By Scott L. Greenberg
A couple of U.S. senators want Major League Baseball to ditch the dip.
- Tampa Bay Rays’ Willy Aybar spits tobacco juice during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote a letter to Bud Selig, the baseball commissioner, telling him it’s time to ban smokeless tobacco in professional baseball. MLB, they wrote, was “undoubtedly complicit” in drawing youth to smokeless tobacco.
“It has been 28 years since the MLB ended tobacco use in its minor leagues, and it is time to extend that policy throughout MLB’s venues and events,” Messrs. Lautenberg and Durbin wrote.
The two aren’t looking for a snap decision but instead asked Mr. Selig to bring up the matter in collective bargaining negotiations this coming December. Christina Mulka, a spokeswoman for Sen. Durbin, said there were no plans for legislation prohibiting smokeless tobacco use in baseball.
MLB appeared to be chewing on the idea; it had no immediate response. Then again, it didn’t have much of a reaction when Rep. Henry Waxman of California and other Democratic House members made a similar request last spring.
(Update: Rob Manfred, the MLB’s executive vice president of labor relations, said the Major League Baseball wants to do away with dip. “Smokeless tobacco remains a significant concern to Major League Baseball,” he said in a statement. “It is banned in the Minor Leagues, a policy that we strive to reach with our Major League program.” The players association had no immediate comment.)
In the letter to Mr. Selig, Messrs. Durbin and Lautenberg cited the Center for Disease Control and Protection’s National Youth Risk Behavior Survey which found that 15% of high school boys use smokeless tobacco.
“There are millions of kids around the country watching and these kids are running the risk of emulating their sports stars by using tobacco products that are harmful to them,” Ms. Mulka told Washington Wire.
But by all means, keep the steroids.
The problems in this country mount and these two idiots have nothing better to spend their energy on.
People above, I meant. Oops.
It is kind of amusing how hard some of the people below find reading.
Let’s try to make it easier for them:
“Christina Mulka, a spokeswoman for Sen. Durbin, said there were no plans for legislation prohibiting smokeless tobacco use in baseball.”
There is also, of course, the typical false dichotomy failure of logic. Most people, including politicians (as far from people as they may be) are quite capable of working on multiple projects at the same time.
Middle East exploding! Debt up to our whats-it! And thise meddling clowns want to ban a legal substance. Pontificate, you socialists, if you want, but do you have no right to tell anyone how to live. GET OUT OF MY LIFE!