Why do some baseball players put tree sap on their helmets?
436704
The first answer to this question is hysterical. Talk about not having a clue!\n\nAs stated by others already, the stuff you call tree sap is actually pine tar. It is sticky and used to give players a better grip on the bat. Players put it on their helmits so that they can easily re-apply whenever they feel like it just by touching the top of their helmit.
524909
It is the trunk of a Rock Elm (old school, very rare) or White Ash (same thing in modern day baseball bats).  Trees with a straighter grain will fetch a higher premium.  Waves in the grain will be used for low end sticks, junior sticks, or baseball bats.
536154
Those are probably the fungo circles.  When teams are taking their fielding practice, coaches hit fly balls to outfielders using a fungo bat.  By dedicating a dirt patch for that, it helps prevent wear and tear on the grass.
1011191
first answer was correct, the bat handles are so thin today, it's hard to believe that the bats don't break every time a hitter makes contact with the ball...\n\nThe batters want as light a bat as possible, but rather than sacrifice wood in the sweet spot area, they take it out of the handle area.
193031
It is called the pitching rubber.
433771
That's the strangest question I've ever seen....seriously you might as well suggest that your favorite baseball player has homosexual tendencies because he patted his friends rear end after a home run....jeeze get a life kid.
1045626
Actually it has nothing to do with the lawsuit or anything political. Many players, including some Angels, put extra pine tar on their batting helmets apparently to provide for easy access between pitches.
604603
It helps the pitcher keep the ball down
303074
A lot of them are usually due to the fact the players try to do too much too soon.  Also as I'm sure you've noticed, there is a lot of time between plays, so unlike most of the other sports, baseball players are unable to keep their muscles warm, and then required to use them at full speed for a short amount of time.  Think of that poor RF who could conceivably go through an entire game of about 2.5 hours without having a ball hit to him, and then in the bottom of the 9th may have to make a 300+ft throw to home to save a run.  That'll kill your arm in a hurry, especially early in the season.
1069132
Well if they are nice trees, they will lend a branch and try to help it back up. If they are mean trees, they probably blow on it and throw their sap at it.
1172332
Well if you didn't know, pepper is a game players play to keep warm pregame, or just to play. Several players line up while another takes a bat and stands about 15 feet away. The players in line toss to the batter, who tries to hit the ball on the ground. The player loses his at bat if he misses or hits a ball that is caught in the air. I guess this leads up to the sign. The sign is so the players don't play pepper because it tears up the grass.\n\n\nI see the source is MLB.com, but the whole point of the game is to not hit the ball hard, nor do you throw the ball hard.  One player tosses the ball and the batter half / check swings the ball into the ground back to the other players. There just doesn't seem to be a safety issue here, especially when compared to what is actually happening during the game (i.e. full speed pitches and throws from the field, line drives into the stands, etc..)
41038
The more equipment you put on a player, the less a player can move. The problem is no one thought that some of these players would end up being dump truck size monsters who could hit a stop sign and bend it forward. The players are just way to big to invent something to protect them better. The legs are quite fragile in that there isn't much protecting them. As for concussions, human heads were not meant to get that kind of contact. THe helmets have been improved to the point that hitters are now using there heads to hurt the opponent. So nothing will prevent these injuries unless you have 150 lb players playing the game.
617179
The aftergame "handshake" or "high-five" is a ritual adopted by little leagues and schools to teach sportsmanship to the youth. It's a way of saying "No hard feelings, the score doesn't matter because we're friends." MLB just hasn't adopted this "tradition" for its teams. Besides do you honestly think the yanks and Red Sox would shake hands after one of their games. Well maybe only for Johnny Damon....this just in...\n\n3.09\nPlayers in uniform shall not address or mingle with spectators, nor sit in the stands before, during, or after a game. No manager, coach or player shall address any spectator before or during a game. Players of opposing teams shall not fraternize at any time while in uniform. \n\nwhat do you know it's actually a rule!
938923
In ancient Greece athletes were awarded Laurel leaf crowns.\n\nOn retiring they were "resting on their laurels"
1019144
they do its called drop third strike. its just that in the mlb the catchers are smart enough to tag the batter after the thrid strike just in case
744349
It's a mixture of sand, tire rubber, and athletic shoes. They cryogenically freeze the tires and smash them into round granules that provide a dirt like consistency for the field turf. They mix the rubber with the sand and ground up shoes to give the turf more of a "grass field" type of feel for the players.\n\nSounds crazy, but it's true.
599683
Its not a superstition thing as much as it is a cosmetic thing.  Players who wear high socks do it as an alternative to tucking the pantlegs under the legs themselves.  This way there is extra padding by the knee as well as the socks are all the way up.  The look is solid, and the comfort of not having the pants moving all over is great.