Chew and Dip

As an umpire; it is an automatic ejection if a player/coach has any kind of tobacco product. It would go into an ejection report and then the "shi-t would hit the fan."

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The only problem we've ever had with it is some bad breath and the eventual tooting in the dug out!






Seriously...I know from other people's experience that the habit is extemely hard to break.

And it's unattractive to those around the user.




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It is a huge health hazard and dang near impossible to quit. Just ask Tony Gwynn. Every one of my coworkers dipped and none of them could quit. So what did I do......I bought them all gift certificates to the local Smoker Friendly store as a retirement gift from me.

That should sum up the contradiction nicely. BTW as a high school player you'd be better off committing a burglary than getting caught with dip in your mouth or a can in your pocket. Another contradiction. I think it is a personal matter....nobody else is going to have to go through the surgery or take the chemotherapy for you.

My son and a number of his HS teammates were chewing/dipping last season. I knew of a few of his friends that chewed openly and didn't hide it, but I had no idea my kid was one of them. If it wasn't for his sister blowing the whistle, I would have never known? Tony Gwynn's battle has brought the issue back to the forefront, especially here in So Cal.

I'm pretty sure my son quit chewing...but you just never know? He knows how my wife and I feel about it and the potential harm to his body...so I'm hoping for the best!

When I went to high school (1900s) students were allowed to smoke. Anybody- 9th grade, 12th grade- just not at the front doors so visitors didn't see them.

I don't care if somebody chews. I think the spitting part is pretty gross. Nothing like unwittingly picking up a ball that just rolled through a big Red Man loogie.

I don't understand MLB's rail against tobacco, while they promote beer before, during and after every game. Nobody wraps their car around a pole after chewing tobacco.

The fiber particles in the dip send it faster to the blood stream and is highly addictive, quickly.

The incidence of oral cancer is more prominent than ever. Just like people quitting smoking, more and more players are discontinuing the use of dip/chew and being encouraged byt their employers to do so.

My son began dip in his last year in HS. He promised he would stop when we found out, but he never did. Once he left home it was out of our control.

7 years later he is not using, I think that he actually had to use a nicotine alternative to quit.

I agree. Tobacco is not a healthy habit, but why does baseball ignore the elephant in the room? I'd bet many more kids drink beer than chew tobacco.

It is very rare to see it here.

When we train with our travel organization though, almost every trainer has played college ball in the US and they almost all do it.

It will certainly be a talk if and when my son goes. He's pretty grossed out now but, you never know how the peer pressure could change things.

Aren't dip and chew against FED rules? It's covered at our games by schools being tobacco free zones. Parents can't even smoke in the parking lot.

I chewed a while in college until I made a fence crashing catch. When my back hit the fence flush I swallowed. That was it for that day. It's as sick as I've ever been.

A teammate got in a collision with the catcher when I was on deck. He laid at the plate after the collision. I asked him if he broke something. He responded, "I swallowed the #$%@." He never chewed again.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:

My son began dip in his last year in HS. He promised he would stop when we found out, but he never did. Once he left home it was out of our control.

7 years later he is not using, I think that he actually had to use a nicotine alternative to quit.

TPM,

That's what concerns me, but like you said, when my son moves off to college in a few months it will be out of my hands. Hopefully I've done a decent job raising him?

I talked about this in another chewing tobacco thread about a year ago. I tried different chew/snuff back in my college days, but I never picked up much of a taste for it. I had two teammates/roommates that chewed. You had to be Very Careful to check what you were drinking in our apartment, because once a can or bottled drink was consumed, it became a Spittoon...And the wrong can/bottle was picked up many times!

I also shared this story: I was charting pitches my Freshman year, and one of my teammates talked me into trying RedMan. I was kicking back innocently doing my job charting pitches and chomping on RedMan when the opposing pitcher hit our cleanup hitter. Of course, he decided to charge the mound and an old fashioned baseball brawl followed. I participated and did my part, but swallowed some of the chew, got dizzy, and spent a few minutes behind our dugout getting sick. I believe that was the last time I tried it? It's very addictive and to this day I have friends that can't kick the habit.

The only thing that you can do is provide them with the education to understand what the risks are for those things that they ARE going to do when they leave home, which will inlcude this topic and drinking.
I really think that most ML teams really frown upon their players having dip in their mouth (it's obvious) and being seen on national TV, bubble gum and seeds in high demand. These things also provide hours of entertainment when not in the game, biggest bubbles and who can spit the seed the farthest.

The culture and awareness has changed.... however they do still spit.

A terrible thing to begin doing and very addictive. I started dipping in the early 80's in college. Somehow I didn't spit, which probably made the long term medical effects even worse.

Ten years later I was still doing it. It didn't seem to be working to well showing up at customers place of business with a "fatty." Finally just stopped cold turkey, but a very difficult thing to quit. Please, never start.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
Aren't dip and chew against FED rules? It's covered at our games by schools being tobacco free zones. Parents can't even smoke in the parking lot.

Absolutely is prohibited in NFHS/NCAA rules.

NFHS 3-3-1: Team personnel shall note use tobacco or tobacco like products within the confines of the field. The penalty is ejection.

also:

It is unacceptable for individuals to pretend or appear to be using a tobacco-like product...such individuals shall be ejected (3.3.1ff)

A coach using tobacco outside the confines of the field is not within the jurisdiction of the umpire.

A coach on the field with a tin of smokeless tobacco must rid himself of the product (3.3.1ee)

Umpires are prohibited from using tobacco or any tobacco-like product in the vicinity of the field. (10-1-8)

NCAA

NCAA umpires are instructed to have zero tolerance for tobacco. Student athletes and game personnel (coaches,umpires, trainers) may not use tobacco during practice or competition (3-11)

Penalty is ejection of the offender as well as the head coach. Jurisdiction begins when the umpires arrive ont he field or in the the dugout in uniform.

OBR...

Only the minor leagues have prohibited the use of tobacco products by players, coaches and umpires.

And we also have schools that are total "smoke free zones"....which means the entire property for all participants and fans...

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"Parents can't even smoke in the parking lot."

Smoke? No. Fume? Yes.




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quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
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"Parents can't even smoke in the parking lot."

Smoke? No. Fume? Yes.




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We have plenty of fuming going on at our games. I'll explain when the season is over.

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In the Heat of the Night!





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quote:

Originally posted by birdman14:
A terrible thing to begin doing and very addictive. I started dipping in the early 80's in college. Somehow I didn't spit, which probably made the long term medical effects even worse.

Ten years later I was still doing it. It didn't seem to be working to well showing up at customers place of business with a "fatty." Finally just stopped cold turkey, but a very difficult thing to quit. Please, never start.

So you had your fun and now you want to go to the pulpit and preach? Full disclosure. Have never chawed or smoked.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark B:

quote:

Originally posted by birdman14:
A terrible thing to begin doing and very addictive. I started dipping in the early 80's in college. Somehow I didn't spit, which probably made the long term medical effects even worse.

Ten years later I was still doing it. It didn't seem to be working to well showing up at customers place of business with a "fatty." Finally just stopped cold turkey, but a very difficult thing to quit. Please, never start.

So you had your fun and now you want to go to the pulpit and preach? Full disclosure. Have never chawed or smoked.

I definitely DO want to preach. Why have someone in their teens repeat a mistake I made when I was that age? Glad YOU never started. You must be a smarter person then me. God bless you from the pulpit.

If those who have made mistakes in their life weren't allowed to preach then I doubt many lessons would ever be learned.

As someone who has never taken up dip or chew I say keep on preaching birdman.