A Brief History Of Bad Ideas

The NBA has unveiled a new game ball with a microfiber outer shell that will replace the leather balls in use since 1946. Synthetic rocks are supposed to replicate the cowhide ones--but without wearing out. They're a tough sell, though: Players say they're too slick. Jazz forward Mehmet Okur mentioned it was "like catching an ice cube" and promised "about a million turnovers this year." Shaquille O'Neal (above) said it feels "like one of those cheap balls that you buy at the toy store." On Sunday, commissioner David Stern said he was ordering extensive tests on the ball and didn't rule out a return to leather. Is the new orb destined to go the way of these short-lived equipment innovations?

The glowing puck Introduced in 1996, it looked like a regular puck, but it had a chip inside that caused it to glow blue on Fox telecasts. Though it made the puck easier to see on TV, traditionalists wailed ("an embarrassment," said Barry Melrose). Fox dumped it in '98.

The spaghetti string tennis racket In 1977 in Aix-en-Provence, Ilie Nastase used a racket with strings that weren't interlaced, allowing him to put wicked spin on the ball. The ITF outlawed it, but the ban didn't go into effect until after the tournament. So Nastase (left) used it in the finals, to the dismay of Guillermo Vilas, who stormed off the court down two sets to love. That broke Vilas's record 50-match winning streak. "I didn't lose to a player, but against a racket," he said.

Orange baseballs Introduced by Charlie Finley (who else?) in 1973, the bright balls were said to be easier to see at night. Pitchers found them slick, and hitters said they couldn't pick up the spin because they couldn't see the seams. Even nonplayers were suspicious. Finley presented one to Henry Kissinger, who did not accept it until the Secret Service checked it out. They lasted one exhibition game.

Sensor baseballs In 1970 MLB experimented with a laser device placed behind the plate that would call balls and strikes. Alas, anything that went over the plate--including the glove of a wily catcher--resulted in a strike call. The inventors fixed that by placing a metal chip in the ball. But the balls cost $300 each and came with the request that they not be hit lest they break. The idea was quickly abandoned.

White footballs The bright balls were used by the NFL, and some colleges, for night games in the early 1950s. Proof that a white football just doesn't look like a real football: When former Giants G.M. George Young was a player at Bucknell, a teammate yelled "Fumble!" so Young, a lineman, dived on the first white thing he saw and refused to let go. It was a white Bucknell helmet. With a teammate's head in it. The NFL went all brown in '56.