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When Jim Bintliff first heard that MLB wanted to standardize instructions for applying mud to its baseballs, two ideas came to mind.
The first was a little sad: He’s always appreciated that some clubhouse attendants have their own styles when it comes to preparing a baseball. These new instructions, Bintliff figured, would do away with those idiosyncrasies for good. Because a brand-new baseball has a shiny, factory gloss that can make it difficult to grip, it needs to be rubbed down before it can be used in a game, and for decades, MLB’s rules have dictated that process involve just one substance—mud. Now, in the interest of consistency, teams have been instructed to make sure their clubbies follow just one set of instructions for the process, too. Scoop two fingertips’ worth of mud. Paint it across the entire surface of the baseball. Rub the ball in between both hands for no more than 40 seconds. The memo MLB sent to clubs this week spells out all these steps and more.
