BASEBALL Players misread signals

The manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes changes his signs often.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In the intricate world of baseball signs, players can misinterpret the eighth time the manager touches the brim of his hat.
Did that mean take or bunt?
Albuquerque Isotopes manager Dean Treanor is the conductor of his team's language of sign, and he says his players often misread his mix of 10 different indicators.
"Guys miss them all the time," said Treanor. "That's why you try to keep them as simple as possible. A missed sign can end an inning."
This isn't your average Little League book of signs. The Isotopes must be cerebral, like chess players, in Triple-A baseball, where teams steal each other's signs, and squeeze plays can mean everything.
"Guys have to realize the importance of it," Treanor said. "If guys can't take signs here, they won't get them in the (major leagues)."
With 16 teams in the Pacific Coast League, eight in each conference, the Isotopes play conference foes 16 games a year.
Change in strategy
This calls for Treanor to make subtle changes in his sign strategy so the opposing team doesn't detect what Albuquerque is showing.
Treanor watches an opposing manager for the chance of discovering something new.
If Treanor has a player who used to play for the opponent, he'll ask him what he remembers about the team's signs.
The input isn't always thorough because of memory lapses.
"I usually forget signs from an old team about two weeks after I leave a team," Isotopes utility player Chris Ashby said.
Still, players must study up on the sign changes for 3-1 counts, 3-2 counts, hit-and-run situations, bunt, steal, double steal and others.
There's reason for a hitter to occasionally feel carnival-ride dizzy after a manager indicates numerous signs before a batter takes a pitch.
He's seen it all
Ashby, a 14-year minor league veteran, has seen it all in the signs department.
As a Gulf Coast League rookie, Ashby noticed how the opposing team once picked up on his team's signs.
Funny thing is, Ashby's team was so bad missing their own signs that the opposing team became confused.
"Our manager kept saying that we were (messing) the other team up," Ashby said.
Fans have called the Isotopes' front office to ask about the difficulty of signs, what each one means and how players handle them.
"Sometimes the baseball-savvy fans will inquire fairly regularly," said Steve Hurlbert, media relations director for the Isotopes.
"They wonder if a new guy has to go through a whole new set of signs once he gets here."
He sure does. In fact, Wilson, a first-year Isotope, learned new signs for what seemed like the millionth time.
"I've been playing for 16 years, and every manager I've had has different signs and different indicators."