Magicians don’t share secrets, so of course Matt Litzsinger won’t give away his process, but he will tell you the ingredients. A football, hot water, a brush shaped like a whiteboard eraser, a small white towel, and a good chunk of mud. Others have gone wild trying to recreate Litzsinger’s wizardry. They’ve used coffee grinds. Machine dryers. Shoes. You name it. And by now they know not to ask Smack—that’s how Litzsinger introduces himself—for advice. Have you considered using bubble gum? he’ll reply, grinning.
Wilson Sporting Goods won’t share its secrets either, which is why Litzsinger, a former Rams groundscrewman who now works for the team from home, has been engaged in a decade-long battle of guess-and-check with the company’s products.