Lee_in_FL: How do big league umpires prepare the baseball for play?
Any knowledgeable baseball fan will tell you that the big league baseball teams never use brand new baseballs in a game. They’re too shiny to play with. So, what do umpires use to prep the balls and dull the shine? Please be as specific as possible.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Fungo
MLB’s official game ball preparation calls for umpires to rub the balls with a rubbing mud, which is smooth and creamy, but with a fine grit. The composition of the mud is a closely held secret, but the base ingredient is known to be mud from a specific site in a tributary of the Delaware River.
It is also known as “Mississippi Mud”.
Nowadays, it’s usually the bat boys or a clubhouse person who rubs the baseballs with the mud – overseen by an umpire.
https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7713scit3.html
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