<P> Pine tar can be used for preserving wooden boats (and other wood which will be exposed to the elements) by using a mixture of pine tar, gum turpentine and boiled linseed oil . First, a thin coat is applied using a mixture with a greater proportion of turpentine . This allows it to permeate deeper into the oakum and fibre of the wood and lets the tar seep into any pinholes and larger gaps that might be in the planks . The tar weeps out to the exterior and indicates where the boat needs the most attention . Having the solution in place and the repairs complete, the vessel is ready for the thicker standard mix . Pine tar is also efficacious for properly saturating lead or standard oakum so that the endurance of the sealing capacity is optimal . Such treatments, while effective, must be continually reapplied . </P> <P> Traditionally, hemp and other natural fibers were the norm for rope production . Such rope would quickly rot when exposed to rain, and was typically tarred to preserve it . The tar would stain the hands of ship's crews, and British Navy seamen became known as "tars ." </P> <P> In baseball, pine tar is applied to the handles of baseball bats . Because of its texture, pine tar improves a batter's grip on the bat and prevents the bat from slipping out of the batter's hands during hard swings . It also helps hitters, because they do not have to grip the bat as hard and thus the hitter gets more "pop ." </P> <P> Rule 1.10 (c) of the 2002 Official rules of Major League Baseball states that batters may apply pine tar only from the handle of the bat extending up 18 inches . The most famous example of the rule being applied is the Pine Tar Game, the July 24, 1983 game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees in which George Brett hit a home run to put the Royals ahead 5--4 . Yankees manager Billy Martin immediately protested that Brett's bat had more than 18 inches of pine tar . The umpires called Brett out and nullified the home run . However, league president Lee MacPhail overruled the umpires . MacPhail said that the pine tar restriction wasn't about competitive advantage, but economics . If too much pine tar was on the bat, pine tar would end up on the ball and render it unusable for play . MacPhail said that the umpires shouldn't have taken the home run off the board, but simply discarded the bat . The game was resumed from the point of the home run, and the Royals won . </P>

Why do players put pine tar on bats
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