The Phillies’ reaction to the accusation they’re stealing signs: Blame the Mets.
Told the Mets and Rockies have complained this season about the Phillies spying on signs from center field, manager Charlie Manuel had this reaction:
“Somebody ought to check on the Mets if they did [complain], because their … home record is out of this world and they’re losing on the road,” Manuel told MLB.com today. “That’s a good indication sometimes, if you want to know about signs and [stuff].
“When I see somebody is 17-2 at home and 4-12 on the road I kind of get concerned about that. That kind of crosses my mind.”
The Mets are 14-8 at home after today’s loss to the Nationals, 4-8 on the road.
“There are times when it seems like they’re doing something,” Johan Santana said of the Phillies. “I don’t really know. It’s not a fact that I know, but if Colorado is doing something [about it], they see something.”
The Phillies on Wednesday said they weren’t trying to steal signs when bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was caught on camera peering through binoculars from the bullpen bench at Coors Field earlier this week.
Manuel told The Associated Press that Billmeyer simply was watching Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz set up defensively Monday night.
FOXSports.com first reported a reprimand from Major League Baseball, which reviewed video of the matter Tuesday. The report said the Mets complained about the Phillies stealing signs earlier this season, and in 2007.
The Mets accused the Phillies of using a center-field camera three years ago, and the Boston Red Sox leveled charges against them in 2008.
FSN Rocky Mountain, the flagship broadcaster of the Rockies, showed Billmeyer using the binoculars to peer in on Colorado catcher Miguel Olivo while the Phillies were at bat in the top of the second inning.
It also showed a quick image of Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino in the dugout on the bullpen phone in the top of the second.
“We were not trying to steal signs,” Manuel said. “Would we try to steal somebody’s signs? Yeah, if we can. But we don’t do that. We’re not going to let a guy stand up there in the bullpen with binoculars looking in. We’re smarter than that.”
The Rockies noticed Billmeyer using the binoculars from his perch in center field in the top of the first inning Monday night and asked FSN to zoom in on the visitor’s bullpen.
Armed with evidence, Rockies manager Jim Tracy brought it to the attention of crew chief Jerry Crawford, who spoke with Manuel between the first and second innings of that game.
“I didn’t know about it,” Manuel said. “I told the umpire, ’No, we don’t have anybody out there with binoculars.’ I come to find out that we did. He used them to watch Ruiz set up and his catching and things like that. At the same time, we’re not supposed to have them out there.”
A Phillies spokesman said Billmeyer wasn’t available for comment prior to the game Wednesday. The video of Billmeyer showed him peering through the binoculars, then quickly pulling them down.
Mets catcher Rod Barajas, a former Phillies player, called Billmeyer “a great guy” and said “I hope it’s not true.”
Manuel said Billmeyer’s brazen use of the binoculars was itself proof that the Phillies weren’t trying to cheat.
“We were definitely not getting signs that way,” Manuel said. “He was standing straight up looking right at home plate. He was right out in the open. It wasn’t like he was hiding or nothing.”
The Rockies weren’t buying any of Manuel’s explanations.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s out of line,” Tracy said. “It’s one thing to go out and play a club as tough as you can possibly play it within the framework of the way they’ve structured things to be done. … Nobody says that you don’t explore something like that, but if you’re cheating and you get caught, then you know what? Then you’d better do something about it. That’s my reaction to that.
“But a pair of binoculars staring down the gun barrel of the hitting area? You know what, I don’t think any club in baseball that’s competing against that team would take too kindly to that,” Tracy said. “Now you can come up with all kinds of reasons as to why you had them and what you were doing with them.
“Are we to believe them all? Or is it OK for us to think maybe there might be some sort of competitive advantage that you might be gaining for yourself? And then you start reflecting back on some of the things that have taken place in previous games and it makes you sit and wonder a little bit.”
With Dan Martin; MLB.com; AP
