For the second year in a row, sign-stealing accusations have blown up on the internet, with the latest taking place in Friday's game between Wisconsin and Iowa.It just means more in Williamsport!Davenport Northwest (Iowa) defeated Whitefish Bay (Wisconsin), 7-6, in the Midwest Regional Championship game on Friday.The win sent Davenport to the Little League World Series, and sent poor Whitefish home to, presumably, start school.But was there something nefarious at play? Let's head to the bottom of the second inning, where Iowa plated a couple runs and raised a few eyebrows along the way:"They're taking signs on second," the catcher tells his coach during a mound visit."Who is?" manager Kyle Fox responded."The second baseman."The kids go on to tell Fox that Northwest players are tapping their leg when the sign is put down, which is pretty clear from the video.
Fox ignores it, and proceeds to give his pitcher a scouting report for the next batter.Umpires confer about a play during the Little League World Series U.S.semifinal between Southeast Georgia and West California at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa., on Aug.
27, 2009.California defeated Georgia 11-10.
(Getty Images)An inning later, things reached a boiling point with the bases loaded.That's when another Iowa player on second appeared to motion something with his arms right before the pitch, prompting Fox to call time from the dugout and tell the umpires exactly what was going on:...
And that was it.No warnings.No protests.
No talking to the other coach, or the other team.The umpires congregated for 15 seconds, and then went back to playing ball.So, what are our thoughts here? The initial response, for me, would be ...So what? Runners have been relaying signs to the hitter from second base for a century now.
It's on the catcher to put down better signs.It's on the manager to figure it out.Except, it's deemed "unsportsmanlike behavior" in Little League baseball.
Rule 9.00 (d) states:Each umpire has autho...