In 2005, the House Committee on Government Reform conducting hearings on alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) by Major League Baseball players.  The hearings made for good theatre – Sammy Sosa apparently required a translator, Rafael Palmeiro claimed innocence (but later tested positive for PEDs), Mark McGuire repeatedly used the phrase “I’m not here to talk about the past,” and Jose Canseco essential used the hearing to hawk his book.  In fact, taxpayers are still picking up the tab for federal investigations and trials related to alleged drug use in Major League Baseball.

Now, a few senators are upset about players using smokeless tobacco during games.  Today, a Charlotte Observer editor weighs in,

We think it would be terrific if Major League Baseball players stopped using chewing tobacco – not only for the health of their gums and mouths, but also because it would be one less bad habit that our youngest ballplayers at home might emulate.

But is it an issue for the U.S. Senate?

The Associated Press is reporting that a group of Democratic senators want the players union to agree to a ban on chewing tobacco at games and on camera. The senators – Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and fellow Democrats Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senate Health Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa – made a plea in separate letters that noted how millions of people will be watching the World Series, which begins tonight.

I do not know if this will lead to a congressional hearing, but I would not put it past these folks to conduct one on the issue.

I suspect that liberals and those that represent them would not object to a federal law banning tobacco from Major League Baseball.  But how far are they willing to go?

What about banning chewing gum or sunflower seeds?  Many MLB dugouts have huge buckets of sunflower seeds.  Dugout floors are covered in empty shells.   Sunflower seeds are fine when eaten in moderation and included in a balanced diet.  They are also high in fat and can easily add hundreds of unnecessary calories to the diets of impressionable youth.

So, should the federal government ban baseball players from consuming any substance, with the exception of water, during a game?