Day Glow balls

[Umpire in Chief 1,645]

Here's a question, I've often asked myself, Why do they use day glow colored balls in Fast pitch softball? I typically see the yellow, but I think I remember seeing a blaze orange one once upon a time.

The obvious answer is so they can see the ball, but baseballs which are smaller are still white.

Another thing, does the color make it harder for a batter to read the pitches in terms of the rotation on the ball?

I've always wondered????

[LMSANS 591]

I don't know the answer to your questions but I will try to see if I can get one.

As far as the rotation, even with the white balls the threads are painted the same as the ball so you don't have that contrast.

[Hemibee 10]

Don't remeber the year but a former A's owner introduced Yellow/Green/Chartruse (sp?) balls to baseball many years ago. The best I remember of that experiment was they weren't accepted due to they went against tradition.

[Jasper_C 3]

Charlie Finley, former owner of the A's was the one who tried the experiment in he 70s for some day games. It didn't go over well for many reasons:

The balls were painted yellow, not made of yellow died leather and the paint came off in the players hands.

The paint was also on the seams and the batters complained they couldn't see the rotation/spin of pitched balls.

The yellow ball had a tendency to blend in and disappear against the yellow sun.

The last problem which doomed it from the start was it is akin to blasphemy to try to change something in baseball as sacred as the ball itself being white.

I haven't heard or seen anything like it since the experiment by Finley's As of the 70s.

Jasper

PS This is the same guy who got the team to where white baseball shoes, paid bonuses for players wearing a mustache and hired a sprinter to be a pinch runner (Herb Washington).

[MT_Blue 12]

dunno if this is right or not but i was always told it was so that they could play in twilight with little interuption in places where they couldnt put lights......

[jjb 207]

It's called "optic Yellow" Doesn't make a da^^ bit of difference...

[MT_Blue 12]

i wouldnt say it doesnt make a difference, i officiate on a field where they play literally till the sun goes down and it makes a difference at that point, it allows for a couple of extra innings