He’s Baseball’s Only Mud Supplier. It’s a Job He May Soon Lose.

Bintliff, 65, served in the Navy and worked for decades as a printing-press operator, but the mystical mud remained a constant in his life. Even now, he sees himself as he was in 1965, a rail-thin boy loading pails of freshly collected mud into the back of his grandfather’s Chevy Impala.

Over the years, Bintliff and his wife, Joanne, who handles the administrative work, have tinkered with the business model. For example, he used to harvest mud once or twice a year. But expanding their market to scholastic and professional football teams — including more than a few in the National Football League — has required monthly returns to the riverbank.

The fundamental work, though, remains the same, with timing dependent on the tide.

Bintliff will drive his Chevy Silverado pickup 70 miles or so to the secret spot and walk 50 yards through woods. Along with his shovel and buckets, he will have a machete for any overgrowth and a few fibs for any inquisitors. The mud does miracles for his garden, he might say.

Then back to his Jersey Shore home. The drive takes longer than the harvest.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/sports/baseball/baseball-mud-supplier.html