Pro baseball helmet residue?

Question

What is the residue on top of a lot of helmets i see in the MLB. For instance Manny Ramirez's helmet looks tarred up, old and dirty while other helmets look new and clean.

Answer 1

A lot of players use pine tar on the bat handle for a better grip. During the at bat a batter, whose hands are in contact with the tar, adjust their helmet thus putting pine tar on it. Due to superstitions, some players won't change their socks or clean their helmet. Manny Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero are two examples of this look on the helmet.

Answer 2

Players put pine tar on their bats, then when they touch their helmet it gets on there too.

Some players don't use pine tar, which is why their helmets look new and clean.

Other players will put pine tar on the handle of their bat (above where they grip it) or on their helmet. Then they touch the spot with lots of pine tar to get their hand nice and sticky. They don't apply it to the grip of the bat, they just "store" it somewhere so they can get it on their hands while their in the batters box.

Answer 3

I hated how Manny Does that

who knows what the REALLY is...