From Fox Sports
Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers managed to spark a first-inning controversy last night in their second World Series game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was regarding something noticeable on his pitching hand. It appeared to be something dirty or dark, and umpires brought Cardinals manager Tony La Russa out to the field at the end of the first for a brief discussion.
MLB Rule 3.02 states that, "No player shall intentionally discolor or damage the ball by rubbing it with soil, rosin, paraffin, licorice, sand-paper, emery-paper or other foreign substance."
Rule 8.02 states that a pitcher "shall not" even deliver a ball that he defaces with spit or a foreign substance or by rubbing the ball on his glove, person or clothing.
The penalty for both violations is ejection.
"Tony went out and said a couple of his players said the ball was acting funny, and they made Kenny wash his hands, and he washed his hands, and he came out the second inning and was pretty clean the rest of the way," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
Pitcher Kenny Rogers shares his name with the '80's country singer Kenny Rogers, best known for his song "The Gambler" ("You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em...").  After last night's game, I wonder: what are the 'odds' that Kenny had a foreign substance on his hand?
 
Is Kenny a gambler?
- At 41 years, 11 months and 12 days, Rogers became the oldest starting pitcher to win a World Series game. At his age, one would think that if he was cheating, he would have been experienced enough/careful enough to conceal it better. Plus, why would he risk getting ejected in the World Series?
- Then again, he has been known to take risks in the past. For example, he risked (and later received) suspension after shoving two cameramen in 2005.
What was 'up his sleeve'?
- The umpires believe it was just dirt, which is obviously not illegal. How do they know it was dirt? "Because it was observed as dirt," umpire supervisor Steve Palermo said. "Umpires, they've been around for more than a week or so. This is not their first summer away from home, so they've got a pretty good idea as to what dirt is and what a foreign substance is."
- It could have been pine tar. The photographs show it looks brown and sticky which generally indicates pine tar, which pitchers dab on their fingers for a better grip on the ball. Temperatures dipped into the 30s and Rogers admitted he had trouble gripping the ball, which makes it a possibility. Pitchers are forbidden from having substances such as pine tar on their person. They can be ejected and suspended. The Angels' Brendan Donnelly was suspended 10 days for having pine tar on his glove last season. The Cardinals' Julian Tavarez was suspended 10 days for having pine tar on his hat in 2004. The Dodgers' Jay Howell was suspended for two games for having pine tar on his glove in the 1988 National League Championship Series.
- It could have been some other substance that, if smudged on the ball, altered its spin.
Does Rogers have a good 'poker face'?
- Rogers seemed to have an inconsistent story - not a good bluffer if he was covering something up. At first he said he had a "big clump of dirt on his hand," then amended it to "dirt and resin and all that stuff put together." Also, Tigers manager Jim Leyland and umpire supervisor Steve Palermo said Rogers was ordered to remove the dirt, but Rogers said, "No, I saw it and I went and wiped it off and then it was gone."
Where was the 'eye-in-the-sky'?
- In Vegas, there are cameras scrutinizing every move on all the gambling tables to make sure there is no cheating happening - ESPECIALLY for big tournaments. These are the biggest baseball games of the year - why wasn't this mysterious substance examined more closely? One theory is that it is so widely used among pitchers in the MLB, that umpires typically turn their heads to it.
Given these facts, I'd say the odds are pretty good that he had an illegal substance on his pitching hand. I'm gonna give it 2:1 odds. Whether or not it really matters is the real question. I mean, it appeared to be gone after the first inning and he still went on to pitch seven more shutout innings without the alleged substance. Some say that is proof alone that he wasn't cheating.Â
But what if it was some pine tar that he was more careful to conceal after the first inning? Or what if he was using some new, invisible-to-the-eye, high-tech substance that he managed to get a little dirt stuck to and that's the only reason it was noticed? Maybe he still had it on his hands for the rest of the game, but it was clear so we couldn't see it. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to investigate his hands and glove in Game 3 just to squash any suspicions?Â
Hey - maybe Rogers made a startling 'secret weapon' discovery at his namesake's restaurant chain, Kenny Rogers Roasters. You never know...sticky chicken fat might be the ultimate pitching enhancer...
