Query: Was a gold ball really thrown out to start season?

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 6/28/2002 2:58:06 AM, douglas at NB.NET writes:

<<What exactly is meant by a gold ball? It's not likely to have been
> solid gold. >>

Well, gee, I think a solid gold baseball would be a little impractical, even
in California. I recall that the "mean pin-ball" that "that deaf, dumb, and
blind kid" played in the musical TOMMY were characterized as "silver ball,"
even though they were no doubt steel--I think it is quite common in English
to use the terms "silver" and "gold" to describe the color of objects,
without any necessary implication that the objects referred to are actually
made of the rare metal--or indeed, metal at all.