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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Deadspin: Josh Thole Fell For The Old “Tell The Runner It Was A Foul Ball” Trick

The hidden-ball trick is old news, as the Philadelphia Phillies utilized social engineering to fool Josh Thole into an out during the second inning of tonight’s Mets-Phils matchup in Philadelphia.

Best Regards, L.M. Posted: April 14, 2012 at 10:17 AM | 21 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Tricky Dick Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:30 PM (#4106580)

Who is the Phillies' player in this video?

2. Jesse Barfield's Right Arm Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:30 PM (#4106581)

Not sure what they the author thinks "social engineering" means, but that was a cool play.

3. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:39 PM (#4106585)

Who is the Phillies' player in this video?

Jimmy Rollins, right? The one who's standing on second when Thole turns around.

Freddy Galvis is the 2B covering first who tagged him out. He was so inspired by this success that he hit his first major-league homer a few minutes later.

4. Xander Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:39 PM (#4106586)

I'm not even sure Rollins wasn't just being nice and telling him not to slide.

5. Shazbot Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:39 PM (#4106587)

The SS is Jimmy Rollins, the tag is 2B Freddy Galvis.

6. Magnum RA Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:55 PM (#4106592)

I got somebody with this in high school on a dropped ball on a steal attempt. It was my crowning achievement. I've yet to surpass it.

7. Why Bloody Valdespin? Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:57 PM (#4106593)

I think Rollins was just telling him to stay up. He looked a little confused when Thole turned around.

8. Leroy Kincaid Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:01 PM (#4106594)

At least he didn't yell "hey" or whatever.

9. Champions Table Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:29 PM (#4106601)

Agree with 4.

10. Mayor Blomberg Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:38 PM (#4106602)

7: why do you think he looks confused? seems to me to go straight for the bag and call for the ball.

11. TomH Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:44 PM (#4106604)

I heard a short clip interview where Thole said he simply vapor-locked. He did not say he was fooled into thinking the ball was foul.

R.A. Dickey was upset that instead of getting credit for a sac bunt he gets a GIDP!

12. Steve Parris, Je t'aime Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:46 PM (#4106606)

Brandon Phillips got picked off against Philly last year while chatting with Rollins. Not sure if Rollins planned it that way, but it contributed to the game lasting for something like 16 innings and Wilson Valdez getting the win.

13. Brian White Posted: April 14, 2012 at 03:57 PM (#4106629)

I heard a short clip interview where Thole said he simply vapor-locked. He did not say he was fooled into thinking the ball was foul.

Yeah, according to the AP game recap, Rollins wasn't trying to be deceptive.

''I was coming into second and Jimmy (Rollins) put his hands up like, 'You can come in easy,''' Thole said. ''I checked and saw it was fair, but I took off back to first for no reason. It was a lackadaisical play.''

14. Bruce Markusen Posted: April 14, 2012 at 06:52 PM (#4106716)

If A-Rod had pulled this off against a runner, I wonder what the reaction would he have been? As far as I'm concerned, it's good old fashioned gamesmanship.

15. Greg (U)K Posted: April 14, 2012 at 07:01 PM (#4106719)

It certainly sounds odd. It's not that Rollins was deceptive, or that Thole wasn't paying attention, or was lazy. He notes that Rollins told him he was ok to come into second, he checked himself and saw it was fair. It's like some signals got crossed in his brain.

16. Dan The Mediocre Posted: April 14, 2012 at 07:18 PM (#4106725)

It certainly sounds odd. It's not that Rollins was deceptive, or that Thole wasn't paying attention, or was lazy. He notes that Rollins told him he was ok to come into second, he checked himself and saw it was fair. It's like some signals got crossed in his brain.

Basically the equivalent of looking at your watch for the time, then realizing you never actually read it to see what time it was.

17. YR Misses Reggie Bars Posted: April 14, 2012 at 07:41 PM (#4106735)

If A-Rod had pulled this off against a runner, I wonder what the reaction would he have been?

I don't think you need to wonder too much, not that I think the league investigation would recommend any sort of punishment.

18. Dale Sams Posted: April 14, 2012 at 11:59 PM (#4106829)

Lee almost cramps as bad by instead of throwing to first or just running at the runner...he nearly throws it into CF.

19. Misirlou is bad, he's nationwide Posted: April 15, 2012 at 10:20 AM (#4106894)

Terrible job by the announcers there. You can see in the clip Thole turning around and heading back to first just before the camera cuts away to show Dickey heading back to the dugout. Meanwhile, the announcers drone on about something irrelevant until the cheering crowd gets their attention just a split second before Thole is tagged at first.

First rate job guys. I don't want to hear a damned thing from you next time a batter doesn't give 100% down the line on a routine grounder to short.

20. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: April 15, 2012 at 11:00 AM (#4106922)

I think it's more the fault of the director, choosing the generic camera angle of following the guy who hit the sac bunt all the way to the dugout, instead of noticing that something else is going on. The announcers are supposed to be talking about what's on the screen.

21. Cris E Posted: April 15, 2012 at 07:19 PM (#4107284)

The announcers are supposed to be talking about what's on the screen.

I disagree with that. Those guys are there to talk about all sorts of stuff, and since the screen is (usually) showing the main events they should be scrounging up other things that aren't readily obvious to 75% of the viewers. If it's radio they should be covering the facts, hard. But TV should be held to both a less rigorous standard (don't tell me the fastball was low) and a higher one (if you're not obliged to describe everything, you have time to fill with something professional.)

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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Deadspin: Josh Thole Fell For The Old “Tell The Runner It Was A Foul Ball” Trick

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