro said. “You get evaluated by the same criteria as a larger market, but it’s not the same job.”
Sports
Tribe Notebbok: Is there cheating in baseball?
Wedge says it’s a different game than football
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Riverside sneaks past Edgewood
Riverside wrestling coach Scott Blank learned a good deal of what he knows from Edgewood coach Greg Stolfer as a former Warrior great. Thursday, he used a bit of that knowledge to get the better of his old coach as the Beavers bested the Warriors, 31-28, at Edgewood.
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Madison rolls past Geneva
Madison recovered from coming out on the short end of a pin in the first match of the night by taking six of the next seven matches against Geneva and capped the night with pins from their last pair of grapplers in dismantling the Eagles, 49-17.
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Boys tourney returning to county
On Feb. 27, for the first time in 20 years, postseason boys basketball will return to Ashtabula County when the Division II sectional-district tournament comes to Lakeside high school.
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Dragons dump Lakers in drink
Despite the fact his girls have been through a tough season, Lakeside coach Rob Livingston spoke as though he had sensed that better things might be around the corner.
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Mustangs dominate Heralds
In their last home game of the season, the Grand Valley Mustangs rose to the occasion on Senior Night, defeating the SS. John and Paul Heralds, 59-28.
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Clark, Francis help give Falcons Liberty
Paige Clark led an attack that saw three Jefferson players reach double figures and Rachel Francis had a triple-double as the Falcons blasted visiting Liberty, 59-17, in an All-American Conference game Thursday night in Falcon Gym.
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Scholastic Statistics:
WRESTLING
NON-CONFERENCE
Riverside 31, Edgewood 28
at Edgewood -
Scholastic Schedule:
FRIDAY, FEB. 10
Boys Basketball
n Lakeside at Madison
n Conneaut at Edgewood
n Liberty at Jefferson (WFUN)
n South at Geneva
n PV at Bloomfield
n Grand Valley at Southington
n Riverside at North
n Harvey at Perry -
PV prevails
Cody Miller and Zach Campbell knew what they had to do in order for the Pymatuning Valley wrestling team to complete a come-from-behind victory over Jefferson on Wednesday at triangular match at PV.
The pair delivered exactly that and the Lakers pulled off the win, 37-36. -
Eagles bounce back
The Geneva girls didn’t have much time to regroup. But just one day after a heartbreaking defeat, they were able to knock off a strong Perry team on the road, 39-33.
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