Major Leaguers bracing for upcoming city smokeless tobacco ban

Chicago’s ban on smokeless tobacco in stadiums won’t go into effect until June, but as the gates opened Friday at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time this season, those who would face fines for using it are planning accordingly.

Chicago is one of five cities to have such bans in place, along with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and New York. Those caught violating the ban will be subject to fines ranging between $100 and $250.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura told his players in spring training that they’ll have to find a way to deal with the ban. Major League Baseball has programs in place to assist players, such as providing patches to those who will struggle without smokeless tobacco.

Ventura was asked Friday if he expects the ballpark ban to cramp players’ game-day routines.

“I think it’s meant to,” Ventura said. “So I think it will.”

Sox outfielder J.B. Shuck hasn’t yet come up with a plan to deal with the ban. Like with many major-leaguers, smokeless tobacco is a part of Shuck’s routine, but he understands the message using it sends to kids.

“Obviously, it’s a bad habit for a lot of people, and maybe it will help some people out,” Shuck said. “But it is what it is.”

Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin has used smokeless tobacco since he was a senior in high school. Tomlin said he will abide by the rules when he plays in cities that have bans, but it won’t stop him from using the product elsewhere.

Tomlin said he’ll either wait until he returns to his hotel room to dip or use Smokey Mountain, a non-nicotine brand of chew, to maintain his habit without breaking the rules.

“I’ll adjust to it,” he said.

Indians manager Terry Francona is among those who takes exception to ordinances that infringe on people’s choice to use smokeless tobacco.

Francona said cities likely have issues to deal with that should take precedence over what he called “baby-sitting baseball fields.”

“I personally don’t think it’s somebody’s right to tell you [what you can do or] if you want to [use] smokeless tobacco or dip or do whatever you want to call it,” Francona said. “But also know when rules are put into place, you either follow them or you pay the price. But you don’t always have to agree with everything.”