quote:Originally posted by Three Bagger:
.....there was ML player named Nellie Fox who is now in the Hall of Fame and was always photographed with a big chaw in his cheek.
Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who notched more than 3,100 hits during a Major League Baseball career spanning two decades, has died at age 54 following a battle with salivary gland cancer.
His battle with cancer began in 2009, when a malignant tumor was removed from his right cheek. Gwynn claimed the cancer in his salivary gland was the result of his longtime chewing tobacco habit.
Hall of Famer- dead at 54-
My son had a collegiate summer league game up in L.A. yesterday.He said that every player on his team was "dipping" except him.The team is mostly players who just finished their first college season, and a couple of recent HS grads like himself.I was surprised by this when he told me about it on the drive back to San Diego.Especially since all of the players on the team are from San Diego and well aware of what happened to Tony Gwynn..... Mr.Padre.
I'm happy that my son wanted no part of that ! However, I am disturbed by how popular "dipping" is among his teammates.It was a non issue on his HS team since he went to a strict all boy's HS that would not tolerate chewing tobacco etc.
Hopefully it's just a faze and these guys will see the light 
I do things to the extreme. In the 80's, I dipped for a few years in HS. Went to the lake and read a Readers Digest Article about a kid from my state who had his jaw removed. It said he was dipping heavily "a can every two days". I dipped a can a day. Had my last dip that night (32 years ago). sunflower seeds really helped. Gained 20 lbs in three months.....
So, I was perusing this thread even though I’m a dad, but couldn’t help but comment on this subject matter. I’m not naive to know kids don't experiment with tobacco etc. I was 16 years old too and tried chewing tobacco. Thankfully it was a very short phase.
However, being in the healthcare and oncology field specifically, I can tell you the worst treatment is for “Head and Neck” cancer. This cancer typically involves oral and nasal cavities, Surgery, radiation and chemo is the absolute worst. Ever had an ulcer with braces on your teeth or eating too much citrus? Imagine that x100! it’s nearly impossible to drink or eat because your mouth is ulcerated so bad from the chemo/rads, not to mention what your facial deformity might look like after surgery.
I could share stories of patients I’ve seen during and after surgery and therapy. I think you all get my point. If not, perform a quick search. Below, is the first that appeared for. Realistic in my opinion. If nothing else, know that girls like wintergreen GUM more so than Skoal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...y_life_and_education
I chewed/dipped for over 30 years, but it's been over 1.5 years since my last. Tony Gwynn, Jim Kelly, etc. scared the !@#$ out of me, and photos like that. Plus, going from $3/tin to over $10 here in CT helped my cheap-ass self quit.
My son started dipping early in college and it continued even where it was theoretically prohibited in proball. It's hard to withstand that peer pressure.
When he returned home, my wife made it a point to inform his dentist of the issue (we believed it was a major problem).
From that point on, every visit to the dentist involved the typical exam, with reading material (including graphic pictures) and ambiguous comments about possible "issues."
He stopped dipping except when around other players and ultimately stopped completely when he left the game.
I think he (and we) got lucky in getting him to stop.
