Has anyone here tried mudding a football? : r/footballstrategy - Reddit For years, the New Jersey mud has been used by umpires to rub down baseballs before every game, but this still hasn't stopped pitchers from using a foreign substance at times. But at the same time, it's the last thing you're trying to focus on. Atlantic County, New Jersey man harvests Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. My wife, Betty, whos the executive vice president and accountant of the business she handles all the paperwork and I go up to Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.. Being a longtime Junior Circuit man, Blackburne resisted selling his mud to the National League until the mid-1950s. Major League Baseball would prefer that pitchers not blatantly cheat, but they also don't want pitchers throwing slippery balls. In the 1920s, Ray Chapman died after being hit by an errant pitch. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Heres the dirt on baseball rubbing mud: One can trace its history and its secret location back to the 1938 season, when American League umpire Harry Geisel complained during a game about the job of taking the slickness off new baseballs. Legendary LENA BLACKBURNE Original Football and Baseball Rubbing Mud Since 1939 1 watched in last 24 hours Condition: New Quantity: 5 available Price: US $49.50 Buy It Now Add to cart Add to Watchlist Returns accepted Ships from United States Shipping: US $4.50Standard Shipping | See details Located in: Yorkville, Illinois, United States Delivery: But what specifically is being properly rubbed on all MLB baseballs? iRobot Roomba 960 Vacuum Cleaning Robot - Manufacturer Certified Refurbished! Legendary LENA BLACKBURNE Original Football and Baseball Rubbing Mud Sources . Then the precious product rest in barrels until the next spring when it's packed and shipped to each of the major league teams, minor league teams, most independent leagues and many colleges in time for opening day. Major League Baseballhas asked Rawlings to create a baseball with more tack and it could mean the end of a nearly 80-year-old tradition. Burns Bintliff would later admit the source of the baseballs dirtiest secret was somewhere in the south of New Jersey. Then [Shano] Collins poled a single to left that scored the run Blackburnes hustling qualities in running out the pop can readily be seen. I just bought a new leather NFL style football and I was trying to find out how some NFL teams break in their footballs to look almost pitch black (https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod/media/345efdbb4e6b423e8843e9cb0422ae85/800.jpeg). Lena Blackburne, an eight-year veteran of the big leagues who was at the time a third base coach with the Philadelphia Athletics, overheard Geisels griping and his thoughts raced back to his youth. The mud story begins in 1938, when an umpire complained to Russell "Lena" Blackburne, a third-base coach for the Philadelphia A's, about the condition of the baseballs after they were prepped for the game by simply using water and infield dirt. Henry pounced on it, but Blackburne made such good time that he landed safely on second. Philadelphia Athletics coach Lena Blackburne, left, with manager Connie Mack at Boston's Fenway Park in the 1930s. The umpires were happy, and Lena Blackburne was in the mud supply business. and. - - Taldykorgan, Jetisu Region, Kazakhstan | LinkedIn Gandil went after the ball, hesitated, then started again. Blackburne was back with the Maple Leafs in 1920 and replaced Larry Doyle as the club's skipper in 1921. In relatively short order, Haas passed it down to his son-in-law, Burns Bintliff. Finally in 1938, Philadelphia Athletics third-base coach Lena Blackburne discovered a tributary near his childhood Burlington County home in Palmyra. Thats my standard response.. Lena Blackburne played four seasons with the White Sox in the second decade of the 20th century before becoming a manager and a coach. Other than that, its none of your business. The umpires were happy, and Lena Blackburne was in the mud supply business. On Aug. 17, 2014, Cuddyer became the third player in baseball history to hit for the cycle in both leagues. His Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud is applied to every baseball used in a big-league game, to help pitchers grip the ball better as they launch it toward home plate. Ancestry.com. Facilities. Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud is used throughout Major League & Minor League Baseball to rough up the six or seven dozen new balls prepared for every game. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and breakfast. $43. He also received a 10-game suspension. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Then brush the ball until all the mud is off. Each lid gets a sticker with the trademark logo. The biggest issue with Rawlings' first attempt at an easier-to-grip ball was that the substance sprayed on the leather wore off too quickly. Blackburne Mud official site (includes account of rubbing mud's discovery), Blackburne bio with highlights from his career, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Lena_Blackburne&oldid=1243592, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. The mud, described as "smooth and creamy, but with a fine grit," worked better than the juice! A team will go through about three or four pounds of it every season. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, Fansided, Bobby Mueller/FanSided via Call to the Pen, FOX SPORTS, SPEED, SPEED.COM & 2023 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. For nearly three quarters of a century, a special variety of Jersey mud, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, has been removing the sheen from baseballs for just about every professional baseball team in the country. It gives us enough to pay for the family vacation every year and its always the same vacation, said Burns Bintliff. Considering how difficult it was this offseason for MLB and the MLB Players Association to agree on rule changes, introducing a new ball may not happen for quite some time. He'll never tell. [3], The ethnic composition of Taldykorgan according to the 2010 Kazakh Census was:[4][5]. In an eight-season playing career, Blackburne was a .214 hitter with four home runs and 139 runs batted in in 550 games played. Yugioh Cyberstorm Access Booster Box 1st Edition Factory Sealed Ships 5/5, Samsung G975 Galaxy S10+ Plus 128GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - Very Good, 9.5" x 13.25" Padded Bubble Mailer Color Logo, Club de Nuit Intense by Armaf cologne for men EDT 3.6 oz New in Box, Apple iPhone 12 Pro A2341 128GB Gold Unlocked Very Good Condition Free Shipping, Samsung G960 Galaxy S9 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - Very Good, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Unlocked N986U 128GB-Good. Everybody has their own idea where it comes from. As the story goes, Blackburne enjoyed fishing a Delaware River tributary in New Jersey when he was younger. Other kinds of mud and even mechanical methods have been tried to de-slick baseballs, but they couldnt make the grade. Career [ edit] $89.00 + $8.95 shipping. I've done the standard brush the ball, apply leather conditioner method before but it never looks quite as dark as some gameday footballs. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. While living in Palmyra, as a youth, Blackburne played football for the Palmyra Field Club in 1906. As a manager in the major leagues, he posted a 99133 record for a .427 winning percentage. Lena returned to the minors with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1916 and 1917 before earning cups of coffee with the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies in 1918 and 1919. After the tragedy, teams started to look for what could be used on baseballs to give pitchers a better grip and more control. Lena Blackburne - Society for American Baseball Research Other kinds of mud and even mechanical methods have been tried to de-slick baseballs, but they couldn't make the grade. Taldykorgan Airport services Nur-sultan. Word got around fast and the rest of the American League started using the Delaware mud. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Lena Blackburne rubbing mud a secret of the game Taldykorgan - Wikipedia Everybody thinks its the Delaware River, but it isnt, he said. He says he lets the mud settle, drains off the water and replaces some of it. "1965 is the first time I ever went out to harvest mud," says Bintliff, now President of Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. Any knowledgeable baseball fan will tell you that the big league baseball teams never use brand new baseballs in a game. Blackburne's mud business, along with the secret of the mud's source, was willed to a close pal, John Haas, who had worked with Blackburne on his mud-finding exploits. Lena Blackburne was a third base coach for the Philadelphia Athletics when he used Burlington County mud to create a compound that became standard for removing gloss from new baseballs throughout the big leagues. Taking a batch to the Athletics' field house, he rubbed some balls with the stuff. Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud is used throughout Major League & Minor League Baseball to rough up the six or seven dozen new balls prepared for every game. It's a Job He May Soon Lose", "N.J. has a dirty secret that Major League Baseball cant live without", "Baseball Has a Dirty Little Secret: Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud", "All MLB Baseballs Get Treatment From South Jersey Mud". Baseball Rubbing Mud Besides, what I get I share with my wife. The balls cover was too soft, leaving it open for tampering. He appeared in one game for the White Sox in 1929, inserting himself as a pitcher for a third of an inning on June 5th in what was both the only pitching appearance and final game of his major league playing career. For more information, please see our Click Here Sale up to 50% off! If they find the right substance to give the ball more tack, they could enforce the rule against using a foreign substance. Does Jim Bintliff wave a magic wand over the mud during the winter, or add some mysterious ingredients to it? Blackburne took on the challenge. It created the perfect texture and took off the bright white shine without discoloring the ball too much. The balance would be ruined, and pitchers would make the ball perform the aerobatics of a horsefly under a lampshade.. We can put a man on the moon, but we cant manufacture a baseball that doesnt have a slick hide and a white gloss to it, said Durwood Merrill, an American League umpire from 1977 to 1999. Blackburne broke into the majors with the White Sox in 1910, appearing in part of five seasons, and split the 1919 season with the Braves and Phillies. There are 27 public health facilities, a city cinema, a theatre, libraries, amusement parks, a stadium and sports complex and swimming pools. Per Yahoo, Staumont said of the new balls, "I really didn't notice a difference. Lena Blackburne - BR Bullpen - Baseball-Reference.com Burns in turn passed it on to son Jim, who in turn sold 1/2 the business to the Hamiltons. Blackburne, at various points in his career, was a player, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. But the ballpark-made mud was often too coarse, thus putting marks on the cover of the baseball, which would allow pitchers to get their fingernails in those marks and make the ball travel in an unnatural path. You read that right - Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud is also used in America's favorite sport - football! Yet the umpires didn't eject him from the game because Cardinals manager Tony La Russa never asked them to check Rogers for a foreign substance. The location of the mud's origin is a highly guarded secret. So, what do umpires use to prep the balls and dull the shine? "The people who need to know, know.". Sometimes it was just dirt and water. Mud plays part in game of baseball - ESPN Not all the players on the South Side team would have kept going. - Chicago Day Book, August 8, 1914. A total of 143,000 people live in the city. Blackburne stayed with the Athletics as a scout when the club moved to Kansas City. The most likely explanation for why La Russa didn't have the umps check Rogers is that La Russa's pitchers did the same thing and he didn't want his guys checked. All rights reserved. "It creates a whole new feel to a baseball.". A trip to Cooperstown has something for baseball fans and everyone else. Soon afterward, as the story goes, every American League team was getting a supply of the odorless, greaseless, and as smooth as pudding mud from Blackburne at a very reasonable price. This is where the bright white baseballs come in. So, when the umpire yells Play ball! rest assured, good New Jersey mud will be part of the game. All MLB game balls have been rubbed down before the game using a special mud from a top-secret location somewhere in New Jersey. I wish I could raise my prices in proportion to what the ballplayers get in salaries. Then the precious product rest in barrels until the next spring when its packed and shipped to each of the major league teams, minor league teams, most independent leagues and many colleges in time for opening day. Blackburne made me promise that I would never give away to outsiders the secret of the source of the mud, Haas said. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum). 1.55 POUND SIZE LENA BLACKBURNE "BASEBALL rubbing MUD" serving MLB SINCE 1939. The muck worked better than anything teams had used before. Data Provided By The average annual temperature in Taldqoran is 7.7C (45.9F). Lena Blackburne was a third base coach for the Philadelphia Athletics when he used Burlington County mud to create a compound that became standard for removing gloss from new baseballs throughout the big leagues. Many thanks to him. It would be a shame to see that end. He returned to the minors as a manager of the A's farm team, the Lancaster Red Roses, in 1944 and 1945 and then coached for the parent team again in 1947 and 1948. The concoction seemed to contain a superfine grit that could scuff a baseballs cover evenly with the mud nearly invisibly. They can put more spin on the ball and get better movement on their breaking balls with a better grip. The result? LONGPORT, New Jersey (WPVI) -- It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it for America's pastime. Then, it gets mixed and poured through a screen before it's left to sit for a while. Gagarin St 159, Taldykorgan, Almaty Province, 050061. "It's just enough to buff the slippery coating off the ball," he says. Lena, a feisty, weak-hitting infielder who banged around the major leagues in the 1910s before settling in as a major-league coach and. "When fresh baseballs . Stay at this 3-star business-friendly hotel in Taldykorgan. He ran as though he had poled the ball to the center field fence. After his death, Blackburne's mud business continued. He didn't even try to hide it and the whole world watching on TV could see it. Soon the entire American League was using the amazing gunk. Can you imagine how I feel knowing Ive had something to do with every pitch at every single ballpark?. Will MLB Say Goodbye to Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud? The silt-based mud doesn't scratch the leather. Delaware River Basin Commission|Baseball Rubbing Mud Lena Blackburne played eight years in the major leagues during a career that spanned from 1910 to 1929. He later scouted for the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics from 1948 to 1955, briefly serving as interim manager of the Red Roses again in 1954. But, it didn't have the right consistency. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud - BR Bullpen - Baseball-Reference.com Not all the players on the South Side team would have kept going." - Chicago Day Book, August 8, 1914. About 370mm (14.57in) of precipitation falls annually. Haas eventually turned over the enterprise to his son-in-law, Burns Bintliff. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The rest of Blackburn's career was spent in the minor leagues, except for one game in the major leagues in 1927 and another in 1929. You don't want the ball to slip out of the pitcher's hand and hit a batter. . Back then a ball was prepped simply with mud made of water and dirt from the playing field. So, when the umpire yells "Play ball!" Bintliff says it's been dubbed "magic mud" by players. as Lena Blackburn's baseball rubbing mud has been used to rub down every baseball using every major league game for Minor leagues too. Of course, it wasn't as a player or manager that Blackburne made his name in baseball. So they like to push the envelope, whether that be with pine tar or sunscreen and rosin or some other foreign substance. One of the pitchers who used them during a game was Josh Staumont, a hard-throwing pitcher with the Royals whose fastball has been clocked in the triple digits. "More than a few dozen colleges using it.". I noticed in those days that the outgoing tides purified the mud at the bottom of the creek, leaving it inky black and sticky, Blackburne remembered. "The National League got it in 1950.". Ball Prep Step 6: Applying Mud Watch on STEP 7: BRUSH THE BALL Using the same brushing motions as before, brush the mud into the ball, not off it. READ MORE: The Phillies' Bryce Harper is a hero in Philly and a villain on the road. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Mike Thompson, an executive vice president at Rawlings, said they are testing different methods to make a better ball, including a spray on application and a material that is tanned right into the leather. The Museum in Cooperstown features more than 50,000 square feet of exhibits devoted to the National Pastime. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Russell Aubrey "Lena" Blackburne (October 23, 1886 - February 29, 1968) was an American baseball infielder, manager, coach, and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). In fact, it is the only legal substance that can be added to balls. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. That's as precise as I get," he says. This has been true for games played in the American League since 1938 and for most major and minor league games in the U.S. since the 1950s. Ill tell you this: Where it comes from is covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide. Newsela | In baseball, a good pitch has a dirty secret: mud Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, all rights reserved. For nearly In 1933, he went on to become a coach with the Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack. Lena Blackburne rubbing mud only foreign substance MLB allows doctor 6 PACK OF LENA BLACKBURNE . Two streams come together where I get my mud. A trip to the secret New Jersey mud hole where Lena Blackburne's Blackburnes mud business, along with the secret of the muds source, was willed to a close pal, John Haas, who had worked with Blackburne on his mud-finding exploits. You can even add a message a note about the item, a favorite baseball memory or a tribute to a family member or friend. He was a St. Louis Browns coach in 1930 and was once again skipper of the Maple Leafs in 1932, when they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. In the above YouTube clip, Yankees announcer Al Leiter, a former pitcher himself, advocates for pitchers, saying he doesn't understand why you wouldn't want the pitcher to have a good grip on the ball. Royal Petrol Hotel Taldykorgan. I dont make much money from this, Burns Bintliff said. Something was needed to take off the shine but not soften the cover. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Many NFL teams - including the Philadelphia Eagles - also use Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud in their preparation of footballs for each game. I watch baseball on TV. Each July the Mud Crew heads a boat out to the ole mud hole and scoops up hundreds of pounds of the Magic Mud, enough for one season. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Each July the Bintliff crew heads a boat out to the "ole mud hole" and scoops up hundreds of pounds of the "Magic Mud", enough for one season. edit: heres another example of the type of result Im trying to achieve https://i.imgur.com/QFdFHGp.jpg. I was a kid pitcher in those days and I often used the mud on a new ball when we were lucky enough to get one.. Shop now The compound, sold in small plastic containers, is actual mud harvested from a secret location on the banks of a tributary of the Delaware River somewhere in New Jersey. Other times it was a mixture of dirt and tobacco juice. Join our linker program. Lena Blackburne played eight years in the major leagues during a career that spanned from 1910 to 1929. Google - Pixel 6 128GB Unlocked - Very Good, Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats3 PowerBeats 3 Wireless In-Ear Headphones Collections, 6.5 x 9.25 Padded Bubble Mailer Color Logo, Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 2 Intel Laptop, 14" FHD IPS LED Backlight, i5-1135G7, JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds Sweat & Water Proof, Sony WH-1000XM5/B Wireless Industry Leading Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones, Skullcandy JIB TRUE XT2 Wireless In-Ear Earbuds (Certified Refurbished), US For Iphone 6 6S 7 8 Plus X XR XS Max 11 12 Pro LCD Touch Screen Digitizer Lot, Harman Kardon FLY TWS True Wireless Bluetooth In-ear Headphones, Black, eufy RoboVac 25C Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Wi-Fi Smart Automatic Sweeper Robot APP. Russell Aubrey "Lena" Blackburne, a coach with Connie Macks old Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930s, looked for an alternative. While with the U.S. Army's 115th Engineering Group during World War II, future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn signed this ball along with his teammates. Years after his playing career ended, the Sporting News aptly described Blackburne's playing career with the words: "No matter where baseball gods have sent him, he has hustled.". By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Phone: 609-412-4837 Blackburne took on the challenge. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Available in sizes 4 oz. What's more, it had no odor and didn't turn the balls black. He personally processes the mud after harvest. Cookie Notice "The American League used it starting in 1938, '39," says Bintliff. Bintliff's Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud has played a central role in preparing those game-ready major league baseballs since 1938. 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