Beanster:

Is there another human activity where standing around wearing a cup is normal?

That is one magic loogie. There must be a second spitter. Probably Roger McDowell behind the bushes on the gravelly road.

@Craig, re the Baseball Reference description of the two types of spitballs.  Mariano surely does not use the second kind of spitball.  Lubricating the fingers to release what looks like a fastball but doesn’t spin as hard or get the extra several mph of oomph from the fingertips snapping basically produces a low-rotation splitter/changeup type of pitch.  Mariano doesn’t throw such a pitch and hasn’t in all the pitches that were recorded by PITCHf/x in 2008 and 2009.

The other type of spitball (glob of spit on the side of the ball to make the pitch break in that direction) might produce more of a cutter action, in line with Mariano’s actual stuff.  However, the simpler explanation is that his unique grip on the ball is sufficient to explain the movement on his cutter.  He grips the ball a little off center like most pitchers do with their cutter, but the way he’s got his fingers on the seam and the snap he gets from that is what gives his cutter such spin.  You can see pictures here:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/what-should-we-call-riveras-other-fastball/

I don’t think we need to resort to spitballs as an explanation for his stuff.  His stuff is good; his command of it is better.  It adds up to an outstanding pitcher.

1.) Spitting on a ball is not the way you throw a spit ball; you use petroleum jelly… spit isn’t strong enough to actually make an impact on the movement of the pitch.
2.) There were 3 umpires and a full stadium watching him at the time, and we are supposed to believe everybody just happened to miss Mo hocking on the ball?
3.) Photographs from the moment prove that Mo did in fact spit, but his spit traveled past the baseball, to the mound.

The only reason anybody is even talking about this stuff is because Angels fans are upset, people generally dislike the Yankees, and people envy Mo.

The reason people are posting is because it’s true, open your eyes, this is not film manipulation.
Stop thinking the world is against the Yankees,it’s not, they’re the most popular team, i know i was on the team in the 50’s/60’s, at least none of my teammates weren’t swapping spit like Derek & ARod back then.