Last Thursday ESPN and San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller appeared on KNBR-AM in San Francisco and said the Colorado Rockies may be manipulating the supply of humidor-stored baseballs at Coors Field to suit their needs in certain game situations.
More specifically, Miller inferred that the Rockies may be providing umpires with harder, humidor-free baseballs when behind, to give the home team a better chance of scoring runs.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Miller’s accusation came the morning after the Rockies scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Cardinals 12-9. Miller used that game as one example of his theory.
Excerpts of Miller’s comments:
“There’s a feeling that the Rockies are doing something with the humidor-stored baseballs, and sometimes late in games when the Rockies need help, that some non-humidor baseballs slip into the mix. Nobody has been able to prove it.
“It would be interesting to see what Tony LaRussa has to say about it right now. The Giants felt like something was going on when they were there in that regard. … To me it’s something that baseball needs to address.
“Maybe the Rockies are just doing extremely well but there is some question here … and I’d like to see baseball take some action in that regard.”
Miller suggested that in order to prevent any alleged impropriety with the Coors Field baseballs, balls to be used during games should be stored out in the open behind home plate.
One problem though with Miller’s theory: Before each game attending umpires rub up the baseballs to be used that night. The umps use a special kind of mud that’s rubbed into the balls to help remove the slickness from the new balls.
Of course, if the Rockies wanted badly enough to slip in their own baseballs, I guess they could rub some up themselves and drop them into the umpire supply during a game, but does Miller really think Colorado is taking it that far? (Apparently, yes.)
Though MLB has always claimed to monitor the humidor, the league could do a better job in the transparency of process - and not just take the Rockies word on how the baseballs are stored and what balls make it to the umpires each evening.
Though as noted by Troy Renck of the DENVER POST, it’s more than a little ironic that the man who called countless Barry Bonds‘ steroid-era games is now advocating for transparency as it pertains to the rules of baseball.
3:55 pm on July 12th, 2010
Special mud? Rocky conspiracy theories? This is a riddle wrapped in a puzzle stuffed in a turducken, batter dipped and deep fried.
4:13 pm on July 12th, 2010
Umpires do not handle the baseballs before games. Grounds crew members take care of preparing the baseballs for the game.
4:18 pm on July 12th, 2010
Brooks, the Denver Post writer is named Troy Renck, not Penck.
And JP, umps do rub up balls before a game, with Blackburne’s baseball mud.
6:01 pm on July 12th, 2010
Umps no longer rub up the balls. They stopped doing it in the 1980s. Grounds crew members have never had anything to do with it. I’ve been researching this extensively for my new book. (The book is called “The Baseball,” and it’s coming out in March 2011.)
6:05 pm on July 12th, 2010
Who Cares
They still suck
The Yankees are taking it home this year
The rockies could use ping pong balls for all I care
Still wont stop us
6:12 pm on July 12th, 2010
“Miller inferred that the Rockies…”
Implied, damnit, IMPLIED!
6:20 pm on July 12th, 2010
Club house attendants, not grounds crew people, rub up the balls before the game. I did it for the Angels several years ago. After they are rubbed up, they go into a special bucket that is taken out to the field.
6:21 pm on July 12th, 2010
Jon Miller should absolutely lose his job over these baseless allegations. He an Joe Morgan are biased, horrific announcers and ESPN should be ashamed of them.
6:23 pm on July 12th, 2010
Accusations by a guy who calls games for the division’s 4th place team? Hilarious. Plus the Bonds stuff is spot on! This guy shouldn’t call Pizza Hut for a pizza, let alone professional sports. ESPN is to sports what Paris Hilton is to virginity.
6:41 pm on July 12th, 2010
I have to agree. ESPN sucks. From their years of forcing “Manny being Manny” and Yanks vs. RedSox down our throats to the worn out coverage of the big market teams on Sunday nights. They used to have a Sunday night home game from each major league park every season and the last 3 weeks featured 2 of those games from Dodger Stadium, again featuring Manny. I saw the video where ESPN announcers were making fun of Benji Molina running the bases. ESPN is not nearly as relevant as ESPN thinks it is. Again, ESPN SUCKS OUT LOUD. Can you hear that giant sucking sound?
6:48 pm on July 12th, 2010
Who cares! I think the girls at The Bunny Ranch are more experienced at rubbing balls than any club house attendants, ground’s crew or umpires.
6:57 pm on July 12th, 2010
I heard the interview live and he made sure to say that these were rumors and concerns he had heard from a number of sources. He never accused the Rockies or stated it as fact.
Furthermore, it is not “ironic” that Miller broadcasted for one of the 30 teams with steriod users in the past 10 years. Beyond not being ironic (definition for irony: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irony), it is also completely unrelated to the matter being discussed. If he accused the training staff of injecting Miguel Olivo with ‘roids, then it would be (arguably) hypocritical
7:31 pm on July 12th, 2010
Miller is a fool. The Giants are a borderline team with poor hitting. Rockies analyst George ‘pronate’ Frazier called Miller’s comments “Sour Grapes.” Funny thing that Fox Sports Rocky Mountain showed the bucket with all the bags and a MLB camara is pointed at the bucket at all times. Good luck sneaking anything in there. Miller is a doosh.
7:54 pm on July 12th, 2010
Wow, fans from a no history baseball team in a bandwagon town calling Jon Miller a know nothing! Hahahaha. The Rockies don’t have 1% of the tradition and history of the Giants. So you are in 2nd place at the all-break, congrats. Oh, and by the way, it’s Baseball Hall of Fame member Jon Miller. We have more announcers (2) in the Hall of Fame than Rockies have players (0). So enjoy your so called all time greats Galaraga and Helton, I will take Mays, Mccovey and Marichal any day.
8:46 pm on July 12th, 2010
Play the Bonds steroids card, when you have Jason Giambi who lied and later got busted for steroids. Why do you have a “KNOWN” steroid user on your roster? Way to screw up on that put down.
8:58 pm on July 12th, 2010
I agree with Jon Miller. When the Red Sox played at Coors field, I wondered if they were doing thst.
9:45 pm on July 12th, 2010
this is a feed from larussa…cardinals are always pulling this crap on opponents to distract from their own shenanigans.
10:13 pm on July 12th, 2010
its funny how they went on that crazy winning streak at the end of last season. whats the harm of checking into this? is it so far fetched that they would cheat? we are talking about baseball players here. cant take roids anymore… cheaters find ways. im not saying they are doing this, but.. then again who is to say they arent?
10:31 pm on July 12th, 2010
Good point about the Hall of Fame except that Miller will be our third. The Giants also have more players in the Hall of Fame that any NL team, maybe any team period. If you are under the impression that Barry Bonds was the only player using steriods, still not proven, you had better wake up and smell the coffee.
10:34 pm on July 12th, 2010
People, get a life! Are these petty things really important? You are all a bunch of morons arguing over a bunch of overpaid, overgrown morons playing a child’s game. What a sad life you all must have.
10:57 pm on July 12th, 2010
The Rockies are .500 against the Giants in San Francisco this year too. Are they manipulating the balls at AT&T too? Miller is a complete jackhole, a total homer. ESPN needs to get rid of him.
11:16 pm on July 12th, 2010
Dear Troy Redneck,
Go back to Alabama and married Forest Gump. Barry Bonds is and was the GREATEST baseball player of all time. Now get over it. Jon Miller is million times a
better human than you will ever be, butt munch.
Signed, Pete Rose and Bud Steroids
11:47 pm on July 12th, 2010
What a bunch a frikin cry babies! Really, doctored balls? Jon Miller is a doosh and should worry about not being a such a weiner around the over opinionated Joe Morgan. SanFranscisco Tradition? Really? We have a starter in the All Star Game in the hardest place to pitch if we are to believe the whiners about a terrible place to have a Major League team.
11:48 pm on July 12th, 2010
The Rockies are cheaters, they mess with the radar gun so why wouldn’t they mess with the balls. Colorado is a stupid place to have a major league team anyways. The Giants aren’t the only team who thought something fishy was going on, I heard the Padres and Red Sox all mentioned they thought the balls felt funny come to think of it.
11:51 pm on July 12th, 2010
what’s funny is that it seems like the rockies are hitting home runs left and right off the top of the bat. it’s ridiculous. please watch the grand slam off of luke gregerson of the padres on saturday. the ball is off the top of the bat and it goes straight up and some how it just keeps carrying and carrying over the fence. any other park and its a pop up in the middle of the field. i even said to myself how are these guys hitting the ball out like this but our guys are making solid contact and it barely gets to the warning track.
12:15 am on July 13th, 2010
Well all I have to say is Mller Blo’s Goats, I’ll never forget how biased he was for the Red Sox in the 04 Series, he treated the cards like pieces of crap when they clearly had the best team in baseball that year!!
12:21 am on July 13th, 2010
hey rockies cheat the reason the ball carries here is because of something called altitude. You might want to check your elementary science books to see what exactly altitude is then you can comeback here and comment.
12:42 am on July 13th, 2010
voice of reason…You might want to rethink your statement about it being unproven that BB took steroids. He has admitted to taking steroids but says he didn’t know thats what they were. That means, if you are a little slow, that it is proven that he took them.
1:16 am on July 13th, 2010
A HUMIDOR? I thought you only put things in a humidor you wanted to smoke. I think it very unlikely the Rockies have some secret Dwarf making his or her way around messing with the game balls. But then again if it was a fine looking female Dwarf I would let her rub a little mud on my game balls.
8:51 am on July 13th, 2010
all you guys blathering about Giants HOFers….yet, haven’t won a World Series on the West Coast YET…who cares for HOFers?
9:10 am on July 13th, 2010
To all you rockie crybabies…. make the system transparent so no one can come back and question the process.. just because you say you are not doing something, why should anyone believe it? Words have no value..there are tons of people in prison who say they didn’t do it…
Jon Miller = hall of fame
9:14 am on July 13th, 2010
I’m impartial,:a Cardinals fan who watched Franklin get blasted last week. Here’s a couple of interesting facts though:
The Rockies are first in MLB in Home batting average and 2nd in MLB in home slugging %.
On the road they rank 26th in both.
Coincidence? Maybe? Cheaters? Makes one think. The Phillies were recently caught cheating (stealing signs) Kenny Rogers cheated in the 2006 World Series (and LaRussa let him get away with it). The entire leagues was cheating for years with steroid use.
Maybe Jon Miller is on to something. Oh, and for the Rockies fans who think their club has been clean: Todd Helton. Cheater.
Keith
9:27 am on July 13th, 2010
this is freakin absurd, all year people have tried to downplay how well Ubaldo has been. The Phillies were caught stealing signs, and the Rockies were viewed as the ones doing something wrong by making an issue of it. And now because the Rockies bats are coming alive they’re obviously cheating right? The games the Rockies came back on the Boston were not aided by doctored balls, they were aided by Papelbon hanging his splits over the plate for Stew and Giambi. He even said after giving up the walk off that the splity he left over for Giambi should be taken in to the seats. The Cardinals series? Try actually watching the 9th inning, see how many pitches were thrown and how deep Rockies hitters got in to the count. Its called waiting for your pitch and not missing it when you have the opportunity, or a “plate approach”, something Pablo Sandoval has yet to discover. Colorado fans appreciate baseball, and while there is competetive spirit against division rivals, we dont discredit and try to step all over anybody. Its respecting your opponent and apparently the rest of the league doesnt find it applicable for the Rockies. John Miller has always been a great announcer (even tho he’s had Joe Morgan next to him in the booth for so long) but for him to just go out and publicly accuse cheating with no evidence to back it up is retarded and juvenille.
9:39 am on July 13th, 2010
@ Keith
Pujols. Cheater.
9:52 am on July 13th, 2010
No proof for Pujols and his numbers are more consistent than anyone in MLB history. History!
Wayne Hagin called out Helton and was burned at the stake. Helton’s numbers are more like yours and mine since testing was implemented. Helton’s name is also on the “list”. So I hear. Maybe Pujols too, but again, his numbers are there. Helton is nothing more than mediocre the past 5 years.
Don’t you think it might be a bit ironic that the Rocks are so good at home and so pathetic on the road with the bats? Not my guess, I looked it up and you can too.
Regarding the Cards and Franklin last week. Franklin sucked and the Rocks made him and the Cards pay. If LaRussa had half a brain he would have yanked Franklin after the first 3 run bomb. Credit the Rockies.
The Rocks are a good team and I love watching them play. Truthfully. But I’m skeptical of everything in MLB nowadays and the Rocks numbers are just plain head scratching.
Peace
10:13 am on July 13th, 2010
Sorry, anyone even thinking that the ROX are switching balls is an idiot!!!! Sorry folks but where is your god given ability for cognitive thought????? Wouldn’t both teams be using the “different balls”. That 9th inning last week was really something but weren’t most of those hits in the park?? Wow a team has one really amazing come back and the morons come out of the woodwork!!!
10:19 am on July 13th, 2010
We’ve all heard the quote “if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying” and it doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not. Bottom line, throughout baseball’s history the home team has always tried to gain an advantage. Be it by watering down the base path’s when you get a team with a bunch of jackrabbits on it, stealing signs, cutting infield grass down, leaving it thick depending on the nature of the opposing team, eyes in the scoreboard… whatever! (no one had a better home advantage than the Giants when they played at Candlestick though, that place was the real “cold day on hell”) anyways, ever since the humidor was first put into play there have been rumblings here and there. Rockies fans don’t get your panties in a wad. The humidor is a unique situation and while it does level the playing field and counteract the thin air the bottom line is that is a real easy thing to manipulate, this is pro sports and it’s big business, home crowd want to see wins and everyone wants post seasons and championships. If there was a way to give your team a little edge with some livelier balls, it’s not out of the realm of possibility, and anyone suggesting that the Rockies wouldn’t do that or that it’s just sour grapes is not looking objectively at the big picture. Just do as Jon suggests, all balls to be used in the game should be kept out in the open in a neutral site with neither team having access to them. Then you eliminate any taint of impropriety, Rockies come backs are on the up and up and opposing teams have no reason to cry foul. John Miller is only eloquently voicing the rumors that have been circulating ever since the humidors inception. Don’t shoot the messenger or belittle his body of work.
10:27 am on July 13th, 2010
Jon Miller is the worse announcer in base ball all he does is run off at the mouth. Joe Morgan only likes Black Players, no white player can do anything right, he should be fired, but ESPN must like these type of people. I stopped watching Sunday night baseball, and if I do I turn the sound off, so I don’t have to listen to them……..
10:32 am on July 13th, 2010
come on jon you have much more class than this to stoop to a level this low and accuse the rockies of cheating? your giants are in a funk and will not win this division. the rockies just destroyed your beloved giants and beat up on them in san fran earlier this year as well. i know it is frustrating to see your team lose but look to the real reason the giants are fading and that is due to their poor pitching of late. also consider it lucky that timmy is in the all-star game because he has not been that great this year, i think he got their based on the last two years which is not right. go ubaldo and show the nation that you are the most dominate pitcher in baseball tonite. go rockies!
11:19 am on July 13th, 2010
Hey Jon Miller!
Why don’t become our honorary ball boy or ball patrol for the rest of the season? May then you’ll find out that your team isn’t as good as you think. And when you accuse someone or a team for cheating, at least have a little proof.
Sounds to me like you’re a real stand up guy (Miller)! Must be a Bonds supporter trying to deflect some the negative allegations…
1:05 pm on July 13th, 2010
A few things are wrong here. Umps do not rub up the balls. That is done by the clubbies (I used to be one). And it’s not because the balls are slick. It’s for the shine. The mud is to dull them up due to the bright lights.
10:14 pm on July 13th, 2010
U guys are all morons. Miller did not accuse the rockies of chheating. He simply stated that a few sources have been saying thhat they have. Bonds is still the best player in baseball in the last 30 yrs possibly the greatest of all time with or with out steroids. Heltons name is on the list as well so quit crying. The giants have tradition while the rockies have nothing. We have bonds, mays, mccovey, marichal, cepeda. U guys have helton, wow. Ubaldo jimenez is a 1 year wonder who has been blasted his last 2 starts and the only reason he didn’t lose those games is well because the rockies brought out the non humidor baseballs so the rockies could come back. One of those games was againts the giants. The giants will win the west and will continue to dominate the west with our pitching. Rockies suck ass
2:15 am on July 14th, 2010
giant ballz. Apparently you dont watch baseball at all you moron. Jimenez kept the cardinals to one run in his last start. Thats getting blasted? Well if thats the case i hope that jiminez gets blasted in every start from here on out. You giants fans really suck. Talking about mays and mccovey. I admit those are some great players but that was like 40 years ago. Quit living in the past and start realizing that the rockies are for real. For the last few years the giants seem to choke this time of the year. Maybe next year giant fans
4:25 pm on July 14th, 2010
What a joke, don’t these balls all come out of the same bucket for both teams? Has anyone realized you can count the number of come from behind victories for the Rockies this season on one hand.
4:42 pm on July 14th, 2010
DONT BE SAD WHEN AN UNDERDOG COMES UP AND STARTS WITH THE BIG BATS CRYGIRLS! GO ROCKS!!!!
7:53 pm on July 14th, 2010
If the Rockies are cheating, they certainly aren’t doing a very good job of it. Shouldn’t a team manipulating the outcome by substituting non-humidored baseballs have a better home record and even be in first place? The Braves have lost only 10 games at home. Does that mean they’re cheating?
For Jon Miller to make a claim like that and pass it off as something he’s heard players saying is cowardly and irresponsible. These players, if they really exist, should have the “balls” to come forward and make their accusations publicly. Otherwise the Giants’ pitchers should quit their whining. They got their butts kicked fair and square. Jon Miller is a bumbling old fool who has no business broadcasting games. He can’t even remember who’s on the field half the time. I hope the Rockies sue him for the $1.98 he’s worth!
11:01 am on July 15th, 2010
It would seem to me that the Rockies have the most league monitored activities in reguards to the storage of baseballs. If the Rockies can manipulate balls during the games then any team could manipulate balls.
Isn’t it possible the SF Giants have a de-humidifier? They certainly haven’t been “full disclosure” about all their baseball issues. Hmm, maybe a few “dried-out” balls were fed to the “Home Run King”?
10:05 pm on July 15th, 2010
Lets say the Rockies are indeed changing baseballs out for different situations. It still doesn’t gurantee anything. There are still several variables involved before a player’s at makes successful contact with the ball. Just like the whole steroid thing. You might be juiced, but you’ve still gotta posess the skills to perform. Maybe a league should be formed that allows everything from a-z. Juiced balls, sign stealing, drug use, it’s all good. That way, maybe everyone who couldn’t even play with all these implemented, would shut the F up and let the sport be!!
2:19 pm on July 16th, 2010
As a rockies fan with over 50 games a season at Coors field since 2005 , a few things are very apparent, the Rockies players have a great defense, our pitchers this year are way above average for most crybaby teams, our bullpen has incredible depth, and our coaches are some of the best in baseball. Our players play without massive egos like Manny or Bonds, and they play for the TEAM not for themselves. We have had a few injuries this year to key players and still have placed second due to enormous talent and dedication to the game. The baseballs ALL are under camera, All are used by both teams. The real question not asked by “reliable resources” is : Why havent more teams done better against the Rockies? The Answer : Plain and simple is they’re lacking in many areas. Areas the Rockies used to suffer in, but no more. The Rockies are a surprise again this year to the east coast media, but not to the real fans of Baseball. The Rockies Home Fans. Year after year I’ve witnessed the pieces of a great team drop into place. Making The Rockies one of the best teams in Baseball. Now its our time to shine.
4:19 pm on July 17th, 2010
Jon Miller clearly wants to be the next Eric Mangini. Faggot.
8:23 pm on August 3rd, 2010
Haha to all you guys saying the Giants aren’t that great, yet there now are the 2nd best team in the whole National League. Jon Miller also just got inducted into the HOF so you guys are all idiots.
8:24 pm on August 3rd, 2010
Hey Ray I’m not quite sure what your talking about the Rockies are not good this year lol.
8:31 pm on August 3rd, 2010
All you Rockies fans are all morons, thinking the Rockies will always make a come back every year.Hey retards just because they did it one year doesn’t mean they’ll do it every year. Oh and does Colorado have a HOF announcer like Miller. No? didn’t think so.
1:12 pm on August 4th, 2010
How many NLCS or NLDS games have the giants been in the last 10 years?…lol
4:39 pm on August 4th, 2010
HOF annoucer in CO is Tracy Ringolsby…Ring a Bell?
4:50 pm on August 4th, 2010
‘”Oh and does colorado have a HOF announcer like Miller, NO? Didnt think so.”………….Zach…LOL Google Tracy Ringolsby DBAG!
1:48 am on September 11th, 2010
Seriously, calling Jon Miller a moron and a douche? Know your history, bandwagoning was never in and it never will be, when you have a team for 60 years come and talk shi* where are the rockies now! Not in first, and not in second, why? Because the team is terrible and they play like crap on the road. The giants made the neccesary adjustments and now san diego cant stop them.
6:46 pm on September 12th, 2010
Jacob, you’re another idiotic Giants fan, which is no surprise. The fanbase in San Francisco consists of some of the most clueless homers in all of sports. Jon Miller wouldn’t be getting called out if he didn’t make such a baseless accusation. Any moron out there could throw around accusations without having facts to back them up. Is that concept really that hard for you to understand? Also, if the Rockies are terrible, then what does that make the Giants? Colorado and San Francisco have nearly identical records at this point, and the Rockies have at least been to the playoffs in the last three years. Once again, you showcase the idiocy of San Francisco’s fanbase. Congratulations.
9:08 am on September 13th, 2010
There should be no major league team in Colorado.
3:03 am on September 25th, 2010
Lincecum noticed the juiced balls when he beat the Rockies tonight.