Dirk Hayhurst used to be a professional pitcher. A professional pitcher with arm trouble. As a result, he had to go all Eddie Harris from time to time. Today, at Sports on Earth, he reveals what he knows about the fine art of the scuff:
Doug Brocail could get a fresh ball back from the umpire and, within three windmill-like movements of his throwing arm, have a ball so scuffed you’d think he just took sandpaper to it, though he used nothing more than his thumbnail. My pitching coach in A ball, Dave Rajsich, told me of a teammate who once cut the red Rawlings “R” out of his glove only to replace it with a red (painted) sandpaper facsimile, with a painted white “R” in the center. He’d pass the ball over the letter like he was casually adjusting his mitt.
Great stuff. And an excuse to think about Joe Niekro and his emery board. The best part of which was his smooth-as-crap attempt to get rid of it as the umps searched him. I could watch it all day.