Better than the hidden ball trick

1982: The Grand Illusion

No single play did more to bring national exposure to the College World Series than the Grand Illusion.

Miami assistants Skip Bertman and Dave Scott were scouting the Florida junior college championships in 1982 when they saw West Palm Beach Community College pull a phantom pickoff play. During a workout a month later at the CWS, Bertman decided to have some fun.

"We put the play in as a relaxer," said Bertman, who went on to win five national championships as Louisiana State's head coach. "It was just a humorous thing. We had no intention of using it. The kids had a blast with it. They thought it was funny."

Miami's opponent the next day was Wichita State, which was on its way to an NCAA single-season record 333 stolen bases, a mark that still stands. Bertman set four conditions to use the play: a Shockers player had to be coaching first base; one of their top basestealers had to be on base; it had to be dusk; and the runner had to dive back on the first pickoff move.

Lo and behold, all four criteria were met with the Hurricanes clinging to a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning of the June 7 game. On first base was All-American Phil Stephenson, who set an NCAA mark with 87 steals that season and still owns the record for career steals. Stephenson dove back to first on pitcher Mike Kasprzak's pickoff move. Kasprzak then looked to the dugout, where Bertman stuck his finger in his ear, flashing the prearranged signal.

After throwing a strike, Kasprzak took his foot off the rubber and seemingly fired a throw to first. First baseman Steve Lusby dove over a prone Stephenson. Second baseman Mitch Seaone and right fielder Mickey Williams frantically dashed toward the right-field bullpen, where pitchers Dan Smith and Bob Walker and even Hurricanes batgirls pretended to elude the ball.

Even the fans were fooled. Spectators in the right-field bleachers stood to look for the ball as players in the Miami dugout pointed to where the ball seemed to be.

When Stephenson took off for second, Kasprzak took the ball from his glove and threw it to shortstop Billy Wrona. A sheepish Stephenson was tagged out, killing the Wichita State rally. The Hurricanes made their 4-3 lead hold up to win the game.

The play made it onto ESPN and local broadcasts across the country, as well as nationally syndicated shows such as "This Week in Baseball."

The play so spooked the opposition that when Hurricanes pitcher Rob Souza really did throw a pickoff into center field against Maine later in the tournament, the runner stayed put. The Black Bears were convinced Souza had tossed the rosin bag.

In the championship game, the Hurricanes again faced off against Wichita State, and the Grand Illusion remained in the minds of the Shockers. Wichita State stole only one base, helping the Hurricanes gain a 9-3 victory and the first of their four national championships.

"The thing that play did for college baseball was make it notable," Bertman said. "Everybody knew about the play. When I went to LSU in 1984 . . . I heard one guy say, 'What we need is a coach who can run that pickoff play.' He had no idea who I was, of course."