Apple Watch Caught Stealing Signs

RedSox baseball news, and Apple Watch news.

What?

Really?

Yes.

The world she is a changing.

Stealing signs in baseball is where a player somehow "read" the communication between pitcher and catcher to figure out what pitch is coming next.  This is a practice as old as the sport itself.

Do you ever wonder, or have you noticed, pitchers cover their mouths with their gloves when talking with their catchers on the mound?  That's because the San Francisco Giant great Will Clark read the lips of the pitcher and banged another great hit once upon a time.  Changed the game.

Now the RedSox have introduced wearable devices for the same effect, breaking the rules of baseball in the process:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/sports/baseball/boston-red-sox-stealing-signs-yankees.html?mcubz=1

The results?  They've been fined and the practice is discontinued. The amount of the fine is to remain undisclosed and will be donated to hurrican relief in Florida.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20716110/boston-red-sox-new-york-yankees-fined-separately-part-mlb-investigation-sign-stealing

Wow! Tech has taken over sports hasn't it?

Happy ... something,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0228 MLB.com Streaming Video

Best Reading of the Day

The story behind MLB.com and the success of its digital efforts and streaming video is impressive reading.  When you add the recent addition of HBO cutting the cord through this service, and now the news of the NHL coming onboard it becomes truly impressive.

This is your best read of the day:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/4/9090897/mlb-bam-live-streaming-internet-tv-nhl-hbo-now-espn

Here is a snippet from the story:

When baseball’s then commissioner, Bud Selig, created BAM back in 2000, he had relatively modest goals in mind. The unit would be in charge of creating websites for each of the teams and consolidating MLB’s digital rights. By pooling resources, he would prevent the bigger teams from outpacing their smaller market rivals. And to keep the division honest and efficient, BAM would operate as its own company. The teams agreed to contribute a combined $120 million to the venture, $1 million each over the first four years, with each taking an equal ownership stake.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Baseball Analysis as Opening Day Nears

A bit more fun this week, though the analysis is quite serious.  If you are a data geek as I am then you should be hitting up 538.com every day for their latest and greatest.

The Boston Red Sox have been at the front of much of this work though everyone seems to trail that Moneyball guy over on the West Coast.

Here is a great little piece on the changing game of baseball as data shifts the thinking of everyone involved with the game.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/three-trends-to-watch-in-baseball-this-year/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Baseball is changing. I suppose that’s nothing new — baseball has always been changing, but now novel technologies and team philosophies are reshaping the game to a near-unprecedented degree. Pitch tracking, new kinds of defensive positioning, hyper-specialized relief pitching — all are altering the tactical landscape of MLB.

FiveThirtyEight’s season preview is about some of those changes. Tons of season previews concentrate on the teams — our friends at Grantland have been doing a great one of these — so we looked elsewhere for our inspiration. Below you’ll find three of the season’s most important trends alongside three of the players likely to be affected by them. These are the storylines worth keeping an eye on in the 2015 season regardless of your rooting interest. Embrace the change.

Go RedSox!

J.W. Gant