Baseball rubbing mud

Historically, baseballs were rubbed in a mixture of water and infield soil, but the result can be inconsistent and can sometimes discolor the ball's leather surface. Currently, before all Major League (MLB) and Minor Leage (MiLB) baseball games, an umpire or clubhouse attendant rubs six dozen or more balls with mud. The practice is required by MLB Rule 4.01(c), which states that all baseballs shall be "properly rubbed so that the gloss is removed". Mechanical efforts to break baseballs have not proved satisfactory. MLB has been researching an alternative process, but has not found a satisfactory alternative to rubbing them by hand with mud. Mud is similarly used for by some National Football League teams for preparing footballs. ==The Lena Blackburne brand ==

The most prominent brand of specially prepared mud that is sold specifically for this purpose is Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. Although official rules do not require using specially prepared mud, and although other brands do exist, none of the other brands are well known, and the market for specially prepared mud is so small that the Blackburne brand does not generate enough revenue to pay for a single person's full-time employment. Lena Blackburne was an American baseball player who played professionally between 1910 and 1929, and he moved on to becoming a coach, manager, and scout for the sport until at least 1948. When he was a third-base coach for the Philadelphia Athletics (now based in Sacramento, California), an umpire complained to him about the ball preparation method used at the time, prompting Blackburne in 1938 to set out in search of better mud to use for the purpose. According to the company, the entire American League began using the mud soon after its discovery, and by the 1950s, it was in use by every Major League team, along with some Minor League and college teams. who the company says had accompanied him during his searches for an appropriate mud. Haas later left the company to his son-in-law Burns Bintliff, who selected one of his nine children, the current owner Jim, to carry on the business. A study in 2024 found that the mud contains an ideal mixture of clay and water, coating the ball with an adhesive residue, while the suspended sand grains enhance friction and therefore the pitcher's grip. ==References==