Ever wondered what's inside a Baseball?

[xpress34]

Check out this video:

Baseball Unwound and Rewound

Double click the pic to start the video if it doesn't start automatically.

Unfortunately, they didn't complete the 'dissection'. If you cut the 'pink' ball open, there is another black colored ball inside - that is what is known as the 'pill'.

Also, it you click to pause after the cover is off, you'll notice the red lacing is only attached at one spot on the first white layer of thread.

That is an anchoring point and also why balls cannot be machine made. The cover is NOT stitched to the ball, only anchored at the start and end - otherwise, the two figure eights are laced to each other.

[abstractheory]

Pretty cool!

[dscsteve]

To my best recollection, they look the same as when I was a kid back in the 70's. I used to love to unwind baseballs. But then again, we didn't have the video games, computers, internet and all of the other stuff the kids have these days to keep them busy. Thanks for the video, brought back some good memories.

[godwulf]

I've recently been reminded of what's inside a baseball - at least the "string" layer right under the cover - because I'd left a couple of balls on the living room floor for the dogs to play with, and discovered that my wife's pit bull mix, Lily, likes to rip off the covers - it takes her less than five minutes to do it - and then eat them.

[coxfan]

In the 1860's and a while thereafter, baseball manufacturing standards varied so widely that the rules required the game be played, as much as possible, with a single ball.

The rules allowed the challenging club to provide that baseball. Chadwick's book in 1868 suggested that a team with good batters provide a livelier ball. But if they were good fielders, he suggested they provide a deader ball.

[godwulf]

My wife's pit bull mix, Lily, can strip the hide off of a baseball in less than five minutes. She gnaws on it till she gets a small loose flap that she can clamp her teeth onto, and then she slowly rrrrriiiiiiips the cover off - a little disturbing to watch and listen to, to be honest. We've never let her go deeper than the string. Oh, did I forget to mention that she then eats the cover?