St. Louis – The Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals actually showed up Monday at glistening new Busch Stadium expecting to talk about a game. Instead, once again, the mudslinging began over Kenny Rogers’ mysterious smudge on the base of his left thumb.
Rogers proclaimed his innocence as a battery of reporters engulfed his locker, saying the mark was a combination of dirt and mud.
“I am a mudder,” said Rogers, the second pitcher to have three starts without allowing a run in a single postseason, joining Christy Mathewson of the 1905 A’s. “I don’t mind getting dirty. I like dirt. I like mud (on the ball). Nobody likes to throw a brand new baseball.”
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa took that as a dirt-poor explanation. While saying he had no second thoughts about how he dealt with the situation Sunday – he was widely panned for not aggressively forcing the umpires to inspect Rogers’ hand – La Russa philosophized Monday and challenged Rogers’ assertion.
“I don’t believe it was dirt,” La Russa said. “It didn’t look like dirt.”
Regulations and ridiculous statistics prevented the issue from getting buried. Per rule 8.02, a pitcher cannot “have on his person, or in his possession, any foreign substance. For such infraction of this section (b) the penalty shall be immediate ejection from the game.”
Losing Rogers would have been a devastating blow to the Tigers. He has been the postseason’s most dominating starter, mowing down the Yankees, Athletics and Cardinals. ESPN video of those games showed conclusive evidence of the same smudge in the same spot during each start.
La Russa alerted the umpires of the issue Sunday, then let it drop after being told that Rogers had cleaned his hand.
La Russa never has been averse to playing head games – he reminded the umpires to call the correct strike zone for Roger Clemens last year just hours before his NLCS start and baited Barry Bonds in an effort to get him to swing the bat in the 2002 playoffs. As such, he was asked if he let his players down with his tepid response.
“That’s a terrific question. When we got together (Monday) I explained to them where I was coming from,” La Russa said. “They didn’t say they disagreed. But it’s very possible there were guys that did.”
For many players and coaches, the Rogers’ episode was much ado, or adirt, about nothing. It has long been a common accepted practice for pitchers to use pine tar to improve their grip, particularly in frigid weather games. Pine tar is the substance that Rogers is suspected of using.
Those interviewed Monday differed strongly between pine tar and applying Vaseline or scuffing the baseball. The latter two were viewed as cheating because they create an edge through the baseball’s unpredictable movement.
“Do I think it’s right (Rogers) did it? No. But why make a big deal over it when it’s something that so many pitchers do?” said Giants catcher Todd Greene, who caught Rogers in Texas a few years back. “It’s to get a better feel. It’s not to make the ball do something it’s not supposed to do.”
Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca admitted that “heck, I probably used something too when I was in the major leagues on cold days.” He said he never understood why it wasn’t legalized just to level the playing field for pitchers.
Tigers pitcher Todd Jones told The Denver Post that he used pine tar while playing with the Rockies, a story he repeated Monday to reporters. Denver’s dry air is notorious for creating grip problems for pitchers.
The idea that everyone does it was an explanation floated as to why La Russa didn’t make a federal case out of Rogers’ alleged transgression. That, and the fact that he maintains a close friendship with Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk said he thought La Russa’s reaction would have been different if someone else were in the other dugout.
“Speculating as an outsider looking in, I definitely think that was a factor,” Quirk said.
La Russa took umbrage with that suggestion when it was made during his news conference – a news conference in which nine of 12 questions centered on getting the dirt on Rogers.
“You can see where it makes some sense, if somebody thinks (the relationship with Leyland) influenced him. But if somebody tells me that’s what I was thinking, it’s really a personal insult,” La Russa said.
“It had nothing to do with Leyland. I don’t have any regrets with the way I handled the situation. I don’t think we got abused (by a rules infraction). I just think we got beat.”
Getting the dirt on pitchers
Kenny Rogers’ mysterious smudge on his left hand Sunday night remains the talk of the World Series. Rogers called it a clump of dirt, an explanation most observers scoffed at. Many inside the game suspected Rogers used pine tar to improve his grip on a cold night. Players and coaches say pine tar use is common among pitchers, though illegal. A pitcher applying a substance, by rule, should be ejected and suspended. Some illegal tactics:
Pine tar: Helps improve the grip, which is critical for pitchers who rely on throwing sinkers and breaking pitches.
Vaseline: Eliminates friction when the ball is released from fingertips, causing movement that is unpredictable.
Fingernail file/sandpaper: Used to scuff the ball. The blemish changes the way the ball travels through the air, creating nasty breaking pitches.
Tonight’s game
Game 3, Detroit at St. Louis, 6:33 p.m., KDVR-31
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
