Chance Sisco's Violation of One of Baseball's Dumbest (Unwritten) Rules | Seamheads.com

All of the new-age data analytics is going to force a re-write of baseball's unwritten rules. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

If teams are shifting, they're still competing, so the other team should still be able to compete. I'm not even sure if this really qualifies as an issue needing adjusting or somebody mis-applying the old-school, unwritten rules.


from Seamheads.com
Chance Sisco's Violation of One of Baseball's Dumbest (Unwritten) Rules | Seamheads.com:

"The 2018 major league baseball season is not even a week old and there is already a strong candidate for the dumbest story of the year. With his team trailing 7-0 in the ninth inning on April 1st, Baltimore Orioles’ rookie catcher Chance Sisco laid down a bunt for a single against a shift employed by the Minnesota Twins to take away holes for his left-handed swing. After the game, the Twins made it abundantly clear their belief was that one of baseball’s “unwritten rules” had been broken by this action. This type of thinking is not only absurd, but is out of date and needs to stop.

According to an article on the story by ESPN, Minnesota pitcher Jose Berrios (who ended up winning that game by complete-game shutout) was quoted as saying “I don’t care if he’s bunting. I just know it’s not good for baseball in that situation. That’s it.”

Meanwhile, Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier weighed in. “I could’ve said something, but they have tremendous veteran leadership over there… I’m sure they’ll address it and move forward.”

Let’s examine the utter stupidity of suggesting that a player should not be trying simply because his team is behind late in a game.

-While a 7-0 deficit in the ninth inning is an unlikely scenario to come back from, it is far from impossible. As recently as 2016 the Seattle Mariners came back from 10 runs down to beat the San Diego Padres. There are numerous other examples of improbable victories. It’s early in the season, but a win can make a major difference by the end of the year. This is especially true for a team like the Orioles, who operate with a minuscule margin of error because of their existence in the annually strong American League East.

-Why is it a violation of the unwritten rules that Sisco tried to get on base during a late, out of hand game, but the Twins were in the right by shifting their fielders in an effort to get him out more easily? There is always concern in major league sports that teams are putting out maximum effort (see history of gambling, tanking, etc…). If anything, MLB should crack down on such talk that suggests that a player or team should effectively stand down because they happen to be losing by a wider margin.

-This story also comes down to dollars and cents. Players have a relatively defined period of time to make their money. For the small percentage of players who are signed by professional teams and ultimately make the majors, the average length of their career as a big leaguer is just 5.6 years. A player’s ability to get an extra base hit or two; potentially hit a home run serves to pad their stats and by proxy potentially their earnings.

Chance Sisco did nothing wrong by trying to get on base with his team losing by seven runs in the ninth inning. In baseball, the team on offense is trying to score as many runs as possible, while the team pitching and on defense is attempting to stop them by all means possible. It should literally be that simple with no in between, baseball’s unwritten rules be damned.

Andrew Martin is the founder of “The Baseball Historian” blog where he posts his thoughts about baseball on a regular basis. You can also reach him on Twitter at @historianandrew or on Facebook."

'via Blog this'

Baseball's Unwritten Rules - The Culture of the Game

Since we talk the Culture of the Game and the Unwritten Rules of Baseball all the time, here is a pretty good starter set for those who are newer to the game or have never played. Trust me when I say, if you have sat in enough dugouts these do's and don'ts become ingrained in your membranes.

Some of them are evolving and changing as the game changes. The A's-Astros "bunting against the IF shift" might be a recent addendum to the Do and Don't bunt situational protocol.

If you can think of some others that have caused controversy or conversation, feel free to post an addendum.  Umpires really have to be on top of these customs and mores in order to keep the peace.

from theoleballgame.com:

http://www.theoleballgame.com/baseball-rules.html

The Right Way To Do Things

1. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponents.



2. Never show up an umpire on balls and strikes, as a coach, pitcher or hitter.



3. Never steal a base, or bunt, when leading by a bunch of runs. You have to get a feel for the game, and know when enough is enough. Best philosophy ~ You don't stop competing; but you do stop manufacturing runs.



4. Never show up an opponent with a home run trot. Get out of the box, get around the bases and get back in the dugout.



• Flipping the bat, watching the ball or taking a long time getting around the bases are all considered disrespecting your opponent.


5. Never swing at a 3-0 pitch when your team has a comfortable lead.



6. Never, as a batter, peek at a catcher's signals or position, from the batter's box.



7. Keep victory celebrations under control (ACT LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE.)

At The End Of The Day, With Baseballs' Unwritten Rules, They All Point To One Word.

~ RESPECT ~





• Respect of the game.



• Respect for the history of the game.



• Respect of your opponents.



• Players sacrificing personal glory, for the good of the team.

Baseballs' Unwritten Rules

Here we have the core of what keeps baseball civil, baseballs' unwritten rules. Some of the rules here are old baseball axioms on the right way to play the game. A lack of knowledge with them will detract from your game, but not create on field conflict. Others, however, will immediately evoke a negative response.

While these rules are not written down in a rule book, players at all levels are expected to know "the right way to do things". It is that failure to do things the
right way that emmanently leads to on field conflict, a problem seen with ever increasing frequency with each passing year.

Coaches of amateur and youth baseball teams have a responsibility to know, and teach, unwritten rules to their players.

There are intangibles that coaches can instill in their players. Honesty, pride, work ethic, discipline, winning and losing with dignity, never give up attitude, teamwork and respect for other individuals, to name a few.

When that player leaves you and moves forward, even if he never plays baseball again, he does have to interact with other human beings the rest of his life.

In a game in which fewer than 1% of all baseball players reach the major leagues, and approximately only 7% play in college, what is it you will have given them when their season is finished and their baseball careers are over?

When they put away the bats and balls for the last time, you will have left them with a foundation of values to build upon in all aspects for the rest of their lives. Therein lies the true legacy of baseball and coaching!

OLD BASEBALL AXIOMS

• Never make the first or third out of an inning at third base.



• Always run out ground balls, even routine ones.



• Hustle on and off the field.



• Never lose track of the count, or the number of outs.



• Never mention a "no hitter" when a pitcher has one working.



• Never put team or personal gear away until the last out is recorded and the game is officially over.

Quote From Tony Gwynn ~"There is only one way to play the game, it's the right way"~

Home Plate Collisions — Baseball or Rugby? | The Sports Economist

The Posey Rule issue re-dux from the perspective of those that view from a "culture of the game" perspective versus a more legalistic, economic point of view.

“Welcome to the big leagues, hayseed. Next time, don’t stand on the tracks when the train’s coming through.” — Jack Parkman, “Major League II”

Diamond decorum: It’s all about respect - KansasCity.com:

"Consider this Baseball Etiquette 101: Unwritten rules, enforcers and controversial plays that toe the line between hustle and recklessness.

“Bottom line: It’s a game,” Kendall says. “If you (give a player room to slide), and that happens, it’ll be taken care of.”

Kendall is talking about justice — baseball style.

Baseball is filled with unwritten — and sometimes obscure — rules: Don’t steal second with a big lead. Don’t swing at the first pitch after back-to-back home runs. Don’t walk in front of the umpire and catcher when stepping into the batter’s box.

The list is long and varied, and of course, depends on whom you talk to.

And if these rules can be cobbled together to create some unofficial code, Kendall will tell you that, in his mind, the catcher should act as a team’s unofficial law enforcer.

“Absolutely,” Kendall says. “It’s about the team.”"

---

Home Plate Collisions — Baseball or Rugby? | The Sports Economist:

"Warning: Readers who think about sports rules and practices solely as “that’s the way it has been so that’s the way it should be” probably won’t like this post.

The collision between Florida Marlin Scott Cousins and SF Giants Catcher Busty Posey severely injured Posey’s ankle and likely ended his season.  The famous 1970 All-Star game collision between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse broke Fosse’s collarbone and, arguably, diminished the rest of his career.  Why does MLB promote violent home plate collisions by permitting catchers to block the plate and/or players to barrel into them? Most discussions of the issue revolve around limiting runners, but it’s really the blocking of the plate or the expectation of it that often initiates the violence.  In the Cousins-Posey case, Posey does not really block the plate, but one might argue that Cousins expects that scenario, and at high speed, last second adjustments aren’t practical.

From an economic standpoint, there are two essential issues;  i)  “property rights” — who has claim to a base or pathway; ii)  the objective of the game (the product being offered) and what constraints/property rights maximize the quality of this product."

Cracking the Code - The Unwritten Rules of Baseball

Robin Ventura, breaking one of the unwritten rules, "Don't charge the mound unless you know what you're going to do once you get there."


As one who has spent the better part of a lifetime around the game, it strikes me that many of the larger conflicts that develop are rooted around the breach of one of these unwritten rules.

They are tantamount to the rules of etiquette or code of conduct and they are breached at considerable risk to the transgressor. Unfortunately, it seems as if many times the transgressor is either unaware or does not fully understand or agree with the reason why the etiquette is in place and has survived through many baseball generations.

In the interest of promoting a higher level of peace, harmony and well-being among players and fans of all ages, I present some of the best lists of "Unwritten Rules" of baseball, that have been actually transcribed to parchment, for greater ease of understanding of baseball denizens of all levels of IQ and social sophistication.

Most of these have been passed along by word of mouth, grunts and groans and similar modes of communication preferred by Cro-Magnons who inhabit dugouts across the nation.

--

Wed May 05 11:32am EDT

The 'Code': Ten unwritten baseball rules you might not know
By Jason Turbow


http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Code-Ten-unwritten-baseball-rules-you-mig?urn=mlb-238853

1. Don't swing at the first pitch after back-to-back home runs

This is a matter of courtesy, respect for a pitcher who is clearly struggling, offering just a sliver of daylight with which to regain his senses.

2. Don't work the count when your team is up or down by a lot

This is true for both pitchers and hitters. Nobody wants to see the fifth guy on a bullpen's depth chart nibbling on the corners in the late innings of a blowout. Similarly, hitters are expected to swing at anything close. It's an effort to quickly and efficiently end a lopsided contest.

3. When hit by a pitch, don't rub the mark.

This one is all about intimidation or lack thereof. It's a hitter's way of telling the pitcher that his best shot — intentional or otherwise —didn't hurt. Pete Rose made a point of sprinting to first base after being hit, to ensure that he stripped all satisfaction from the pitcher.

4. Don't stand on the dirt cutout at home plate while a pitcher is warming up

Just as Braden dismissed A-Rod's attempt to enter his sacred space, the area around the plate is meant only for the hitter, and then only when it's time for him to hit. Should a pitcher be getting loose before an at-bat, it's strictly off-limits.


5. Don't walk in front of a catcher or umpire when getting into batter's box

This is respect, pure and simple. If the line from your dugout to the batter's box takes you between the pitcher and the catcher, walk around. Like the A-Rod incident, you'll likely never hear about this one until a player is called out for brazenly violating it.

6. Don't help the opposition make a play (bracing them from falling into the dugout, etc.)

In 1998, Dodgers left fielder Matt Luke braced Arizona's Andy Fox as the third baseman staggered into the Los Angeles dugout while chasing a pop fly. He knew the Code, but he had also been Fox's roommate in multiple levels of the Yankees' minor-league system, and was so tight with him that Fox had served as an usher in his wedding. Even then, he had his limits. "I waited until he made the play," said Luke in the Riverside Press Enterprise. "I wanted to prevent an injury. We're competing out there, and not for one second do I want to help the opposition."

7. Relievers take it easy when facing other relievers

The caveat to this piece of the Code is that for the most part, relievers don't step to the plate in close games, which gives their counterparts on the opposing team some leeway in their approach.

8. Follow the umpire's Code when addressing them on the field.

This is a book in itself. How one talks to umpires goes a long way toward getting favorable calls, or at least not getting thrown out of a game. ("That call was horse----" is generally acceptable; "You're horse----" is never acceptable.)

9. Pitchers stay in the dugout at least until the end of the inning in which they get pulled

This is purely about respect for one's teammates.

10. Pitchers never show up their fielders

This doesn't happen frequently, but when it does, players notice. One pitcher who made a habit of excessive body language on the mound was Gaylord Perry, who would put his hands on his hips and stare down fielders who made errors behind him.

---

The unwritten rules of sports -- in writing
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
Published 10:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 11, 2005


http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/The-unwritten-rules-of-sports-in-writing-1163966.php

Baseball

1.0. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponent.

1.1. Never show up an umpire on balls and strikes.

1.2. Never steal a base when leading by a bunch of runs. Rickey Henderson was the all-time offender, once taking second base with the Brewers' defense playing back and his team leading 12-5 in the seventh inning. "There are certain things you don't do," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said. "You don't stop competing; what you stop doing is manufacturing runs."

1.3. Never show up an opposing pitcher after hitting a home run off him. This is includes such no-nos as Ruben Sierra's funky-chicken dance step and Jeffrey Leonard's one flap down. Taking a long time to get around the bases is considered taboo. Scott Rolen of the Cardinals is one who does it the right way -- drop the bat and run around the bases.

1.4. Always run onto the field in support of your teammates or players after a fight breaks out. Indians manager Charlie Manuel once was suspended for two games for running onto the field from the clubhouse.Manuel had been ejected from the game but said he could not in good conscience stay in the clubhouse while his players were throwing haymakers.

1.45. Don't fraternize with opposing players.

1.45. (a) Players who don't run onto the field in support, or who fraternize with opposing players, shall be fined by a kangaroo court.

1.45. (b) Kangaroo courts shall exist in every major league clubhouse and operate by their own set of unwritten rules. See Jay Buhner, Mariners, 1988-2001.

2.0. Play the game the right way.

2.1. Never lay down a bunt to break up a no-hitter. Ben Davis, then with the Padres, did this against Curt Schilling, then with the Diamondbacks, in the eighth inning of a 2001 game. The single brought the tying run to the plate, but Davis was heavily criticized -- even his manhood was called into question. "Ben Davis is young and has a lot to learn," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. "That was just uncalled for."

2.2. When breaking up a double play, always go in with a clean slide. Rangers catcher Pudge Rodriguez went out of his way to take out Cleveland shortstop Omar Vizquel in 1994; Vizquel suffered torn knee ligaments, spent seven weeks on the DL, and the Indians were fighting mad.

2.3. Always throw a fastball on a 3-0 count.

2.35. Never swing at a 3-0 pitch when your team has a comfortable lead.Vladimir Guerrero swung at a 3-0 offering in a 2001 game against the Mets with his team leading 10-0, and pitcher Turk Wendell promptly drilled him.

2.4. Never put the tying or go-ahead run on first base.

2.45. Unless you are playing the Giants and Barry Bonds represents the tying or go-ahead run.

2.5. Never make the first or third out of an inning at third base.

2.6 Always run out ground balls, even routine ones. Hustle in, hustle out. This rule does not apply to all; Ken Griffey Jr., for example, never read the unwritten rules during his stay with the Mariners.
2.7. Never interrupt a pitcher's focus by talking to him before a start.

2.75. Applicable to broadcasters and players alike, never mention "no-hitter" when a pitcher has one working.

2.8. Never steal another team's signs -- or at least never get caught doing so. It is particularly taboo for the batter to peek at the catcher's signs from the batter's box. Stealing signs from second base is considered gamesmanship but still requires retribution.

2.9. Pitchers must work inside to keep opposing batters honest but must never throw at a batter's head.

2.95. Pitchers must retaliate for egregious acts committed by opposing pitchers.

----

The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules

In 1986, Baseball Digest published one of the absolute best lists to ever appear about the game of baseball. The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules was a collaborative effort and is quite comprehensive. These are the rules that serious fans already know and new fans need to learn in order to speak baseball.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/liunwrit.shtml

The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules

by Baseball Digest (1986)


Unwritten Rules

1 Never put the tying or go-ahead run on base.
2 Play for the tie at home, go for the victory on the road.
3 Don't hit and run with an 0-2 count.
4 Don't play the infield in early in the game.
5 Never make the first or third out at third.
6 Never steal when you're two or more runs down.
7 Don't steal when you're well ahead.
8 Don't steal third with two outs.
9 Don't bunt for a hit when you need a sacrifice.
10 Never throw behind the runner.
11 Left and right fielders concede everything to center fielder.
12 Never give up a home run on an 0-2 count.
13 Never let the score influence the way you manage.
14 Don't go against the percentages.
15 Take a strike when your club is behind in a ballgame.
16 Leadoff hitter must be a base stealer. Designated hitter must be a power hitter.
17 Never give an intentional walk if first base is occupied.
18 With runners in scoring position and first base open, walk the number eight hitter to get to the pitcher.
19 In rundown situations, always run the runner back toward the base from which he came.
20 If you play for one run, that's all you'll get.
21 Don't bunt with a power hitter up.
22 Don't take the bat out of your best hitter's hands by sacrificing in front of him.
23 Only use your bullpen stopper in late-inning situations.
24 Don't use your stopper in a tie game - only when you're ahead.
25 Hit behind the runner at first.
26 If one of your players gets knocked down by a pitch, retaliate.
27 Hit the ball where it's pitched.
28 A manager should remain detached from his players.
29 Never mention a no-hitter while it's in progress.
30 With a right-hander on the mound, don't walk a right-handed hitter to pitch to a left-handed hitter.

The Book of Unwritten Baseball Rules by Baseball Digest

---


The codes of baseball
by Tim Kurkjian
ESPN The Magazine


http://espn.go.com/magazine/kurkjian_20010531.html

Baseball codes of conduct have existed since the days of Ty Cobb, who might have invented some of them. They are unwritten but strict -- violation of one often will get you a 90-mph fastball in the ribs. Some codes are archaic, outdated and stupid, but baseball is nothing if not soaked in tradition. What was good for Wagner, Cobb and Ruth is good for A-Rod, Ichiro and McGwire.

Here are a few of the codes:

Never break up a pitcher's no-hitter with a bunt late in a game.
This is preposterous. OK, if the score is 12-0 with two outs in the ninth inning, maybe dropping a bunt isn't the manliest thing to do. But last Saturday night, Arizona's Curt Schilling had a perfect game in the eighth when Padres catcher Ben Davis bunted for a hit in a 2-0 game. Schilling, who had paralyzing stuff that Davis could barely see let alone hit, finished with a three-hitter. D-Backs manager Bob Brenly, always a smart, reasonable voice, called Davis' play "chicken (----)."

It wasn't. Ask any manager, including the Tigers' Phil Garner, and they'll tell you there was nothing wrong with what Davis did. Late in any 2-0 game, not just no-hitters, good hitters are occasionally given the take sign on 2-0 just to get someone on and get something going. That's what Davis and the Padres were trying to do -- they're in a pennant race and they were trying to win an important game. Since when is an opponent's personal achievement more important than trying to win a game? And what's wrong with asking a pitcher to field his position?

Don't steal a base when your team is comfortably ahead or behind.
Another confusing code. Someone please define "comfortably." In this era of unconscious offense, what is it? Five runs, six runs, seven runs? What about at Coors Field, where every game is always close -- is it 10 runs? 15 runs? Granted, stealing a base when your team is ahead 15-0 is excessive. But last year, Colorado's Tom Goodwin stole a base when his team was ahead 9-1 at Coors, then got two pitches thrown over his head. The Rockies won that game 12-10.

Also, when a team is behind by, say, 10 runs, it often stops holding on the runner at first base. That is basically inviting the runner to steal, but he almost never does because that would be rubbing it in -- when a team does that, they're guaranteed to get someone hit. Yet by playing behind the runner, the first baseman can cover more ground, take away holes and take away hits.

This happened last season to the Rockies. Todd Hollandsworth came to the plate in what appeared to be a certain blowout win for Colorado. The opposition didn't hold the runner at first, Hollandsworth hit what would have been a run-scoring single had the first baseman been holding the runner. Instead, the first baseman made the play, preventing a run. The Rockies won that game 10-9. You cannot not hold a runner, then get upset if he steals. You can't have it both ways, but with the unwritten code, teams want it both ways.

In a fight, everyone must leave the bench and the bullpen.
Actually, we have no problem with this. No teammates are closer than they are in baseball because there are so many games and players spend so much time with one another. As corny as sounds, they become family, and when a family member is in a fight, everyone joins in. If a player doesn't run on the field, even if it's just to dance with the enemy, he might get fined and certainly will be ostracized by his teammates.

"He might get beat up," says one NL player. Indians manager Charlie Manuel was recently suspended for two games for running on the field during a fight -- he had earlier been ejected from the game, and wasn't allowed to go on the field. But he did anyway, saying that there's no way he wasn't going to stay in the clubhouse while his team fought.

Don't show up the pitcher after hitting a home run.
This code gets broken every night. Now, players flip their bat after a home run, they stand at home plate and gaze at the ball's flight, they take three minutes to circle the bases. If anyone had ever done that to Bob Gibson, he would have drilled the next guy, then he'd have drilled the hitter the next time he came to the plate, too.

Break up a double play with a good, clean, hard slide.
Anything beyond that is unacceptable. No roll blocks. No spikes in the air. No sliding 10 feet to the outside part of the bag. Nothing that could destroy a middle infielder's career. Those guys' knees and legs are exposed, they often can't see the runner coming, they deserve and expect contact, but nothing that could bust a knee in half. Pudge Rodriguez rolled Omar Vizquel a few years ago, knocking him out for a couple months: we've never seen then-Indians manager Mike Hargrove madder than he was that night. There is also no reason to kill middle infielders when it's obvious that there will be no throw to first on the play. Yet that still happens.

Don't show up an umpire on balls and strikes.
Umpires are, on the whole, very good at what they do. If they miss a call, a hitter can tell them, but do it without looking at him, or gesturing. That gets everyone in the ballpark on the umpire. As a pitcher, if an ump misses a pitch down the middle, do what Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins used to do: don't even flinch, just keep on pitching. As good as umpires are, they're human. If you embarrass them, they'll embarrass you. They'll call you out on a bad pitch if you make them look bad.

As a hitter, don't peek at the catcher's signs, or where he's setting up.
The Mets' Tsuyoshi Shinjo did this earlier in the season. That's why he got hit in the back by St. Louis' Matt Morris on April 27.

In a blowout game, never swing as hard as you can at a 3-0 pitch.
Again, this is about showing up an opponent, a point we certainly understand. Yet at times, we show too much pity for the losing team. These are professionals, the best in the world, they're making $2 million a year on average; if they can't take getting embarrassed once in a while, that's tough. The idea is always to play every play, every out. There should be no giving up in baseball.

HAVE YOU GOT CHEATING ON YOUR MIND??

Rick Ankiel?
Troy Glaus?
Jay Gibbons?
Bill Belichick?

Cheating, in the context of a game or sport, is "violating accepted standards or rules". Period, it should be simple enough to understand.

Interesting how now that the feel-good story of major league baseball this season and now the genius coach of the NFL have fallen into the abyss of cheating, the Court of Public Opinion is issuing some softer rulings on the subject.

The same guys who come down hard on baseball have just gone flaccid now that football is placed under the moral microscope.

It's gamesmanship. Mangini is a snitch. He violated the "code". The same "code" Canseco was lauded for violating. The code being another way of saying "accepted standards or rules" whether they are written or unwritten.

We don't really know if what Ankiel was doing to rehab a pitching injury helped him as a hitter.

The Pats Super Bowls aren't tarnished one bit.

Yeah, because then we have to start rethinking the budding legend that is Tom Brady. Does his star shine as bright with one or two Super Bowls erased from his resume. Or asterisked. Not saying Brady cheated, but he and his team clearly benefited from said cheating. And we don't want to knock down the legend that is Tom Brady, yet now do we?

It's good to see the Court of Public Opinion put away the hanging noose and start thinking a little more liberally. Would the opinions expressed about Belichick be the same if the coach under the gun were Dennis Green or Ray Rhodes?

As far as the baseball side, regarding this recent tendency to explain away HGH use as some sort of recovery from injury, some modern form of therapy--be advised that this is not recommended by any therapeutic modalities I'm aware of, not recommended by any reputable surgeons that I'm aware of, and you certainly would not need a years supply anyway when typical therapy sessions to recover from injury or surgery do not last more than six to eight weeks in most cases. Certainly not in the cases cited above.

How long will it be before baseball does something about both the Cardinals and Orioles organizations? Both seem to have been in the middle of too many of these bad-news stories regarding steroid-HGH-alcohol abuse. Maybe some sort of NCAA-style, lack of institutional control penalty might be in order. Especially for the Cardinals, who seem to be very belligerent in defense of their behavior (see LaRussa and GM Walt Jocketty), which only increases their level of culpability in my mind.

I have to wonder if the Patriots have been doing this as well as some of the other nefarious methods they've been accused of doing to win games lately, one has to wonder if the the number of Super Bowl rings for Tom Brady (3) vs. Peyton Manning (1)
could conceivably be reversed if they were playing on a "level playing field".

And who would be considered more of a coaching "genius" if the results of past Colts-Patriots matchups leading up to a couple of Super Bowls were reversed. Wouldn't Tony Dungy be the "genius", possibly one of the greatest coaches of all-time?