Quote:
Originally Posted by Crabby_Bob
A softball is less dense than a baseball thus, is more susceptible to aerodynamic forces. From a doctoring viewpoint, the object is not to add a great mass of goop to the ball, but to alter the boundary layer of air flowing over the ball, in particular by changing the smoothness over a region. A gross example of this can be seen in the curveball trainers found in sporting goods stores. Much less dense than a baseball (same size though) and it has a series of grooves over half the surface.
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Here's the thing... compared with a baseball, a softball has greater mass and travels a shorter distance. The aerodynamic forces would, therefore, have to be greater to influence the linear momentum of the ball (product of velocity and mass) quickly enough to have any material effect. It is possible to doctor a softball to cause this, but simple saliva won't cut it. And, as Mike pointed out, compared with the mass of the softball, the saliva has no shot at unbalancing the ball, either.
It is a stupid rule.