Lip Reading in Sports

Agreed. Make it so.

Tell that to anyone who competes against Belichick. If it were my multi-million per year job on the line in a multi-billion dollar industry where only one company (I mean team) wins each year...

But pitchers... please continue to put your gloves over your mouths when you're screaming curse words at yourself. It helps a little.

Hah! What I love is seeing how kids pick it up. Nothing funnier than a pair of eight-year-olds on the mound talking through their gloves.

This is where it got a jump start in baseball:

 

"The Cubs started Greg Maddux -- coming off a 19-12, 2.95 showing in just his second full season -- and Clark simply owned him. He doubled to left-center for a 1-0 Giants lead in the first. He got a low sinker in the third and golfed a solo homer to right for 4-2. Then he unleashed the blast that clinched the game and, in an odd way, altered the course of Maddux's career.

It was the top of the fourth, two outs and the bases loaded, San Francisco clinging to a 4-3 lead, and Cubs manager Don Zimmer came out to visit Maddux. Left- hander Paul Assenmacher was looming in the bullpen, but Kevin Mitchell was on deck. The decision was to leave Maddux in the game and to try to "jam" Clark with an inside fastball.

How did Clark know that? "I read his lips," Clark said the other day. "I was standin' there adjusting my batting glove, and I had a clear view of Maddux' face. I could see him say 'fastball in' to Zimmer. Well, shoot (laughter) . . . I guess they'd been poundin' me away, but if they want to come inside, go right ahead."

At the worst possible time, Maddux's fabled control deserted him. He threw the first pitch right down the middle, and Clark hit a grand slam into the street beyond the right-field bleachers at Wrigley. He wound up going 4-for-4 in the Giants' runaway victory, and when Maddux learned he had tipped off the pitch, he made a huge adjustment.

"That's why whenever he talks to the catcher now, he puts his glove up over his face," said Clark. "Unfortunately for him, he didn't do it then."

infielddad - with all due respect, and I mean that respectfully , your post is ambiguous at best.  I argue that Clark's grand slam was the result of that Maddux made a mistake -throwing it right down the middle - rather than Clark figuring out what was thrown - what say you? 

CD, I am a very, very poor "mouthpiece" for the "Thrill."

However, my sense is that for very good hitters against great pitchers, knowing which pitch is coming gives the hitter an important mental advantage.

As I read the "Thrill's" comment, I think he is saying that against someone like Maddux, it is much easier for a hitter to adjust to location if he knows which pitch is coming. To me, that would be especially true against someone like Maddux who was masterful in changing speeds, even on the same type of pitch.

Of course, he still needs to put a great swing on it and the "Thrill" did with that one.

Since your son is one terrific hitter, I would defer to him.  My impression is hitters like a mental advantage. Reading Maddux lips gave Will that mental edge. When he knew what pitch was coming, he only needed to make a minor adjustment to location,  and he sure did not miss it.

 

In my later years as a baseball player, I was a PO. On my off days, mostly due to finding something to keep me occupied, I took it upon myself to pick signs, and I have to say I got really good at it. I usually had the signs down by the end of the 2nd or 3rd inning. Reading lips was even easier, and so was reading the pitcher and catcher mannerisms or 'tells' at that level. It was a lot of fun. Frankly, there are only so many baseball key words when a pitcher is being visited, so really not a feat of extraordinary nature to read lips in this sport. As you mention, the problem with both picking signs and reading lips is figuring outbhow to relay the info. quickly enough to the players in the game in order to be effective without getting caught. Who wants a fastball in the ear hole? For me it was always more for fun than game influence.. With all the money at stake at the higher levels though ... I can't see why a team would not do everything it could to thwart the sign stealer or lip reader. I say  keep covering'em up boys.....

 

Maybe it is just me, but I saw some very talented people (with a lot of time on their hands) in college dugouts reading lips and stealing signs......they look at it like a word game, crossword puzzle, or Sodoku...and they were very good at it.  If I was a college or professional player I would keep my mouth covered.

 

I see the same thing in competitive tennis (doubles).  If you can read lips, sometimes you can figure out where the net man is going to be on a big point.  It isn't hard and I've done it many times.  Much more secure to use hand signals behind the back.....just saying.