{"id":2399,"date":"2014-08-24T20:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-08-24T20:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2014-10-27T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T19:30:00","slug":"boston-herald-columnist-calls-for-banning-chewing-tobacco-in-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=2399","title":{"rendered":"Boston Herald columnist calls for banning chewing tobacco in baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"300schilling\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Boston Herald columnist Michael Silverman <\/a>wrote a powerful column this week that it’s time for Major League Baseball to ban chewing tobacco.<\/p>\n

This is hitting home in Boston right now because former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who helped the Sox win two World Series, recently revealed that he is battling a serious form of oral cancer — cancer he blames on his 30-year chewing habit. Schilling’s cancer and Tony Gwynn’s (another chewer) death this summer from salivary gland cancer have put chewing tobacco in baseball front and centre.<\/p>\n

Schilling actually did quit chew for a while, but after a year-and-a-half the power of nicotine won and he started dipping again. From Silverman’s column:<\/p>\n

“None of it [lectures] was enough to ever make me quit,\u2019\u2019 Schilling said. \u201cThe pain that I was in going through this treatment, the second or third day, it was the only thing in my life that I wish I could go back and never have dipped.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Actually, MLB does want to ban chewing tobacco. Cigarettes are banned in the clubhouse and dugouts. Chew is banned (on the field, mind you) in minor league baseball and in college, but MLB can’t ban it because the Player’s Association won’t allow it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Silverman writes:<\/p>\n

If only the players and Major League Baseball could see that they are dead wrong when it comes to how they rationalize and allow the use of smokeless tobacco rather than eliminating the addictive and cancer-causing substance.<\/p>\n

Anyone who heard the higher timbre in the 47-year-old voice of Curt Schilling on WEEI radio and on NESN for the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon as he spoke for the first time about his battle with mouth cancer yesterday, or anyone still grieving the loss of 54-year-old Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn in June to a similar cancer, received a chilling reminder that, incredibly, tobacco still has a place in baseball.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Silverman further writes:<\/p>\n

Schilling didn\u2019t need an ashtray at Fenway when he played since smoking tobacco had long been banned.<\/p>\n

But chewing tobacco?<\/p>\n

Oh no, you must understand: That\u2019s totally different. Smoking tobacco\u2019s bad. Chewing the stuff? Well, players in Schilling\u2019s era and players in today\u2019s game can chew all they want. Just don\u2019t let anyone see the telltale circular bulge of a can of snuff in your back pocket, try not to pause in the middle of an interview to spit out the juice and by all means, don\u2019t ask a clubbie to head down to the local convenience store to stock up.<\/p>\n

No, MLB forbids and frowns on all of that.<\/p>\n

But otherwise, go right ahead: Kill yourself if you want to.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s your right.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And finally, Silverman concludes:<\/p>\n

Baseball survived when smoking was banned from the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

Banning smokeless tobacco won\u2019t kill it, either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boston Herald columnist Michael Silverman wrote a powerful column this week that it’s time for Major League Baseball to ban chewing tobacco. This is hitting home in Boston right now because former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who helped the Sox win two World Series, recently revealed that he is battling a serious form of … Continue reading Boston Herald columnist calls for banning chewing tobacco in baseball<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[263,14,326,316],"tags":[272,108,674,669],"class_list":["post-2399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chew-in-baseball","category-chewing-tobacco","category-curt-schilling","category-tony-gwynn","tag-chew-in-baseball-2","tag-chewing-tobacco-2","tag-curt-schilling","tag-tony-gwynn"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/schilling777887.r.jpg?fit=460%2C385&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4hpEa-CH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2386,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=2386","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":0},"title":"Curt Schilling reveals he has oral cancer, blames chewing tobacco","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"August 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey, back for an update after a long break. Another baseball, chewing tobacco bombshell: Former Red Sox, Diamondback and Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling revealed yesterday that he is battling oral cancer, and he directly blames his years of chewing tobacco while playing baseball. \"I do believe, without a doubt, unquestionably\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chew in baseball"","block_context":{"text":"Chew in baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=263"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/curt-schilling.jpg?fit=620%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/curt-schilling.jpg?fit=620%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/curt-schilling.jpg?fit=620%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3424,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3424","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":1},"title":"Boston mayor proposes ban on chewing tobacco at Fenway Park, other ballfields","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"August 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, right on the heels of my story about the New York Times writing about San Francisco's ban on ballpark chewing tobacco, the major of Boston, Martin Walsh, is now proposing a similar ban on chewing tobacco at Boston parks and ballfields, which include Fenway Park. Walsh said he is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chew in baseball"","block_context":{"text":"Chew in baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=263"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Fenway_from_Legends_Box.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Fenway_from_Legends_Box.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Fenway_from_Legends_Box.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Fenway_from_Legends_Box.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Fenway_from_Legends_Box.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3693,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3693","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":2},"title":"Los Angeles bans chewing tobacco at ballparks, including Dodger Stadium","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"January 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Professor Farnsworth says, Big news, everyone! The city of Los Angeles, the second biggest city in the country, just banned chewing tobacco at all athletic venues. This includes Dodger Stadium. And this includes ballplayers ... on the field. L.A. is the third major city to ban chewing tobacco at ballparks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chew in baseball"","block_context":{"text":"Chew in baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=263"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Dodger-Stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Dodger-Stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Dodger-Stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Dodger-Stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Dodger-Stadium.jpg?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3231,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3231","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":3},"title":"Madison Bumgarner, Bruce Bochy both support ban on chewing tobacco at AT&T Park","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"May 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Surprised me a bit that these two would step into this issue, but I thought it was great. The city of San Francisco banned chewing tobacco recently at all sporting venues (It won't actually take effect until Jan. 1, 2016), including at the Giants' stadium, AT&T Park. This means that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chew in baseball"","block_context":{"text":"Chew in baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=263"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bumgarner-Bochy.jpg?fit=1200%2C454&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bumgarner-Bochy.jpg?fit=1200%2C454&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bumgarner-Bochy.jpg?fit=1200%2C454&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bumgarner-Bochy.jpg?fit=1200%2C454&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bumgarner-Bochy.jpg?fit=1200%2C454&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3362,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3362","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":4},"title":"L.A. Times: Chew is deeply ingrained in the culture of baseball","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"June 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a great story from the L.A. Times exploring the culture of chewing tobacco in baseball. San Francisco recently banned chewing tobacco at all ballparks, including AT&T (to take effect next year), while both the city of L.A. and the state of California are considering similar bans. The issue of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "baseball"","block_context":{"text":"baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Mark-derosa.jpg?fit=575%2C328&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Mark-derosa.jpg?fit=575%2C328&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Mark-derosa.jpg?fit=575%2C328&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3983,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3983","url_meta":{"origin":2399,"position":5},"title":"MLB, union agree to phase in ban on chewing tobacco","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"December 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As expected, Major League Baseball and the Player's Association agreed to a ban on chewing tobacco in baseball, though it's a bit of a wishy-washy ban because it only applies to incoming players. Basically, they're going to phase it in. This means expect to see chew around on the baseball\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chew in baseball"","block_context":{"text":"Chew in baseball","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=263"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/GetFile.aspx_.jpg?fit=600%2C462&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/GetFile.aspx_.jpg?fit=600%2C462&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/GetFile.aspx_.jpg?fit=600%2C462&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions\/2569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}