CNN has a great story about the history of Major League Baseball's 'magic mud', the mud that has been exclusively used to break in game balls at both the major league and minor league levels since 1938. Ever since 1920, the year that Ray Chapman became the only MLB player ever killed by a pitch, umpires had been searching for a way enhance the grip on a baseball. Lena Blackburne, a manager for the Philadelphia Athletics, was familiar with the mud on the Delaware River near his home and began using it. Word slowly flowed from team to team until it was the only substance used.
70 years later, this is still the case. Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud is harvested, packaged and sold each year to all of Major League Baseball. The company is still family-owned and the mud's location on the Delaware River is still a mystery. The owner says that the business only brings in approximately $20,000 a year, but you can't put a price on tradition.
Harvesting baseball's 'magic mud' [cnn.com]
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