Richard Hyatt: MLB has tobacco in its sights

Nellie Fox was a miniature big leaguer who appeared to have a chronic case of the mumps.

It wasn't the mumps that made the Chicago White Sox second baseman's left cheek bulge. It was a plug of chewing tobacco that was apparently implanted at birth.

Fox didn't make headlines for his power, for in 19 seasons he hit only 35 home runs. But his addiction to smokeless tobacco made him a spokesman for the Favorite Tobacco Company. Even bubble gum cards showed him with a plug in his cheek.

His was an era of chewing and spitting, and players like Fox would never have imagined a stadium without tobacco. But it's coming. San Francisco has already banned it and Boston is considering an ordinance that would do the same.

Major League Baseball has ordered players not to have it in their mouths when they're being interviewed and not to keep a tin in the back pocket of their uniforms. Mayor Martin Walsh wants to ban it altogether at Fenway Park and Little League parks all over town.

"Kids shouldn't have to watch their role models using tobacco," Walsh announced at a news conference, joined by former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, a cancer survivor.

"This is about kids," Schilling said.

Smokeless tobacco is a leading cause of oral, pancreatic and esophageal cancer. It also leads to gum disease, tooth decay and mouth lesions, according to tobaccofreebaseball.com

Schilling will always be connected to Columbus Council member Glenn Davis. They were involved in a trade that baseball has never forgotten. Unlike the retired pitcher, Davis wasn't a user.

"I didn't chew," Davis said. "Never did. It didn't appeal to me, and it made me sick when I tried it once. But if baseball is going to do something about it, it has to start at the Major League level."

Policing it would be a challenge. Several years ago, the commissioner's office quietly sent Columbus resident Spec Richardson to minor league parks looking for guys who chewed. His efforts were useless.

Players who chewed have died from it, including Hall of Fame member Tony Gwynn. But players still dip and chew. If it was good enough for Nellie Fox, it's good enough for them.

The Players Association will have to deal with chewing now that city governments are getting involved. What comes next? Scratching?

-- Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. Reach him at hyatt31906@knology.net

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Richard Hyatt: MLB has tobacco in its sights ."