By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

TULLAHOMA, Tenn. — New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter recently entered the record book with the 3,000th base hit of his career. He can partially thank a cow from Ohio or Pennsylvania and a company from Tennessee for his accomplishment.

An estimated 700,000 official Major League baseballs are made each year from Holstein hides that come from Ohio and Pennsylvania. These hides eventually make their way to the Tennessee Tanning Co. in Tullahoma. “We started tanning horsehide for Major League baseballs back in 1961,” said Mike York, Tennessee Tanning general manager. “But because of a shortage of horsehide, they started using cowhide in 1974.
“We get most of our hide from Ohio and Pennsylvania, but we do use hides that come from across the country, but mostly from Ohio and Pennsylvania. We try to get most of our hide from those two northern states.”

The baseball’s outer cover is made of Number One Grade, alum-tanned full-grained cowhide, primarily from Midwest Holstein cattle. Midwest Holsteins are preferred because their hides have a better train and are cleaner and smoother than those of cattle in other areas of the United States.

Semi-trucks loaded with black-and-white hides from Holstein milking cows from Ohio and Pennsylvania arrive at Tennessee Tanning Co. The hides are split with a butcher’s knife, then lifted into spinning drums where hair, fat and muscle tissue are removed.

A concoction of chemicals bleaches the hides a shiny white. After drying for two days in 100-degree heat, hides are shaved to precise Major League Baseball specifications. Eventually, the balls are hand-stitched together with 88 inches of waxed red thread.
The cowhides for the cover are checked for 17 different defects, such as stretch marks, tick bites, barbwire marks and more. The leather is tested for tensile strength. After this inspection the hides are sent to the Tennessee Tanning factory in Tullahoma.
The product is then shipped to Costa Rica, where it is united with fibers from Ludlow, Vermont and cork spheres scaled in rubber from Batesville, Miss.

“We’re proud to play a part in the game of Major League Baseball with our hides,” said York, whose company also produces the lace used in Rawlings baseball gloves. “As long as there is Major League baseball we’ll be in existence.”

The Major League balls are assembled in Costa Rica. The low-end balls are manufactured at the Rawlings plant in China. Baseballs are made to be the same size and weight. All are roughly nine inches in circumference and all contain a small inner cork ball that is covered with rubber.

Fifty-three yards of four-ply, blue-gray wool yard and 150 yards of fine, white polyester yarn are added. Wool is used as the primary material for the baseball’s windings because its natural resiliency and “memory” allow it to compress when pressure is applied, then rapidly return to its original shape.

Next comes the cowhide, and that’s where Holsteins and Tennessee Tanning come in. Tennessee Tanning employs 50 at its plant, which is roughly 75 miles southeast of Nashville. It was first called Appalachian Tanning Co. and the company started tanning sheepskin and horsehides for leather jackets. In 1963 it changed its name to Tennessee Tanning Co. “We’re owned by Jarden Corpor-ation, our parent company,” York said. “Jarden also owns Rawlings Sporting Goods, and Rawlings is the official baseball for Major League Baseball.”

According to those at Tennessee Tanning, Midwestern hides are better quality than those coming from the Southeast or Southwest; they say Midwest cows are grazed under better pasture conditions. The heat in the other two regions make their hides tougher.