Just did a radio interview on @OnPointRadio with @davidfolkenflik about how my grandfather, Del Wilber Sr., stole signs as a coach for the White Sox in the 1955 season. It was rather effective (a thread with fun reference to Yogi Berra).
So, my grandfather was a backup catcher for years withe Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox. In 1955, he is hired by Marty Marion as a player/coach/bullpen catcher for the White Sox. And the team is struggling. They believe other teams are stealing signs.
So Marion taps him to go into the Old Comiskey Park scoreboard, use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to get the catcher's signs and relay them to the hitter.
He does this by flipping a switch that turns a light on in the outfield bleachers. Light on: fast ball. No light: most likely offspead pitch. He either flipped the switch or had a pitcher do it for him.
This was effective. The White Sox were in first place by a game that season in early September. Then came a long road trip. They finished year in 3rd place.
I got this story from my grandfather in 2000 or 2001 while he was on his deathbed. He thought it was funny. So I tried to turn it into an essay and called players from that era. They mostly didn't remember. One or two said they knew it happened.
Marty Marion, the manager, was annoyed: "Why did your grandfather tell you that. There are supposed to be secrets in baseball!" Anyway, here is funny Berra piece: my father (@tpgf) as a kid was rooting through my grandfather's basement & came across box labelled "White Sox."
He figures, oh, there is a glove in here. Maybe some balls. That summer of '55 (my dad was 10), he got to shag balls all summer in the Comiskey outfield. He was maybe 16 when he digs through this box. Anyway, he finds White Sox stationary. ...
In my grandfather's handwriting are sheet up on sheet of team and catcher's names. Long charts of innings and pitches and signs. My grandfather was using these sheets to work out the catcher's signals/codes. Sometimes he broke code ...
early in a game. Other times later. But one, in particular, flummoxed him: the great Yogi Berra, catcher for the Yankees. He went a whole game and couldn't crack the code. Man, that Berra was certainly using sophisticated OSS-level codes, my grandfather thought.
A bunch of years later, he bumped into Berra and asked him about it. "Yogi, what kind of method were you using? I cracked all the catchers' codes but yours." Berra chuckled. "Del, I told the pitchers to throw whatever they wanted and I would just catch it." ...
Berra was making it all up! A sham system!
Anyway, my grandfather passed away in 2002. My father's foundation, The Perfect Game Foundation, is named in honor of my pinch-hitting grandfather's three-home run game (on three pitches) for Phillies in '51. score: 3-0.
Anyway, my grandfather passed away in 2002. My father's foundation, The Perfect Game Foundation, is named in honor of my pinch-hitting grandfather's three-home run game (on three pitches) for Phillies in '51. score: 3-0.
You can learn more about the foundation here: perfectgamefound.org
My grandfather, who was nicknamed by the family as "Skip" for his long tenure as a minor league manager: baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilb…
Oh, one more factoid. He has a perfect record as an MLB manager. When Texas Rangers fired Whitey Herzog, he stepped in (he was AAA manager) for a game. He won (playing many of his AAA call-ups). He was replaced the next day by Billy Martin.
