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McDowell says White Sox/Larussa Cheated


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https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/jack-mcdowell-80s-white-sox-tony-la-russa-cheated/fac8vh3ph8vb1dkja2jox1n10

 

Former MLB pitcher and 1993 AL Cy Young winner Jack McDowell alleged in a radio appearance Friday morning that the White Sox had an illegal sign-stealing operation at old Comiskey Park in the late 1980s, and that Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa was the instigator of the scheme.

Speaking to WFNZ-AM in Charlotte, where he serves as baseball coach for Queens University, McDowell said the White Sox had a camera zoomed in on opposing catchers and a light in an outfield Gatorade sign that could be controlled from the manager's office and would presumably let hitters know which pitches were coming.

"He was also the head of the first team ... with people doing steroids," McDowell said, referencing La Russa's decade-long stint as manager of the Oakland A's, which included managing infamous steroid users Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. "Yet he's still in the game making half a million. No one's gonna go after that."

I've been pretty anti-LaRussa in my life, and as a poster here, and his love of cheating was a huge reason. He was an overrated hack who never did shit the right way; which is likely why he was fired from the White Sox. People here can praise him all he want, but the guy spent decades cheating - not winning fair and square.

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I will say, I have no idea what camera's were good enough in the 1980's to zoom in from the outfield stands into the fingers of a catcher... But I don't know why Jack would make this up; well, he does hate LaRussa but still. Odds are this is true, and makes me even happier that we fired this ass hat.

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7 minutes ago, HOFHurt35 said:

OK, this makes no sense.  LaRussa last managed the Sox in 1985.  McDowell not drafted until the summer of 1987? 

McDowell was drafted in the 1987 draft - a member of the organization. He made his big league debut in 87, less than 1 year after LaRussa's firing. 

Players talk; these were his teammates. LaRussa has a history of breaking the rules, and I'll trust McDowell that this was just the beginning of LaRussa's scumbaggery.

edit: changed draft date

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Just now, soxfan49 said:

I don't think stealing signs is all that bad. I played in college and if the signs were so obvious that I can use them, fine. I think stealing signs is almost expected, which is why pitchers and catchers have different series of signs when a baserunner is at 2nd.

The argument is about using technology to cheat.  Apples and Oranges. 

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2 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

I don't think stealing signs is all that bad. I played in college and if the signs were so obvious that I can use them, fine. I think stealing signs is almost expected, which is why pitchers and catchers have different series of signs when a baserunner is at 2nd.

Again, using technology to steal signs is illegal and far different than me shifting my weight to the left side when the catcher moves in and right side when he moves out, and holding my left knee cap for a fastball and having two hands on my knees for off-speed while standing on second.

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1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

McDowell was drafted in the 1984 draft - a member of the organization. He made his big league debut in 87, less than 1 year after LaRussa's firing. 

Players talk; these were his teammates. LaRussa has a history of breaking the rules, and I'll trust McDowell that this was just the beginning of LaRussa's scumbaggery.

He was drafted in '87

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Just now, soxfan49 said:

I don't think stealing signs is all that bad. I played in college and if the signs were so obvious that I can use them, fine. I think stealing signs is almost expected, which is why pitchers and catchers have different series of signs when a baserunner is at 2nd.

Nobody is talking about that. Everyone accepts that in baseball...observable signs with the naked eye is fair game. Using technology- cameras, maybe buzzers, in real time, not cool . Not acceptable.

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