Baseball and Spitting

Hearings are underway in Washington D-C concerning the increasing use of chewing tobacco among teen boys.  Health experts say smokeless tobacco can cause various cancers in the mouth, throat and esophagus.  Among the reasons given for the higher teen use are more smoking restrictions and the influence of baseball players, many of whom continue to use "a pinch between the cheek and gum" during major league games.  Chewing tobacco has been banned in minor league ball since 1993, but the Major League Players Association is fighting efforts to ban smokeless tobacco in the big leagues.  A recent survey showed about 33 percent of major league players still use smokeless tobacco.  Besides being bad for your health, chewing tobacco also results in almost constant spitting.  Even those who don't use "chew" seem to have acquired the disgusting habit of spitting every few seconds.  As kids try to copy their favorite players, spitting soon joins the other, more important, skills needed to play the game.  I would hate to be on dugout clean-up duty after ball games at any level from T-Ball to the Majors.