Doctoring the Ball

[gobears1987]

I just rewatched Major League. There is one conversation in there about doctoring the ball that has me in tears laughing.

Rick Vaughn (http://imdb.com/name/nm0000221/): What's that **** on your chest?
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): [wiping his finger across his chest] Crisco?
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): [wiping it across his waist line]
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): Bardol?
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): [wiping it along his head]
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. Of course if the umps are watching me real close I'll rub a little jalapeño up my nose, get it runnin', and if I need to load the ball up I just...
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): [wipes his nose]
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): ...wipe my nose.
Rick Vaughn (http://imdb.com/name/nm0000221/): You put snot on the ball?
Eddie Harris (http://imdb.com/name/nm0743304/): I haven't got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too.

We all know that Donnoly was doctoring the ball with Pine Tar. What are other stories you've heard about pitchers doctoring balls?

Oh, just a question, does Donnoly get to use pine tar in the 2006 MLB video games?:tongue:

[samram]

Mark Buehrle seems to have some theories.:D:

IIRC, Mike Scott was ejected from a game for an illegal substance. That was strange because he had nasty stuff anyway. He had that old-fashioned hard splitter.

[gobears1987]

Mark Buehrle seems to have some theories.:D:

IIRC, Mike Scott was ejected from a game for an illegal substance. That was strange because he had nasty stuff anyway. He had that old-fashioned hard splitter.
*COUGH* Greg Maddux *COUGH*

[KRS1]

*COUGH* Greg Maddux *COUGH*


I think everyone knew who he was talking about when he said that. I mean the guy has an entire tube of Carmex on his upper lip and stash, and licks his fingers a hundred times between innings. I'm not saying he definitely cheats, but I think Mark was just telling it how it looks.

[Lip Man 1]

Actually Scott was a mediocre, journeyman pitcher until 'suddenly' talking with Roger Craig and 'discovering' how to throw the split finger fastball.

:rolleyes:

Ask many National League hitters from that time period and they'll tell you to a man he was loading up the baseball.

As far as other pitchers there is a wonderful story about Whitey Ford in his later years gouging up his wedding ring and using it to scuff up baseballs. An umpire caught wind of it one day and went out to visit him on the mound. Supposedly the ump said, 'Whitey your jock needs adjusting and when you come back out it better be without that ring.'

End of story? No......

Elson Howard then sharpened the buckles on his shin guards and used to wipe the ball up against them when he was throwing it back to Whitey on the mound.

Lip

[Etownsox13]

Gaylord Perry's book Me an the Spitter is a great book on this subject.

[samram]

Actually Scott was a mediocre, journeyman pitcher until 'suddenly' talking with Roger Craig and 'discovering' how to throw the split finger fastball.

:rolleyes:

Ask many National League hitters from that time period and they'll tell you to a man he was loading up the baseball.

Is that how it was? I was eight or nine when Scott was at the height of his game. I really only remember seeing him in the 1986 NLCS.