That is the strangest windup I've seen in a long time.... And yes. that should be illegal. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-mlb-seeking-new-ball-with-stickier-cover-so-it-can-enforce-foreign-substance-rule-162554693.html

 

Not so much a new rule... but a new ball.

 

 

MLB has commissioned Rawlings, its official manufacturer, to produce a ball with natural tack on the leather in hopes of eliminating the need for pine tar, sunscreen and rosin, or any other foreign substances whose use in recent years has blurred the legal-illegal line...