Stephen Tsai: Accusations of cheating have become part of sports

These days, we’re reminded one of the oldest traditions in sports is an accusation of cheating.

Major league pitchers are frisked regularly for foreign substances that can be used to affect grips and spin rates. It’s the equivalent of a search-take hijacking in middle school. “Nice pitching, but can you prove that you’re rubbing your forehead because you have eczema instead of Spider Tack?” Never mind that a rosin bag, an acceptable foreign substance, is available on the mound. If home runs are down, it must mean hurlers’ fingers are coated in sunscreen for night games.

But accusations of cheating are ingrained in sports. Every accused spit-baller faced a hitter accused of wielding a corked bat. Remember when 5 o’clock shadow referred to a Taiwanese Little League player and not a ballpark’s late-afternoon shade? Or how Brigham Young University had a maturity advantage because many of its athletes spent two years on missions? Or how Boise State’s old all-blue uniforms on a blue home field were deceiving visiting quarterbacks?

Accusations extend to the wealthy. In 1983, an Australian crew won America’s Cup because … well, it had to be the “winged keel.” Apparently it was a no-no to, uh, wing a keel.

There is even finger-pointing over rules that are not even written rules. It is considered cheating when a batter bunts to break up a no-hitter. Or steal a base with a large lead. In 1978, Pete Rose fumed after striking out against Gene Garber to end his 44-game hitting streak. Garber’s transgression? He threw a 2-2 changeup instead of a fastball. Men’s volleyball diehards frown at a middle attacker’s step-out swing. Too easy, not cool. And, for sportsmanship and sanitary reasons, defensive linemen should never spit on an O-lineman’s hand to trigger a false start.

Accusations of cheating are divided into two categories:

> 1. Oh, c’mon now

An accused person’s fundamental defense is to remain silent. In volleyball, when a ball glances off a fingertip and sails out of bounds, three blockers do the spirit-fingers wave as their no-touch defense. Receivers hold the football up to pretend the short-hopped pass really was a catch. In the 1969 World Series, a pitch hit the dirt near the batter and skipped into the Mets’ dugout. Cleon Jones started jogging to first, implying he had been struck on the shoe. Mets manager Gil Hodges produced a ball with a smudge of shoe polish, and Jones was awarded the base. To this day, there is skepticism about the authenticity of the scuffed ball.

During the 1986 World Cup, Argentina’s Diego Maradona placed a shot past England’s goalkeeper. At the time, Maradona did not admit to any hand violation. But afterward, he credited the goal as the “hand of God.”

LeBron James is a basketball great whose 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame is Marvel engineered. But huff-and-puff near him, and he collapses like a house of straw. Against Golden State in the playoffs, The King crumpled to the court, writhing in agony, with the insistence he was poked in the left eye. To back his case, he washed both eyes with a liquid. Still affected, he then said he was seeing three rims when he aimed at the middle hoop in sinking the go-ahead 3. Portland’s CJ McCollum tweeted: “Actor of the year” with a tear-laughing emoji. Flopping in the NBA has almost reached FIFA proportions.

Perhaps the most controversial flop came in the 1965 heavyweight rematch between boxers Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. In the first round, Ali threw a quick right, and Liston fell to the canvas. Liston rolled over, and then fell on his back again. Although Liston eventually got to his feet, it was ruled he recovered after the 10-second count, and the fight was stopped.”I saw that punch and it couldn’t have crushed a grape,” sportswriter Jimmy Cannon wrote.

>> 2. Sure, you’re innocent

It does not matter there is no indisputable proof steroids can help someone hit a curveball, usage of drugs deemed to be performance enhancing — even when they were not prohibited at the time— are considered an act of cheating. Several athletes have been punished following positive tests, some circumstantially. The evidence against former baseball slugger Barry Bonds is that his head grew exponentially as his success escalated. (By that guilt-by-large-cranium theory, this writer would never be allowed to compete in an organized pickleball league.)

But sports history is full of athletes seeking a less-than-ethical advantage. George Brett’s bat extended past the pine-tar limit. Defensive back Lester Hayes had too much Stickum on his hands; quarterback Tom Brady had too little air in his footballs. Rosie Ruiz was the first female finisher in the 1980 Boston Marathon, only to later be accused of not running the entire 26.2 course. In Villanova’s 1972 pro day, wideout Mike Siani blazed in the 40-yard dash. It later was revealed the finish cone was only 37 yards from the starting line. Daniel Almonte was the star of the 2001 Little League World Series. He later was found to be at least two years older than the age limit. In the 2000 Paralympics for athletes with intellectual disabilities, Spain’s basketball team was stripped of its gold medal after an investigation showed 10 of 12 players did not have a disability.

While protests of “We wuz robbed!” and “Call it both ways, ref!” are part of the sporting experience, the accusations will continue. As NASCAR legend Richard Petty noted in 1972: “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”