Non-verbal Communication in Baseball

Not many people know how important non-verbal communication is in baseball or how much it's used. I always here my friends say "I don't like watching baseball, it's so boring. The pitcher throws the ball and then everyone just stands around for thirty seconds waiting for the next pitch." But then again some of them have never played baseball and don't really know too much about the game. For that twenty to thirty seconds between pitches there is a lot going on that most people don't notice. For example, the pitcher and catcher have to decide on a pitch to throw with a series of hand signals and head shakes. Also, if there is a runner is on base the pitcher has to keep looking over his shoulder to check if he thinks the runner is going to steal, while the runner is making body movements towards the next base trying to make the pitcher think he's going to steal. The runner is always trying to do this because if he gets the pitcher's attention then hes doing his job throwing the pitcher off his game and getting into his head. Basically the following non-verbal actions occur in between each pitch:

• The pitcher and catcher are deciding what pitch to throw.
• The shortstop and second baseman are choosing who will cover second base.
• The manager is telling the third base coach what the offense is going to do.
• The third base coach relays the information to the hitter and any base runners.
• A bench coach is changing the positioning of the outfielders and infielders.

All of these actions are performed every inning of every game and are a big factor in the outcome of any game.