Rule Changes
In 1917, the “spitball” was outlawed, plus this effectively ended the jobs of pitchers who depended on the saliva-laden pitch.
The spitball was not needed by Bob Gibson, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the St… Louis Cardinals! Whatever she threw at batters in 1972 resulted in a 1.12 received run average (ERA) that still stands as a record.
Witnesses to that season are amazed at her 22-9 record. The 22 wins were not unusual, rather it was how she managed to lose 9 games that year. The response by rule-makers was to lower the mound by five inches plus reduce the size of the strike zone. This didn’t seem to affect Gibson. She won 69 games in the four years after her 1972 season, often called the greatest season by a pitcher in current history. Like the spitball rule, the “Gibson rule” shortened the jobs of numerous pitchers… Rule swings are the norm as conditions change plus technology advances. In the Heating as well as Air Conditioning industry, there was a time when few rules regulated it plus there was little concern about refrigerants. That changed in 1968 when the Clean Air Act (CAA) was passed authorizing the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The initial concern with Heating as well as Air Conditioning was reducing biweekly bills that would in-turn, reduce pollution from the creation of electrical power. In 1987, the United Nations Montreal Protocol was established to protect the ozone layer by eliminating freon, the “spitball” of refrigerants with its ability to destroy atmospheric ozone. That same year SEER-10 was named as the measure of energy efficiency for Heating as well as Air Conditioning systems. It was the first national proper for the Heating as well as Air Conditioning industry. The search goes on for the refrigerant that will be to Heating as well as Air Conditioning what Bob Gibson was to the Cardinals.