Is Kenny Rogers a Cheater or Playing Dumb?

Was Kenny Rogers using a foreign substance to cheat? In the 1st inning, Cardinals players noticed the ball doing some funny things. LaRussa spoke with the umpires about it and in the second inning, voila, it was gone. Video evidence showed he clearly had something on his palm. Was it pine tar? Was it dirt? Was it a map for treasure?

MLB rules states that if any pitcher is found with a foreign substance on his hand, he is immediately ejected and suspended for 10 games. Imagine if the LaRussa came out right away and challenged the umpires to look at Rogers' hand on the mound. St. Louis might be up 2-0 in the World Series right now. Instead Rogers had a chance to wash his hand off of all evidence so there would be no problems.

What is clear is that he had something on his palm. Also it's clear that he had the same looking substance in the Yankees and Oakland series from what ESPN showed. It's consistent. It has the color of pine tar. I've seen dirty hands and it doesn't look like that.

Rogers officially called it "a clump of dirt" in the post game press conference. Bullshit. A pitcher's most valuable tool is his pitching hand. If he felt anything on his hand, dirt, a wart, a papercut, he would know it and do something about it. Little grains of dirt would make the ball feel awkward in his hand. It's not convenient that he had the same clump of dirt in the same spot in three different instances in the playoffs.

Kenny Rogers said no one ever asked him to wash his hands. He just did because he saw that it was dirty. If that was shit then he needs to wash more after taking a dump. Steve Palermo, MLB Umpire supervisor, after the game, said that the home plate umpire ASKED Rogers to wash his hands. Stories don't match so that just adds to the confusion and controversy.

Why didn't the home plate umpire even ask to look at his hand? If he was told the ball was doing funny stuff he should have talked to Kenny and looked at his hand instead of supposedly saying just wash it off. Why assume it was just dirt?

Whatever it was he didn't need it because he still pitched scoreless inning ball after he washed his hand and has been unhittable in the post season. But what is clear is that some foreign substance was on his hand and it wasn't there by accident.

What do you think it was and is it a big deal?

From Is Kenny Rogers a Cheater or Playing Dumb to MLB Archives | Sports Blog | NFL Archives | College Football Archives | NBA Archives | NCAA Basketball Archives | Soccer Archives | Olympics Archives | Stupid Athletes Archives | Other Archives |