# Baseball Q: New baseballs - prep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143 "2005-04-13T16:37:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/1 "2005-04-13T16:37:10Z")
My brother-in-law is a semi-pro ump in a family with a history in semi-pro umpping. He says every pro (NBL) baseball is dipped in Mississippi mud before use. Is this true, and if so, why is this done, and why Mississippi mud? He claims this is also true for the MBL minors. And, he’s heard of it being done by some college teams, too! Is this some ancient tradition? Do baseballs come from Mississippi (like bats are to Louisville, KY), and it is like the commissioning ritual of a ship…or a baptising, fo some sort? (Oops, I almost typed “batising” - lol!) Certainly SDope’s baseball fans must have heard of this. Tell us what’s so, Joe! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/2 "2005-04-13T16:41:52Z")
Not true - it’s [Delaware River mud](http://www.baseballrubbingmud.com/main.htm/), used to take off the gloss of the game balls, which come from Costa Rica. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/3 "2005-04-13T20:08:32Z")
I first heard about it in a book, either \*Men at Work \* by \*\*George Will \*\* or one of \*\*Tom Bosleys’ \*\* He is a longtime sportswriter for a Washington paper. Both highly recommended to any baseball fan. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/4 "2005-04-13T22:57:18Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not true - it’s [Delaware River mud](http://www.baseballrubbingmud.com/main.htm/), used to take off the gloss of the game balls, which come from Costa Rica. And of course, the Delaware River Mud comes from New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/5 "2005-04-14T00:25:02Z")
You can buy bottles of it at better sporting goods stores. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/6 "2005-04-14T15:02:00Z")
I’ve seen other sources pin it down further to the mouth of Rancocas Creek, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/7 "2005-04-14T15:44:25Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not true - it’s [Delaware River mud](http://www.baseballrubbingmud.com/main.htm/), used to take off the gloss of the game balls, which come from Costa Rica. Bad link, try [Delaware River mud](http://baseballrubbingmud.com/main.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q-new-baseballs-prep/299143/8 "2005-04-15T17:09:00Z")
DE vs MS? Yeah, like they wouldn’t just use any local mud… :rolleyes: I see this being the next scandal in baseball! 😉 - Jinx