FOX and all of MLB has such a Yankees biased… They also always cut away on many of Damon’s throws as to not make him look like a fairy…

I just watched it back on my DVR recording in HD and it looked like it missed the ball…
So I would say inconclusive… Maybe he was just spitting like every other ball player, or maybe he missed this time… ???

The dude cheated. Right there. Live and in front of America. MLB has one, and only one, recourse: pull the video from Youtube.

looks like hey hung a big fatty on that ball, and right after looking to see who was watching

http://www.halosheaven.com/2009/10/19/1092390/mariano-rivera-caught-doctoring

that there was similar controversy with K-Rod doctoring the ball a while back…
Just sayin’…

There is no way to tell what angle the magical loogie was being directed.

This does, however, remind me of a classic Seinfeld episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEzBeP6pRoY&feature=PlayList&p=D5E7102F1B32ED20&index=0&playnext=1

Why is he holding the ball up and looking at it while spitting?!!! Put the ball down and spit!!! Move your head and spit to the side…I don’t understand why he needs to even spit in the same direction…do you?

I suggest you make this a big deal. Email it to peeps at LA Times blog and what not. Tweet it, Digg IT, put it on your facebook, etc.

C’mon internet-savvy people…at least make a controversy out of this!!

even if the umps see this, all they do is warn him for the first offense. He doesn’t get booted until the second offense.

Do something about it, MLB. Save you effing integrity, what little is left.

…just so they actually pick up on it.

And if he did spit on the ball then karma will be coming to collect.

I need a ride home

Shit… I lost my glasses

In no way is he trying to get away with cheating there. Dropping a giant wad of herpes simplex 1 in front of 50,000 fans and a million cameras is just so obvious, so stupid, and he would have been caught ages ago.

Besides, he has to doctor the ball EVERY pitch, you dont just lube up the ball once and its good to go.

There are so many reasons why this is absolutely not even close to being anything that people should take action against.

Find video clips of him spitting on the ball over the course of a series, then you have a case. One time is in no way grounds for calling anyone a cheater.

He might have just accidentally spit on the ball, which was instantly replaced, because all balls usually are.

In a dimly lit hotel room …

A half empty bottle of Blue Label sits on the end table …

Jeter’s used jock from tonights game stuffed loosely in his mouth …

Joe Buck’s laptop is plugged in to the wall socket …

Boxers down at the kneecaps …

Limp skin whistle in hand …

Joe has this very clip on endless loop …

The fucker is passed-out and is snoring loud, even through the filthy jock in his mouth …

Housekeeping will wake him before tomorrow’s call time. But damn, what a night.

the video is pretty funny, but if he were seriously doctoring each ball with spit, he better have a bottle of water instead of a resin bag on the mound. Now if you told me he had vaseline on his belt buckle, I could believe that one.

(emphasis mine)

8.02
The pitcher shall not —
(a) …
(2) expectorate on the ball, either hand or his glove;
…
(6) deliver a ball altered in a manner prescribed by Rule 8.02(a)(2) through (5) or what is called the "shine" ball, "spit" ball, "mud" ball or "emery" ball. The pitcher is allowed to rub the ball between his bare hands.
PENALTY: For violation of any part of Rules 8.02(a)(2) through (6)
(a) the pitcher shall be ejected immediately from the game and shall be suspended automatically. In National Association Leagues, the automatic suspension shall be for 10 games.
(b) If a play follows the violation called by the umpire, the manager of the team at bat may advise the plate umpire-in-chief that he elects to accept the play. Such election shall be made immediately at the end of the play. However, if the batter reaches first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batsman, or otherwise, and no other runner is put out before advancing at least one base, the play shall proceed without reference to the violation.
© Even though the team at bat elects to take the play, the violation shall be recognized and the penalties in subsection (a) will still be in effect.
(d) If the manager of the team at bat does not elect to accept the play, the umpire-inchief shall call an automatic ball and, if there are any runners on base, a balk.
(e) The umpire shall be sole judge on whether any portion of this rule has been violated.
Rules 8.02(a)(2) through 8.02(a)(6)

And the most important part, which I think is the case here:

Comment: If a pitcher violates either Rule 8.02(a)(2) or 8.02(a)(3) and, in the judgment of the umpire, the pitcher did not intend, by his act, to alter the characteristics of a pitched ball, then the umpire may, in his discretion, warn the pitcher in lieu of applying the penalty set forth for violations of 8.02(a)(2) through 8.02(a)(6). If the pitcher persists in violating either of those Rules, however, the umpire should then apply the penalty.

- LINK -

Make your own judgments, but this guy has been pitching since closing became fashionable. If he’d been spitting on the ball we’d know it by now.

The more curious case is what the hell Pettitte is doing with the ball in the glove-to-mouth zone before every pitch:

Nobody can hit his 89-91 mph fastball right down the pipe

The only use that ball he spit on had was in the bunt play by Aybar that Rivera threw in the dirt. They gave him a new ball after that and while I don’t know if he spat on that one, it would have been much harder to get away with it.

The Yankees are dangerous as it is. But word of these baseless accusations is going to really piss them off.

Rick Vaughn: [Seeing Harris take off his shirt, revealing white suff on his chest] What’s that shit on your chest?
Eddie Harris: [Looking at his chest] Crisco.
Eddie Harris: [wiping it across his head]
Eddie Harris: Bardol.
Eddie Harris: [wiping it along his waist line]
Eddie Harris: Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. Of course if the umps are watching me real close I’ll rub a little jalapeo up my nose, get it runnin’, and if I need to load the ball up I just…
Eddie Harris: [wipes his nose]
Eddie Harris: …wipe my nose.
Rick Vaughn: You put snot on the ball?
Eddie Harris: I haven’t got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too.

copy/paste from imdb.com

Cheatin bastard!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously.

There are three dimensions. Television squishes it down to two. He did not spit on the baseball. He is just a very good pitcher. Jesus, why are fans so conspiratorial.

Fans, fanatical, fantastic, fantasy…c’mon, it’s all part of the game. Light(en) up and enjoy the show.

Was he throwing a spitball? Probably not. This is a non-issue.
IF he did spit on it, I’m willing to bet if the camera shot continued on Mariano for a couple more seconds, it would have shown him rubbed the ball with both hands as pitchers do, which would have smoothed the surface so that any “spit imperfections” would be squashed. Still, if he did spit on the ball, that is definitely not allowed, and he probably should have been warned.

All of this is just more drama for the media to feed off to add to a tough ALCS

It should be looked into with more video from Fox. This clip doesn’t show enough but I have to say the Mariano has the look of someone trying not to get caught. He kind of looks like a 14 year old that is about the shoplift.
If this is something that he does all the time he would hide it better (belt buckle, hat, hair, zipper etc) but this in no way means that he isn’t guilty here. Someone qualified should take a look and not leave it up to us biased fans.

I won’t say that I’m 100% certain that Rivera doesn’t cheat, but I’m pretty certain that he doesn’t do it by hocking a loogie two feet from the ball in front four umpires, 45,000 fans in attendance, and millions of people on TV.

if Rivera’s intent was to merely spit on the ground, then it would be odd that he stared right at the ball the intire time from the moment he looked down at the ball after looking up towards 2nd base (to see if the 2nd base ump was looking ??) He was holding the ball up, raised as if it were a target.

When people spit they will usually look in the direction they are spitting, to make sure it doesn’t land on their shoe etc. You’d turn or raise your head and then spit.

Even if the spit missed the ball here it looks very odd. And intent in this case would be just as bad as actually succeeding at it.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-rivera21-2009oct21,0,3118021.story

BS? Or the “truth”? Come on MLB, let’s see those “Extra angles and footage” that clear Mo’s name! :-D

No Spitball

So let’s all just move on and enjoy the games, shall we?

Just whack away at your pecker and juice that ball…The umps are already paid, don’t worry about the details just slap some cum on the leather sphere and strike out the side…save some for your finger so you can slide that fuckin’ ring on….that’s all that matters.