Dusty Baker
Wrigley Field, the last big league stadium to install lights, will be the first to go wireless.
Starting Tuesday, when Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker needs to communicate with his bullpen during games he’ll call on a wireless handset designed by Motorola Inc. rather than reach for the corded phone on the dugout’s back wall.
Juan Lopez, the Cubs’ bullpen coach, will be sure not to miss the call — he’ll have one of the i580 phones strapped to his belt and it will vibrate and produce a loud ring.
The Cubs and Motorola, who announced the arrangement Monday for both the home and visiting dugouts and bullpens, said it will be the first wireless bullpen phone system used by a major league team.
Besides providing faster access to the bullpen, McDonough said, the new system provides the league with new revenue opportunities from fees that Motorola and other phone companies will pay to have teams use their branded phones.
Fans needn’t get ideas about learning the phone numbers so they can give their input. The push-to-talk phones operate on a private channel and can communicate only with partner handsets.
Rock on.
He doesn’t even need to pick up the phone he has coaches that can do it for him.
The Cubs are still jinxed anyway.
Not true the Milwaukee Brewers have a wireless phone sponsorship for their dugout this season.
I remember the old towel signaling from center field in Wrigley field and passing down the signs from the catcher down to the batter before the pitch. That was fast and efficient. Of course it didn’t get them to a world series. I still loved seeing Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Fergusson Jenkings, Billy Williams, Kessinger, etc. Great players and people.
They could have used the towel signaling and saved some money. But that is too complicated nowadays especially for someone like Dusty “Bigot” Baker. — I am referring to Dusty’s comment about whitey a few years back which if spoken by a whitey would have got him fired on the spot.
Ah…Morse code…? Hello? You can do this with flashing lights.
I don’t understand what the big deal is here. So they are using private fancy walkie-talkies. That is exactly what this “wireless” system is, walkie-talkies using private encrypted channels.
Too bad it won’t help them win the Central.
Did I mention that I’m a Cardinals fan?