“Stuck on You”: Functional Friction Measurements of Doctored Baseballs Coated with “Sticky Substances”

Abstract

We have entered into an absurd new era of ball management and extremes found in professional baseball. Ball contact seems to be at an all-time low, and spin rates, the rotational rate of balls as they leave a pitcher’s hand, have been at an all-time high. Perhaps these are effects and cause. These extremes are attributed to substances that are dispensed on/near players’ fingers and gloves including bug sprays, sunscreens, rosins and tars, and other OTC adhesives like spider tack and stickum. In quantifying the stickiness of doctored balls, we are doing some backyard experiments with coated leather baseballs using a controllable, angle-dependent, rolling force measurement tool adapted to track rolling length after rolling downhill a certain distance. We present details of functional test comparisons between doctored and virgin balls, evaluated after coating with a range of substances using a rolling friction assessment.