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Oct. 24, 2006 An incident in the ongoing World Series presents the latest illustration of the power of the media and its ability to heavily influence the public focus which, in turn, helps frame public opinion accordingly. During the first inning of Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, the FOX Network cameras spotted a dark spot on the pitching hand of Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers. The tech heads in the network trucks studied the video and concluded that Rogers was likely using an illegal substance to doctor his pitches. For baseball neophytes, it is against Major League rules for pitchers to use a "foreign substance" on baseballs, which ostensibly makes pitches more difficult to hit. In this instance, the offending substance was suspected of being pine tar. Without going into technical details that are far beyond the knowledge of this writer, pine tar is a sticky substance that baseball hitters use on their bats to improve their grip. That's right, it is completely legal (with limitations) for hitters to use pine tar on their bats; however, pitchers are prevented from using it to aid their grip on the ball. This, apparently, is the application of affirmative action principles in the baseball world. I guess hitters somewhere along the line were left behind the baseball gravy train and this pine tar deal is just a small way to level the playing field--so to speak. At any rate, the FOX announcers in the booth picked up on the issue and began spotlighting Kenny Rogers' pitching hand. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, likely tipped off by the FOX coverage by someone in his clubhouse, questioned the material on Rogers' hand with the home plate umpire. Rogers claimed the material was some kind of mud or dirt that became affixed to his hand while rubbing up baseballs before the game (a practice which I would not recommend for anyone watching at home). The umpire told Rogers to clean up his hand, which Rogers did. Manager LaRussa appeared fine with the matter and the game continued. Kenny Rogers went on to shut the Cardinals out for pretty much the balance of the game, until he was taken out near the end. What I just described could have, and perhaps should have, been the extent of this entire matter. The officials on the field, who are charged with deciding such matters, concluded that there was nothing which warranted further penalty or action, and the opposition manager agreed. The FOX broadcast crew, however, would not let the issue die, not during the game and not afterward. After all of the on field officials seemed alright with the matter, FOX revealed video "evidence" which showed Rogers pitching with a dark spot on his hand in the American League Championship Series played earlier this month. Additional video showed the same dark spot on a regular season game played several months ago. FOX broadcaster, Tim McCarver, a former professional player himself, continued to harp on the issue to the national television audience. The point was belabored ad nauseum for the better part of the first several innings of the ball game. It is also particularly interesting that FOX had the video of earlier games so handy and organized such that they could immediately play back closeups of, not just a playoff game, but an earlier regular season game as well. Perhaps the alleged transgression was not so spontaneously revealed as FOX would like us to believe. The reasons for the network to continue to press a point which had been effectively decided on the field are numerous, and I believe they go beyond just an altruistic objective of getting things right. World Series television ratings have been declining in recent years and were not expected to be aided by two relatively small market teams participating in this year's Fall Classic. There's nothing like a juicy scandal to spike up those ratings, generating more interest where there was only a previous passing nod. Plus, most media types it seems enjoy being the ones to slide that curtain to reveal the old Wizard of Oz practicing his nefarious plot. In typical fashion, much of the rest of the media jumped on this story like a hungry dog on a discarded fried chicken wing. There is not much originality in the media; it's easier to see what others are covering and how they're covering it and just go with the flow. I understand even David Letterman got into the act, devoting his Top Ten list to the very issue. So now Kenny Rogers is brandished a "cheater" the Detroit Tigers surprising accomplishments are tarnished and the World Series coverage itself has been hijacked away from an intriguing rematch of the 1968 World Series to being nothing more than fodder for some arcane rules infraction. To set the record straight, I was originally appalled that Kenny Rogers would attempt to cheat his way to success in the post season. Generally, I believe in order and respect for rules and responsibility. Plus, this cheating did not seem necessary at all. As I indicated, Rogers, who hasn't been scored upon in three post season outings, went on to shut out the Cardinals even after the substance was removed. Further, the Tigers as a team have enjoyed great success and seem to be a solid club, one which was favored to win this series win it started. Why cheat? Then I learned something interesting. It seems the usage of pine tar by pitchers is more than common in the Major Leagues, especially on cold evenings when pitchers need help with their grip. Players on the Cardinals admitted that it is commonplace, and even Cardinal pitchers use something like this to help from time to time. As I said, pine tar is all over clubhouses and dugouts. It's legal for hitters to use it--on bats, hands, etc. Heck, pitchers in the National League come to bat all the time and likely get the pine tar on their hands during this process, and then they turn around and throw in the next inning. Also, it should be pointed out that the benefits of this substance are debatable at best, some insist it helps and others say it has little effect. In fact, the common usage of this, combined with its questionable impact, are probably big reasons why the Cardinals' manager did not make a bigger issue of it at the time. Also, he likely did not want to open up his own players to similar study--who knows what would be found. In fact, there are numerous examples in baseball of situations in which the rules according to the rule book are not followed exactly as written. All baseball fans know about the phantom tag of second base that is allowed on a double-play grounder. And we certainly know that teams make every effort to steal opponent's signs and use this knowledge for their own benefit. Hitters regularly scratch out that back line of the batter's box, so they can stand behind it and allow a fraction more time to see the incoming pitch. These examples only serve to add to baseball lore not take away from it. Former pitcher Gaylord Perry made a career of "doctoring" up his baseballs before he delivered them up for the hitters. Everyone knew he was doing it, even at the time; the challenge was to try to hit him anyway. Apparently, few did, though, because Perry made the baseball Hall of Fame. Still, I like the attitude: Give me your best, bending the rules or not, if I'm as good as I think I am I'll hit you anyway. Too much of our modern world is designed to equalize everything. The new mantra is more "It's not fair" as opposed to "Let's roll". So FOX got carried away and made a huge issue out of something that should have been allowed to pass, and we get a "tainted" World Series and allegations of wrongdoing that extends beyond what meets the eye. Conspiracy theories abound. We need to realize that the World Series, and sports in general, is nothing more than entertainment and, as long as entertainment is provided, the public is being served. If the outcome of the games themselves was determined to be fixed that's one thing, but the fact that players on the field are pushing the limit to give themselves as much of an edge as possible is not a sign of a problem; it's a sign that the competitive spirit is still alive in these players, despite their multi million dollar salaries. This is a good thing, people. The media just doesn't recognize it that way because that story does not necessarily suit their interests. As I mentioned at the start, the media framed this entire story for its own purposes. Others then lazily picked up on it and the results are less than positive. The public is not being served by this non story; FOX Sports, ESPN and David Letterman among others are being served by it, that's all. True baseball fans, who are really all that matter here, have suffered. Now, can anyone think of any other issues, perhaps even in real life, where the media perhaps over or under reported on a story or otherwise covered an issue more for its own purposes than for the actual public good? Does anyone care to guess what the possible ramifications of that slanted coverage may have been (or continues to be)? Hmmmm. ------------ About the author: Ed Abraham is a concerned citizen living in flyover country, U.S.A., who happens to be truly disgusted by the loss of common sense in our society and is doing all he can to try to reinstall it. Email: eabra@myway.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. 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