Posted on 05/10/2015 2:39:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
One California city is trying to make it happen
On the day “Mr. Padre” Tony Gwynn should be celebrating his 55th birthday, I was thinking of the best way to pay tribute to the greatest sports figure our city has called our own. While it won’t happen today, I think the best thing we can do in his memory is make sure his death teaches us a lesson and ban tobacco in Major League Baseball.
Gwynn passed away June 16, 2014 from salivary gland cancer he believes was the result of being a longtime tobacco chewer. Gwynn began his cancer battle in 2009 when he had a malignant tumor removed from his right cheek. His cancer returned twice and towards the end of 2012 Gwynn began radiation treatment to try and shrink the tumor.
Throughout the difficult times Mr. Padre fought and fought. Now it’s our turn to see a change and San Francisco is leading the way. On May 8th the city by the bay became the first U.S. city to ban smokeless tobacco at sporting venues. The ordinance goes into effect January 1, 2016 and includes AT&T Park; home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.
"It's a step in the right direction," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who was a team mate of Gwynn's and managed him with the Padres. Bochy has chewed tobacco on and off for decades but quit at one point with help from a hypnotist.
"It's a tough deal for some of these players who have grown up playing with it and there are so many triggers in the game," Bochy added. "I certainly don't endorse it. With my two sons, the one thing I asked them is don't ever start dipping."
Major League Baseball has banned chewing tobacco at the minor league level but run in to resistance from the MLB Players Association. Anti-smoking groups who support the measure say it sends the right message to kids who see baseball players as role models.
We wa to know what you think about this. Would you like to see San Diego follow suit and adopt a ban on tobacco at sporting venues? Or do you think it infringes on people's personal rights?
Time for some gubmint intervention is it? Bad example for kids, blah, blah, blah. Freedom to choose what you want to do? Who needs that?
Use Swedish snus. Nobody will ever know.
Wow. Someone did something that made themselves sick and eventually die. Choices are a b!t<h. You can die if you make the wrong choices. But your gonna die anyway. So mind your own business and let people make their own choices
I watched the Rangers (boo) beat the Rays today, and I noticed that Shin-Soo doesn’t Choo
It will never happen. Government gets to much tax money from tobacco. They want kids to smoke.
Shhhhhhhhh!
Many of the big-leaguers use bubble gum.
It is kind of silly to watch them at the plate, waiting for a pitch, and blowing a big bubble.
Bravo SF. BRAVO.
I’ve been on many a FReep in, SF and I disdain the culture, liberalism, degenercy and very fabric of the city...however, they made the right call on this. Even a broken clock gets it right.
Never thought I would cheer what the wacadoo left did.
In addition to a complete ban on chew for minor-leaguers, MLB has bans on visible containers and packaging, and use at official (off-field) team functions, and at player interviews and appearances. Not much left besides adding to the list of banned substances and testing.
Here's a dirty little secret you won't hear from insurance actuaries: People who smoke die sooner and thus have lower lifetime health costs than those who don't.
For all the Drug Warriors, here is the fruit of your efforts: they eventually go after the most deadly drug.
Fascists always have a glib defense for their repression of others.
You mean they'll start passing out smokes and chew for free? COOL!
/sarc
Considering that chewing tobacco has caused way too much mouth-related diseases, the answer is yes. And I think it will happen with the next collective bargaining agreement.
My Mother put out her cigarette as they put her on the gurney to put her in the ambulance. That was Wednesday. On Friday they told her she had stage 4 lung cancer. She asked to go out for a smoke, they gave her a patch. She died on Monday. Almost no medical expenses.
I’m so sorry.
Will they go HGH, steroid, and caffeine free?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.