Because we're obsessed with arguing and the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are a media circus on their own anyway, much of the sports-loving part of our nation is rather consumed with a certain subject right now involving the altering of playing equipment. So you may have heard something about deflated balls.
Thus, in our "slow news day" portion of the MLB offseason, I figured what better time than to look back at some of MLB's more noteworthy instances of real or alleged equipment fraud. Let's just call these the most prominent equipment controversies.
Take note here that we're ignoring PEDs, stealing signs, allegedly pushing someone off the base or other areas where some might scream "cheater!" and instead focusing only on equipment issues -- so bats, gloves, balls and foreign substances. Also, these are only things that were controversies at the time, so players in retirement admitting they did something while playing doesn't really count, either (hi, Whitey Ford, Don Sutton, Norm Cash et al!).
Onward, in reverse chronological order, are a dozen of the most prominent instances of an equipment controversy in baseball.
2014 - Michael Pineda's pine tar
It was so obvious it seemed like a cry for help. With this incident -- leading to a 10-game suspension for Pineda -- being so recent, there's not much need to rehash it.
2003 - Sammy Sosa's cork
After one of the most prolific five-year power stretches in MLB history (from 1998-2002, Sosa averaged 58 homers a season), Sosa was caught when a broken bat was found to have contained cork. He ended up (after appeal) being suspended for seven games.
Sosa said at the time he used the corked bat during batting practice to put on a show for the fans. For what it's worth, MLB did test the rest of his bats and none of them were corked.
1994 - Albert Belle's cork
One of the great stories in baseball lore, umpires confiscated Belle's bat and kept it in their locker room until after the game. During the game, Indians reliever Jason Grimsley is said to have crawled in through the ceiling to switch out the bat for a legal one. They were eventually caught, though, and Belle was suspended for seven games. The reason is that the replacement bat belonged to Paul Sorrento, due to -- according to Omar Vizquel in his book -- every single Belle bat being corked.
1988 - Jay Howell's pine tar
A pretty high-profile moment, coming in that postseason, was Howell being busted during Game 3 of the NLCS. He was suspended for three games. It didn't stop his Dodgers, though, who went on to win the World Series.
1987 - Joe Niekro's emery board
Niekro claimed he used the emery board that fell out of his pocket to file down his fingernails, since he threw a knuckleball. Of course, the umpires also found sandpiper later. Niekro was suspended for 10 games.
I think what I like best about that video is the immediate, loud reaction of the Anaheim fans. It's obvious Niekro's rep as a doctorer of baseballs was pretty widespread.
1987 - Billy Hatcher's cork
A broken bat revealed cork and Hatcher offered up the following excuse (via latimes.com):
"I was out of bats, so I borrowed a pitcher's bat," the outfielder said. "I know some of the pitchers use them in batting practice. I don't know whose bat it was."
He was suspended for 10 games.
1986 - Mike Scott's doctoring?
During the NLCS, the Cy Young winner came into question due to more than a dozen scuffed balls, per the opposing Mets. Scott was cleared of wrongdoing though many fans in attendance when he was checked by umpires claim they saw something (either an emery board or sandpaper) fall out of his pocket, only to go unnoticed by umpires.
1983 - George Brett's pine tar
Brett's bat was later found legal by MLB and the Royals' protest of the game was upheld, meaning they were able to start over from that point and this time around ended up winning. For more on this one, check out our Bobblehead Project entry.
1982 - Gaylord Perry's Vaseline
Before there was Eddie Harris (from the movie "Major League" and if you didn't know that, what's wrong with you?) there was Gaylord Perry. He was caught using Vaseline on a pitch in 1982 and suspended for 10 games. It's rather amazing that he lasted that long without being caught, given that Perry began his career in 1962 and long had a reputation for doctoring baseballs. In fact, his autobiography is titled, "Me and the Spitter."
1980 - Rick Honeycutt's thumbtack
Honeycutt famously grabbed a thumbtack before he took the hill and put it in the middle finger of his glove. He was caught after just two batters. This was the first time he'd ever tried something like this, to the point that he was mocked openly during the game by teammates. In fact, he was so bad with the tack that he cut himself (via latimes.com):
"Before that game, I came down from the bullpen and sat in the dugout and I forgot I had done the thing. So, I took off my glove and wiped the sweat off my forehead and cut my head with the tack."
1974 - Graig Nettles' superballs
Nothing like being caught more red-handed than anyone on the list, save for maybe Niekro. Nettles -- one at-bat after hitting a home run -- broke his bat and six small superballs came flying out of the bat, bouncing on the field. He said he got the bat from a fan and didn't know there was anything wrong with it. He wasn't suspended.
1944 - Nels Potter and the spitball
Potter was the first pitcher in MLB history to be suspended for throwing a spitball. Via SABR, it doesn't sound like Potter was too disappointed:
“He (Potter) has a wife, and I think he wanted a vacation anyway. They said his wife gave birth to a child nine months later. I gave him the chance to be home," said ejecting umpire Cal Hubbard.
“That’s true,” said Potter when reminded of the story. “And one thing you can be sure of, I didn’t name him Cal Hubbard Potter.”
Obviously this isn't every instance in MLB history, but there are some good ones in here. At the very least, hopefully we've provided an entertaining break to hearing about deflated balls. I mean, c'mon, superballs > deflated balls any day.
