Yup, it’s true! But it has less to do with their desire to glam up, and more to give them an edge on the opposing team. One major role of the catcher on a baseball team is to communicate between the manager and the pitcher; a wise manager can let a catcher know that the guy up to bat can’t hit fast balls, so the catcher can slyly signal to the pitcher to throw a fast ball and strike the opponent out.
But when a catcher is standing all the way out on the mound, and especially if there’s fog or glare, it can be hard for him to see the exact hand signals the catcher is making. Is he holding up one finger? Two? ??
So what’s the solution? Add color to the catcher’s nails so they stand out! Frequently, the color white is used, and while some catchers use Wite-Out or white nail polish, others buy these white stickers specifically made for the purpose.
But if a catcher really wants to be seen, he might opt for a full fluorescent mani, as Yankees catcher Russell Martin has done unashamedly. He shared that he began, as others have done, with Wite-Out, but when pitchers were still having trouble seeing, he upgraded his digits to neon. Before a spring game, Martin Tweeted out this photo of his electrifying yellow tips with the hashtag “# magicfingers.”
Needless to say, the Yankees won that day.
[Image: Russell Martin via Twitter @russellmartin55]
