Senators Push For Major League Tobacco Ban

A group of US Senators led by Dick Durbin of Illinois is pressing the Major League Baseball Players Association to ban smokeless tobacco in the big leagues. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is already on board with the movement, but says a ban would have to be agreed upon this offseason in the next labor deal.

The Senators are concerned that kids watching their baseball heroes play this week in the World Series will also see players dipping or chewing. This wouldn't have been an issue a few years ago, before the Series' start times were moved up in 2009 in an effort to allow young fans to actually watch some of the games. But now with 8:05 start times, and with the popularity of the DVR, kids will get to see baseball's good side and also its not so good. So what's new?