(670 The Score) Upon having their in-game quarters at Wrigley Field moved from down the left-field line to underneath the outfield bleachers at the start of the 2017 season, members of the Cubs bullpen began a new tradition as a means of staying involved amid their newfound seclusion.
They started dancing like crazy after their teammates homered. Often, there was no rhyme or reason to the moves, just pure exuberance. Their reactions and the scene became a big hit with fans.
Those days are no more. So why is it that Cubs relievers don't dance like they used to? It's not their lack of enthusiasm.
Instead, it has to do with logistics. Instead of receiving a real-time television feed of the game action going on just outside of where they sit, the Cubs bullpen sees a feed that's delayed by eight to 10 seconds or so, television play-by-play man Len Kasper explained on the Bernstein & McKnight Show on Friday. So the Cubs relievers initially don't know when homers are hit.
The reason for the feed delay is so that nefarious teams or individuals can't use technology to steal signs and relay them in real time in any way, Kasper said. That has become more of a concern in MLB in recent years.
"That's why the bullpen dance doesn't happen," Kasper said.
