Are baseball covers still made out of horsehide?

I’m not sure. Probably not, as most of the baseballs these days are imported from Taiwan, Haiti or China.

I imagine in the politically correct world we live in, animal rights activists would have a few words to say if they knew Ken Griffey Jr. had just belted a portion of what was once “Old Dobbin” into the upper deck seats in right field.

Anyone who has been a pitcher knows every baseball is just a little bit different. Oh, sure, they all weigh the same, have the same circumference and all have red stitches but just like a fingerprint, they are dissimilar in subtle ways.

Personally, I liked the baseballs with “raised” stitches the best. Throwing a ball that had stitches a little larger or set up a little higher than others made that 12-6 curve ball really snap off and break down. Raised stitches are also the choice of guys who throw two-seam fastballs that tend to “dive” in the strike zone.

Then again, pitchers who rely on sliders to get batters out prefer flatter stitches. This way, the balls rotate faster and make the slider look just like a fastball, and harder for hitters to recognize.

Discounting Atlanta’s Sunday night game, Major League Baseball’s official opening day was April 6 and for anyone who is a true aficionado, Monday was an overdose. I mean, you could watch diamond action almost 24-7. I expect if you lived in Hawaii, it would have been an all-day treat with the east coast games starting at about 6 a.m. Maui time.

Of course if you have satellite television at the house, like I do, you are never short changed and are able to watch teams play every day during the season.

Thankfully I have a choice and if the Mariners have a bad season, there is always someone else I can rely on for a dose of horsehide when needed.

With opening of the major league season, kids around town are starting to wear baseball caps even more than they did during the cooler months. Most of them are new ones. You can tell because they aren’t sweat stained or look like the dog has chewed on them a few times.

I just received the latest catalog from Star Struck and I noticed there are a few new minor league teams this season or those that have changed names or color schemes for head gear. I expect the little lady will be on my case once again when the box arrives at the house with five or six new ones to add to the kid’s collection.

Baseball caps are also a hot topic these days for members of the U.S. Navy. According to the Navy Times, the “brass” decided that ball caps are not authorized to be worn with the new Navy working uniform and the caps, emblazoned with a unit’s name and crest, will be seen less and less.

Good idea. I rued the day when police departments around the nation began wearing baseball caps on duty.

I can see them being worn by tactical teams such as SWAT, criminal apprehension and in search and rescue situations, but the wearer sure doesn’t look too professional climbing out of the cruiser to write a speeding ticket with a baseball cap on their head.

Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but the “flying saucer” police caps are sharp and even the old-fashioned “eight-points” have that professional look to them.

State troopers still wear the “Smokey Bear” straws but they’ve gotten away from the Sam Browne belts which were traditional, but dangerous. The broad leather belt across the troopers chests made an ideal item to grab by a foolish arrestee who figured he was tough enough to mix it up with the boys in blue.

Tradition or not, who wants to be bounced back and forth like a ball on a bolo bat while somebody sings “Take Me Out To The Ball Game?”