Other Great Moments in Baseball History

During game two of the World Series, FOX cameras noticed a suspicious substance on Detroit pitcher Kenny Rogers' left hand. Rogers cleaned up between innings. And the umpires decided not to invoke Rule 8.02, which says a pitcher shall not "have on his person, or in his possession, any foreign substance. For such infraction of this section the penalty shall be immediate ejection from the game."

What was the mystery substance? Pine tar? Resin? Dirt? If it's cheating, cheating in the World Series will really put a damper on baseball. Right?

Well, maybe not. According to Gantry's RBI Baseball Hall of Shame, baseball players have been doing crazy stuff for years. This is one of my favorite rest stops on the information superhighway.

+Wade Boggs: Sued by a flight attendant for threatening and cursing at her after she refused to serve him alcohol. He pointed his finger in her face and threatened to "kick your fat lips in."

+Pedro Guerrero: Acquitted of drug conspiracy charges in June of 2002 after his attourney argued his low IQ prevented him from understanding that he agreed to a drug deal.

+Tim "Rock" Raines: An admitted cocaine user who used to get high during games, Raines told reporters he sometimes kept a vial of coke in his back pocket. He would slide head-first while stealing to make sure the vial wouldn't break.

+Bret Saberhagen: While struggling to adjust to the New York media, Saberhagen was once fined and suspended for spraying bleach on a group of reporters.

+Kevin Mitchell: With good buddy Dwight Gooden over at his house, Mitchell cut off the head of his girlfriend's cat. In an unrelated incident, as a member of the Western League's Sonoma County Crushers, Mitchell was suspended for 9 games after punching the opposing team's owner in the mouth.

Let's end on two less creepy notes:

+Dwight Evans: While an active player, Evans traded himself in a fantasy league because he "needed pitching help."

+Lou Whitaker: Forgot to bring his uniform to Minnesota for the 1985 All-Star Game. Whitaker had to buy a Tigers jersey from a Metrodome concession stand, and draw his uniform number on with a felt-tip pen.