Chewing tobacco fell out of favor around 1880 with the automated mass production of cigarettes reducing their price by 1/2 half and giving its customers ready access. Research the rate of lung diseases, especially lung cancers and you will find that it tracks really nicely with the automated mass produced cigarette. Better still track the incidence of lung diseases in women who became tobacco 'liberated' in the 20's. They were keeping better records by then and the incidence of lung disease neatly follows the uptake and consumption of cigarettes by the ladies. It is time for tobacco products in all forms to be ushered into extinction. Society needs to apply the hard lessons it has learned about tobacco. We know better now so now lets start being smarter.

Curse you, freedom! You've foiled my benevolent vision for humanity yet again!

I'm with you, Scooter'd. Let's just allow that to be a personal choice to usher tobacco into extinction as much as possible. We live in a democracy still I think.

We have to stop taking Mother Nature's and Darwin's laws out of play. Let there be cigarettes (out of public places, etc.) and let there be alcohol (with limitations), remove the seat belt rules and let McBurger's do their worst. This way we strengthen the gene pool at the same time as we promote freedom of choice. Win-win!

Seriously though, I love baseball. I was brought up playing it from the time I could catch a ball with my teeth, eye, head, etc. Eventually I got the hang of it.

I don't watch much during the regular season anymore. Too long and I don't have that kind of time. But I do watch the end of the season and playoffs. I'm astounded at all that damn spitting. It all but turns my stomach. If they could eliminate that aspect and speed up the game some, they might get back a bigger fan base - along with keeping players on the same team for more than one or two years.

Of course all this begs the question: what did these tobacco chewing guys do with their brains? It doesn't take a burger flipper, let alone a rocket surgeon, to know what chewing will do to your mouth, gums, throat over time. They set a very poor example for a lot of kids who look up to them.