Toss It

I'm not sure when this started but have you noticed that every time a pitch hits the dirt, the ball is thrown out of the game?
Watch when a catcher short-hops a pitch. He turns and gives the ball to the umpire who tosses it aside.
Each inning, whichever player has the ball for the final out, he flips it into the stands instead of rolling it towards the mound.
We can't play games with a little dirt smudge on the baseball anymore? Are balls that brittle that when they hit the dirt they are no longer allowed to be used in a game?
One day, when there is a baseball shortage, we'll think back to the days of abundance when baseballs were tossed out of games so frivolously.