There was also speculation in the mid-'90s that baseball's powers-that-be livened up the ball to spark fan interest during a time of labor strife.

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It was a buried metal tube aimed along the irrigation ditch and loaded with explosives, bullets, ball-bearings and spark plugs.

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And although O'Brien was run out in the penultimate over, John Mooney was on hand to smash the first ball of the last over for four and spark delirious celebrations in the Ireland camp.

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