richl@tektronix.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) (08/03/83)
I offer portions of a column by Peter Gammons, Independent Press Service from Tuesday's paper without comment (and without permission): When the Pine Tar Controversy hit, American League President Lee MacPhail was out of town. So Bob Fishel was running the AL office in New York, and since Fishel, like MacPhail, is an honest man, he never tried to pretend that anyone in or around the office knew why there was a rule stating that a hitter can't have pine tar any more than 18 inches from the end of his bat. Fishel had Bill Murray of the commissioner's office checking. Fishel himself made dozens of calls, as did umpiring supervisor Dick Butler. and finally Fishel admitted, "We still don't know why it was instituted in the first place." But Twins' owner Calvin Griffith has been a member of the Playing Rules Committee since before George Brett was born, and Calvin said he remembered when they wrote the original rule in 1955. "Guys were slopping that pine tar stuff all over their bats," Griffith said. "The balls were all getting discolored. The rule was put into effect to keep the bats from discoloring the balls and having them thrown out." So the reason Brett's ninth inning, two-run, game-winning homer off Rich Gossage Sunday was nullified, giving the Yankees the victory, was because he might have discolored the ball. .... Rick Lindsley richl@tektronix tektronix!richl