Not enough mud!

We have a bit on controversy in this young baseball season. Apparently the dastardly evil Cincinnati Reds are not sufficiently rubbing their baseballs with mud.

All baseballs used in major league and minor league games, by rule, must be sufficiently rubbed in (this is a real product) Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. It's been a big league tradition for nearly 75 years.

Carpenter said the balls he threw against the Reds on Monday did not get a proper massage with dirt from the bottom of the Delaware River.

From MLB.com:

"It doesn't bother me," said Carpenter, who brought the matter up to home-plate umpire Mike Reilly during the game. "It doesn't affect me. Mentally, I continue to execute and do the things that I have to do. But there's absolutely no question that the balls here ... I got balls that didn't have anything on them."

That's funny, because John Smoltz expressed a similar complaint at Cincy this past September when the Cards previously rolled through town.

Drat! You mean Chris Carpenter was pitching with NEW balls? I'm surprised he got the ball over the plate. Oh wait, he went six innings with no walks or wild pitches in a victory for the Cardinals. Hmmmm...