The Baseball - A Life Short Lived

As I sit here and watch tonight's O's game, I'm amazed at the ridiculously short life of a Major League baseball. If the pitcher happen to skip a ball into the dirt on the way to the catcher, the ball is instantly tossed aside. If a batter hits a soft foul ball to the 3rd base coach, the ball immediately becomes a souvenir for a lucky fan sitting in the lower deck. Sometimes, even a brand new ball is tossed out before it's Major League debut. Seems kinda cruel if you ask me...

Is it really necessary to discard so many baseballs? Will a slightly dirty ball really affect the outcome of the game? Ironically, each Major League team uses "Baseball Rubbing Mud" to prepare the ball for their pitchers. So, a little infield dirt ruins the ball but mud from the Delaware River enhances it? I'm still trying to figure that one out.

The official ball of Major Leagues is made by Rawlings. Each one of these balls are hand stitched in Costa Rica. This laborious task is probably performed by some poor guy who's weekly salary doesn't amount to the price of a decent seat at Camden Yards. You would think that a million-dollar ballplayer might consider the tedious work that goes into a baseball before they callously toss it aside.

So, exactly how many baseballs are actually used in a Major League game? Obviously, the number varies. But from what I've read, the average number is 120. That's astounding to me. And with 30 Major League teams, that's an average of 15 games a day. So, this translates into 1800 baseballs for just one day of Major League Baseball! Can you imagine a sweatshop full of Costa Ricans working feverishly to pump out their daily quota? I'll bet carpal tunnel syndrome is a huge problem down there. My wrists are hurting just thinking about it!

Remember those "Real Men of Genius" Budweiser commercials where they give props to the unsung "heroes" of sports? Well, I think if Mr Footlong Hot Dog Inventor and Mr. Basketball Court Sweat Wiper Upper can get a commercial, you gotta give one to the folks who bust their balls making the balls.


kw