The Emery Board in Joe Niekro's Pocket

Joe Niekro flicked an emery board from his back pocket onto the grass as he turned his pockets inside out. The scene unfolded at Anaheim Stadium on August 3, 1987, during the Minnesota Twins' game against the California Angels. Home-plate umpire Tim Tschida had asked to see the baseball. Then he checked Niekro's glove and pockets.

Second-base umpire Steve Palermo came in and told Niekro to empty his pockets. The request turned the pitcher's clothing into evidence. Niekro was ejected from the game. What came out of the pocket was described as an emery board or nail file, a small object that made the inspection impossible to dismiss as a routine mound visit.

Sandpaper was also among the items associated with Niekro. Crew chief Dave Phillips said the piece was "contoured to fit a finger." The description gave the umpires an object shaped for contact with the ball, though it did not establish the precise manner in which any ball had been altered. The dispute now had objects, witnesses and a chain of custody.

By the fourth inning, the umpires had placed five balls thrown by Niekro into a clear plastic bag. The final ball he threw was added to the bag and handed to an Angels batboy for safekeeping. After the game, the league planned to ship the damaged balls to American League president Bobby Brown. The inspection had left the mound and entered Brown's office.

Niekro later said he carried an emery board and sandpaper in his back pockets during that period. He also told reporters that knuckleballs often hit the ground after they were thrown, offering an explanation for the balls' condition rather than for the objects removed from his clothing. His account did not erase the inspection; it put his own explanation beside the umpires' handling of the evidence.

On August 14, Niekro appeared on Late Night with David Letterman carrying a power sander and wearing a tool belt with nail-related items. The controversy had become television material. Brown's response remained fixed in the league record: he imposed a 10-game suspension on Niekro.