Quote:FSU's Martin says UM steals signals
Three, including Martin, say they intercepted 'Canes relaying pitches.
By BOB THOMAS



TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin had heard the rumors before -- from reputable colleagues -- that the University of Miami was stealing signs from opposing catchers and passing them along to batters.

Now, Martin feels he has proof, and he doesn't intend to let the issue go away quietly.

FSU officials were in the process of contacting Miami and Atlantic Coast Conference officials Monday, two days after the Seminoles heard someone calling out Mark Sauls' pitches during the sixth inning of Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Hurricanes at Mark Light Stadium.

"It's very, very hard for me to comment on rumors," Martin said. "The only thing I can comment on is what I heard with my own ears. I heard two pitches called, that we called."

Florida State equipment manager Bob Holland was using a walkie-talkie to talk to the 'Noles' bullpen -- after Gaby Sanchez's three-run homer gave UM a 4-3 lead -- when he intercepted a transmission.

"I was messing with some buttons on it -- different frequencies -- and all of a sudden I heard, 'changeup, changeup, changeup,''' Holland said.  "I was like, 'Where did that come from? I think it came from the walkie-talkie.'''

Martin and pitching coach Jamey Shouppe heard the same thing before signaling the next pitch to catcher Aaron Cheesman.

"Cheese put his sign down for fastball and as soon as he did, we heard 'fastball, fastball, fastball,''' Holland said. "We don't know for a fact how they were getting them. All we can do is assume from the center-field camera."

That brought Martin charging from the dugout, prompting a 15-minute delay in the game as the umpires entered the Miami clubhouse. The game continued, and Miami coach Jim Morris -- a one-time Martin assistant -- collected his 500th career victory.

The game was televised live by Sunshine Network, and the Hurricanes had access to the live television feed in their clubhouse. Sunshine producer Gary Nicklaus confirmed that the center-field camera shows virtually every pitch, including the catcher's signal, during the course of a broadcast.

Following the game, Martin confirmed that Arizona State coach Pat Murphy and Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall had expressed concerns about the Hurricanes using technology to steal signs. He said the practice was confirmed to him by former Miami assistants Turtle Thomas and Lazer Collazo.

"I've been trying to catch them for two or three years," said Holland, who regularly scans the Miami dugout and parking garage beyond the outfield wall, and has also spoken to television crews.

Hall declined to comment through Georgia Tech spokesperson Chris Capo.  Capo, however, confirmed that the Yellow Jackets ditched the traditional signals from catcher to pitcher during a Sunday game at Miami last season out of similar concerns.

Tennessee coach Rod Delmonico, a former FSU assistant and friend of Morris', said there's a big difference between accusations of cheating and proof.

"If I said you were giving signs and you had nothing to base it on, you'd say, 'Well, he's a so-and-so,''' Delmonico said. "But they [Miami] got caught on the walkie-talkie."

Delmonico also defended Martin, whose team dropped four of six games to the 'Canes over the past two weekends.

"Mike has never been one to transfer blame whenever his team has lost or his team hasn't done well," he said. "He's a stand-up guy."

Martin got about a dozen calls of support from college coaches on
Monday.

"This is not a dead issue," Martin said. "This is going to be handled by
the two institutions and the [ACC]."

Quote:Seminoles ask ACC to investigate Hurricanes
Martin says Miami used radios to relay signs to dugout; NCAA could probe
By Steve Ellis
Tallahassee Democrat

Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin isn't asking Jim Morris to acknowledge that Miami was stealing signs Saturday with the help of television broadcasts.

"I just want assurances it will stop," Martin said. " I know it happened. I don't need that. I heard it with my own ears somebody calling pitches (over a walkie-talkie). I heard it plain and simple.  Whether Jim Morris had knowledge or not is up for him to tell the media."

Martin approached the umpires in the bottom of the sixth in a 7-3 FSU loss after he said he heard a change-up and fastball called over FSU's walkie-talkie with Mark Sauls on the mound.

It wasn't the first time the Florida State veteran coach suspected that Miami was stealing signs off the television feed from a center-field camera used for a live telecast. Martin even entered the production truck before a game on one recent trip to Miami. And Martin said after Saturday's game that two former Miami assistants had told him about sign-stealing.

"It's now in the hands of both universities and the Atlantic Coast Conference," said Martin, who called this an issue of integrity.

"This is not really a league matter but it transcends Florida State," added FSU senior associate athletic director Charlie Carr, who was attempting to contact the league Monday evening.

And although neither Martin or Carr would confirm it, this matter will likely be addressed by the NCAA Baseball Committee. Carr is chairman of that committee and said that growing technology, and its possible misuse, has previously come to the attention of the committee.

"There have been a number of incidents around the country," Carr said.  "The committee has discussed this issue (at other universities) before."

Morris, a former assistant under Martin at FSU, could not be reached Monday.