No one tugs his ear more than Bob Henley.
The Washington Nationals third base coach goes through a variety of moves when dispatching signs to hitters and base runners. Henley will tap a quad, swipe a forearm, touch his finger to his nose, pinch-and-pull his ear lobe and often wrap up his movements with a clap of his hands.
Henley is dispatching baseball maneuvers in code, a tradition that lives on during an era that has iPads in the dugouts and tracks every minimal movement.
Deciphering what the third base coach is doing stands as one of baseball’s great strategical pieces.