UPDATE (Tuesday, 8:48 a.m.): New Jersey will face Rhode Island on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Young athletes of all ages try to mimic their sports idols in any way possible.
Unfortunately, a Little League World Series team from Rhode Island allegedly picked up some bad habits from the Boston Red Sox.
Barrington, Rhode Island is representing the New England region, and the team will play New Jersey’s LLWS representative, the Elmora Troopers of Elizabeth, in an elimination game on Wednesday.
Barrington reached that point following some controversy in two games during its regional tournament in Bristol, Conn. The manager of the New Hampshire team playing in the tournament alleged Rhode Island players were stealing signs and tipping off pitches to batters, according to a report from the New Hampshire Union Leader.
New Hampshire’s manager, Pat Dutton, accused Rhode Island of stealing signs during two separate games, including the New England regional championship.
“You can see (runners on second base) leaning in, looking in and they’re doing hand gestures to their kid (at the plate) indicating what kind of pitch it is and where it’s located,” Dutton told the New Hampshire Union Leader. “You can do that in big league ball, but in Little League it’s unsportsmanlike, it’s dishonorable, and it’s disgusting. They did it the whole tournament and got away with it, and now that’s what’s representing New England in the Little League World Series. It’s just a bad look.”
According to the report, Rhode Island’s manager and one player were warned during the regional final, but no other punishment stemmed from the accusations.
Not too far north of Rhode Island, New England’s MLB team was surrounded by the same controversy in a recent season. In 2017, the Red Sox were investigated for using an Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees.
And while the team plays a different sport, another professional New England team has had its own share of cheating scandals. The New England Patriots of the NFL were fined and lost a first-round pick as punishment for “Spygate,” where the team illegally videotaped the defensive signals of Jets coaches in 2007.
In 2015, the Patriots were at the center of the “Deflategate” scandal, where quarterback Tom Brady was accused ordering game balls to be deflated prior to the start of the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Brady was ultimately suspended four games to start the 2016 season.
There have been no punishments handed out for Rhode Island’s actions during its run to the LLWS this summer, outside the warnings in the New England regional championship game. But maybe New Jersey should guard their signs a little bit closer, just to be safe.
Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.