Angels clubhouse guy, ball doctoring

[Moose Milligan]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30671790/fired-los-angeles-angels-clubhouse-attendant-names-pitchers-ball-doctoring-case

Let me get this straight...

The Angels clubhouse guy has been serving up a rosin/pine tar substance for visiting pitchers for YEARS?  And it's considered a courtesy?  I would be ****ing IRATE if the Orioles were doing this for visiting opponents.

BTW, @Frobby, it lists Bundy as a guy who's been using this stuff.  So there ya go.

[Can_of_corn]

They've managed to convince hitters that it's a safety issue.

[VaBird1]

On 1/8/2021 at 7:08 AM, Can_of_corn said:

They've managed to convince hitters that it's a safety issue.

I assume if the industry cared very much they would stop using the balls with the slick surface.

[Number5]

If I'm understanding this situation correctly, it sure does seem like the guy is being made a scapegoat and lost his job unfairly.  It's not like the guy was only providing his concoction to the Angels.  The use seems to be league-wide, and certainly wasn't much of a secret.  Seems like if MLB wanted the practiced stopped, just so order and move on, business as usual.  No reason this guy had to lose his job, IMO.  

One concern I have is that if the substance resulted in higher spin rates, I wonder if the young pitchers that the Orioles have accumulated that have shown high spin rates were benefitting from using this substance, or one like it.  If the estimate of 75% of MLB pitchers using the substance is accurate, I wonder how much this crack down on its use is going to affect the game.

[Can_of_corn]

The substance does improve spin rate.

[Number5]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

The substance does improve spin rate.

Quote

Lindbergh and Sarris note the correlation between the usage of a grip-altering foreign substance and higher spin rates for pitchers. (Both pieces are worth a full read for those interested). This figures to remain a topic of discussion for Major League Baseball, whether or not Harkins’ specific allegations are sufficient to warrant the continuation of his lawsuit.

Former Angels Staffer Alleges Widespread Use Of Foreign Substances - MLB Trade Rumors

I have zero knowledge on the subject.  Just going by what the article says.  

[Sports Guy]

Everyone cheats.  It’s a matter of who gets caught.  

[Can_of_corn]

20 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Everyone cheats.  It’s a matter of who gets caught.  

Yep, which is why I find all the outrage pointed at the steroid users and Astros so baffling.  Ruth tried a steroid precursor and Hornsby wrote an article about cheating.  It's always been a part of the game and the game only does something about it when forced to by the fans.