BASEBALL STADIUMS TOUGHEN UP ON TOBACCO

Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay

Buchholz spit chew into a bottle at his locker, then dipped into the latest notice from baseball. Bigleaguers are getting a written reminder that smokeless tobacco is banned at stadiums in Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. One-page letters are being put in clubhouse stalls throughout spring training, where there is no prohibition. The notes come jointly from Major League Baseball and the players union. Will Buchholz quit? “That’ll probably happen,” he said. “If you get reprimanded for something, there comes a time where you’re tired of paying fines for something you don’t have to do or doesn’t make you any better.” Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker was a big dipper for a long time. He has cut back over the years but still might pop in a pinch when games get tight. “It’s a bad influence for the kids. Big time. I’ll say that. But also they’re adults, too, at the same time,” Baker said.