Enough snuff: Cities try to rid MLB of smokeless tobacco

teens.drugabuse.govI was in eighth grade the first time a teammate offered me chewing tobacco.

Like so many kids across the country, I first became aware of the stuff on a baseball field. Just 13 years old at the time, I passed on what I am sure my teammate thought was a harmless offer. As the years went by and I continued to play, I would always pass on the offer, yet the number of people dipping around me continued to grow. By the time I was done with high school ball, I was one of just a few players to have never spit.

I always asked teammates why they dipped. To me, habitually putting a pinch of tobacco in your mouth was equivalent to asking for a tumor. While some guys liked the buzz or…