During a career that has spanned more than three decades, St. Louis Cardinals head athletic trainer Barry Weinberg has taped thousands of wrists, ankles and fingers.
Friday night, he taped a camera lens.
And, it wasn't even injured.
In the third inning a game against the Brewers at Miller Park, some St. Louis players watching the Fox Sports North telecast of the game in the visitor's clubhouse noticed that the robotic camera mounted on the railing of the visitor's dugout was picking up shots of manager Tony La Russa's spray charts, scouting reports and assorted other strategic papers (see the photo above for examples).
La Russa, who is one of the more successful (and intense) skippers in baseball history, didn't want to give up any competitive advantage, so he ordered Weinberg to cover the lens with tape. On Saturday, a worker from FSN relocated the camera.
Now, the idea that FSN was using its cameras to snoop the dugout for information is pretty far-fetched. The idea that this was generated in cahoots with the Brewers is even more remote. It's very likely that nobody on the home side even saw the charts, so the whole episode is much ado about nothing.
But, it's hard to blame La Russa for wanting to keep his papers a secret. You don't get to be one of the winningest managers in history without paying attention to detail.
Friday night, he taped a camera lens.
And, it wasn't even injured.
In the third inning a game against the Brewers at Miller Park, some St. Louis players watching the Fox Sports North telecast of the game in the visitor's clubhouse noticed that the robotic camera mounted on the railing of the visitor's dugout was picking up shots of manager Tony La Russa's spray charts, scouting reports and assorted other strategic papers (see the photo above for examples).
La Russa, who is one of the more successful (and intense) skippers in baseball history, didn't want to give up any competitive advantage, so he ordered Weinberg to cover the lens with tape. On Saturday, a worker from FSN relocated the camera.
Now, the idea that FSN was using its cameras to snoop the dugout for information is pretty far-fetched. The idea that this was generated in cahoots with the Brewers is even more remote. It's very likely that nobody on the home side even saw the charts, so the whole episode is much ado about nothing.
But, it's hard to blame La Russa for wanting to keep his papers a secret. You don't get to be one of the winningest managers in history without paying attention to detail.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
