MLB will consider making changes to the foreign substance rules after the season, according to the Associated Press. “We will — like we do every offseason — look at this issue, but remember, pine tar is one of a number of foreign substances, and you have to have a rule that fits for all of them,” said MLB COO Rob Manfred while commissioner Bud Selig added “when the year is over, we ought to look at all this.”
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Michael Pineda pine tar fiasco, it’s that players and coaches don’t mind if pitchers use a foreign substance as long as they aren’t too obvious about it. Even hitters have said so. These substances generally do not give the pitcher an unfair advantage — the pine tar creates a better grip but doesn’t make the ball move unnaturally — and there is a safety element involved. I say legalize substances and let the whole process be transparent. The pitcher has to declare to the umpire what he’s using before entering the game and anything beyond that is illegal.
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