Lena Blackburne
1886–1968 (age 82)
Baseball equipment preparer
Biography
Lena Blackburne spent a decade on major league rosters before turning his attention to the very fabric of the game; his research into a soft, clean mud produced the now-famous rubbing mud that helped pitchers control the ball and became a tradition in spring training.
He ran his family business with humility, passing the recipe down as teams across leagues came to rely on the consistent grip it afforded, and fans remember him fondly at Morgan Cemetery.