Garrit Cole apparently using Spider tack
craig44
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In his press conference today, Cole was asked if he uses Spider Tack when he pitches to gain an advantage.
he answers
"I don't...I don't know... I don't know quite how to answer that"
sure seems like an admission to me. using an illegal substance to gain an advantage and increase spin rate. should he still be eligible for the HOF?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
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You will need to ban every pitcher in baseball. Anyone watching how Houston turned around their hitters and pitchers and thought just the hitters were cheating is crazy. This was organizational and from jump street- the guy hacked the Cardinals entire inventory when he took the Houston job!
Like any other good tech, it spreads.
Quickly.
Cole was at ground zero. Check his hat the next time he pitches.
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By the way, Alex Cora, from that same Houston cheating factory, is now back again and suddenly the Red Sox are winning…
🤔
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Very interesting indeed, it seems Mr. Cole has gotten himself into a very sticky situation.
Well I don't want to sound like a know it all, but if you've followed Cole's career closely,
there were a few tell tale signs lately that he may have been engaging in the use of Spider tack......
you can also look at how verlanders career got a second wind when he came to Houston.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I don't think this is uncommon. If they start making examples out of people, there will be a bunch of finger pointing.
Are they cracking down on this now as part of a plan to add more offense?
he was already outed about it months ago. Back when no one cared.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2021-01-07/fired-angels-employee-bubba-harkins-names-players-illegal-product
I think 10 minor leaguers were suspended last week for it, a ‘shot across the bow’ to the Major Leaguers…
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"I don't know how to answer that?" A simple yes or no will do! Of course he uses it.
As I've said here a few times, it has been my understanding that the hitters were on board with pitchers using something for control. The reasoning is that most of the guys throw very fast now. The hitters don't want pitchers unable to control the heat and kill someone. I'm being serious. I've seen or heard this mentioned various times.
And I think what’s being used by some/many/most needs to be banned. Give them something agreed upon instead of keeping it a gray area and allowing them to use these types of substances.
Expect (many) spin rates to plummet and less break to breaking pitches to be on the way.
They already are…
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Ban any and all substances period.
probably more so to crack down on the K rates. But it's what should have been done 3-4 years ago instead of the consideration of moving the mound back a foot or two or any of this other stuff they're talking about now. Should've started with this, and if that doesn't work, then start lowering the strike zone and stop calling the top of the zone strikes like they did in the 90's and early aughts.
This is what the pitching patterns have been for nearly 5 years now. 4 seamers up in the zone, then curveballs/sliders down and away. That's where the spin rate thing comes in. You've probably heard people say a given pitcher's fastball "rises". Well it doesn't rise, even a 6'6 pitcher is still throwing at a downward plane. But with the crazy high spin rates on a 4 seamer, the ball will maintain it's plane and remain higher in the zone.
But spider tack and the sunscreen/rosin concoctions aren't the only things being used. I believe it was (White Sox TV analyst) Steve Stone who made mention (during a local radio hit) that he's heard of a team that was literally boiling down coke and mixing it with rosin and sunscreen. Don't know if that's this former Angels' employee that I posted the link of but it wouldn't surprise me. I've also heard some stuff about the Dodgers doing something like that too which also shouldn't surprise anyone as over the last week since all of this stuff was announced, a ton of pitchers have already seen a drop in spin rates including some pretty steep drops by Kershaw, Bauer, Cole, Kenley Jansen etc.
who is Garrit Cole?
as w everything else in the past, it all falls on the mlb & commish’s office. just like the greenies, peds, cheating scandals and now this, they just turn their heads until they are forced to look. if they’d just come down hard on first whiff alot of these things would be dead or non issues.
instead they reap the rewards of homeruns, endless no hitters and the likes, then when the rides over or need to save face, they throw the player(s) under the bus.
bauer pretty much rubbed the commissioner's nose in this stuff a while back and in a very public manor. when that didnt get any attention and to make an even bolder statement actually started to use the stuff purposely as a “now what?” move. guys a lil out there, but i like that in a pitcher and respect his moves in this regard.
I find it hard to get all worked up over spider tack when there is a rosin bag sitting on the mound whose purpose is the same.
With Spider Tack on your hand, you can place your palm flat on a cinder block and you would still be able to lift it up off the ground.
It’s a little more significant than rosin, from what I understand.
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who is Garrit Cole?> @1951WheatiesPremium said:
But can it almost be too sticky? Will someone try to pitch a ball and it not leave his hand?
Most pitchers have it in 2-3 locations. Typically, it’s on the glove, the hat and either under the armpit or behind the ear.
Recognize that something is necessary. Go throw 100 pitches one day this summer and you’ll be dripping with sweat.
So, the stuff - whatever it may be - is getting diluted and being applied to a porous substance (skin) that continues to rinse itself off and maintain a moist surface.
Which is why most pitchers are drying hands first and then touching hats and gloves and armpits and ears.
The problem with Spider Tack is that even under these conditions it is able to maintain incredible adhesion so that in the last moments of a pitchers throw as the ball leaves his hand, it is sticking as you describe and that is what is causing the extra spin.
If a pitcher soaked his hand in Spider Tack as opposed to dabbing a sweat diluted amount?
Yes - the result would be probably a comedy act.
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From one of the all-time great movies:
Rick: What's that $$$$ on your chest?
Eddie: [wipes his finger across his chest] Crisco; [wipes his finger across his waist line] Bardol; [wipes his finger along his head] Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. 'Course if the umps are watching me real close I just rub a little jalapeño juice up my nose, get it runnin', and if I need to load the ball up I just... [wipes his nose] ...wipe my nose.
Rick: You put snot on the ball?
Eddie: I haven't got an arm like yours; I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too.
How can you tell if they are using too much Spider Tack?...........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMYs-9LW2w
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
When is the last time you've seen a pitcher use the rosin bag or even "go to their mouth". There's a reason for that. The rosin bag would be stuck to their hand, and their fingers would be glued to their gobs. Rosin isn't going to help you generate 225+ additional RPMs on a baseball.
I knew something was up when Kershaw had such a career rehabilitating season last year. He had been in a fairly steady decline and then put up a low 2's ERA last year and had more success in the playoffs than he had ever had. then the photo of his hat and all that goo showed up. now since this controversy has arisin, 10 ER in his last 12 IP.
yup, he is just as guilty as Cole and the rest.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Everyone should read this
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/04/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover
some teams have gone so far as to hire chemists whose responsibilities include (but are not limited to) developing proprietary substances for pitchers
and if you subscribe to the Athletic this
https://theathletic.com/2641498/2021/06/09/ghiroli-blame-for-mlbs-sticky-substance-controversy-falls-first-on-the-league/
some savvier teams have begun distributing tacky substances to pitchers at their lowest minor league levels, in order to avoid a sudden uptick in spin rate when they hit the Majors.