Buck Showalter Whether it’s admitted or not, stealing signs is very much a part of baseball. This magnificent game has plenty of unwritten rules as well as unspoken competitive advantages. Are we ever really surprised when a pitcher gets caught rubbing sunscreen off his arm for a little added zip on a breaking pitch?

We shouldn’t be.

The same is true for sign stealing. If you aren’t trying to steal signs, you aren’t playing the game. Who knows if Joe Girardi was correct in his accusations against Bobby Dickerson? I certainly don’t and Buck Showalter would never admit it, but I wouldn’t be surprised because I assume this sort of thing goes on every night.

On Tuesday, Showalter appeared on ESPN radio in New York and expanded upon his argument with the Yankees skipper.

“The Yankees are actually one of the better teams at it,” Showalter said Tuesday on ESPN New York 98.7’s Mike Lupica Show.

Showalter added that the Yankees are experts at stealing signs from second base and agreed with a tweet from former major leaguer Darryl Hamilton that defended Orioles third base coach Bobby Dickerson.

Showalter, who insisted again that the Orioles weren’t doing anything wrong, called Hamilton’s words “well put.”

“[Girardi] thought that he knew something was going on,” Showalter said. “Obviously there wasn’t, in our mind. Sometimes you are better off having them believe that. Sometimes paranoia in baseball is a good thing.”