Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the secret mud that changed baseball by David A Kelly Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez.978-0-7613- 8092-4

Can ‘mud’ be considered an “invention”? Lena Blackburne yearned to be a star baseball player. He tried playing just about all the positions: first, second, third, shortstop, pitcher and coach. He was not destined to be a great player. Instead he caught an off-the –cuff comment from an umpire about the sad condition of baseballs. New baseballs were too shiny and slick; old balls were too soggy and soft. He discovered “magic mud” near his home in New Jersey. He started selling it in 1938 and it is still being “farmed” today. Fascinating trivia for the true baseball buff.