ESPN.com: Page 2 : The cap that killed the Cardinals?:
Pine tar, gum, shoe polish, "a big clump of dirt" -- whatever Kenny Rogers had out there Sunday night, Uni Watch thinks everyone's looking for it in the wrong place. Instead of poring over still shots of Rogers' hand, take a look at his cap.
To explain: Rogers prefers to wear a batting practice cap, instead of the standard-issue New Era 5950 game cap that all the other players wear. He's been pitching with the BP cap all season, as you can tell from the slightly puffier, more rounded brim and more synthetic-looking fabric (5950s are made of wool, while BP caps are polyester). Detroit's BP cap has a colored sandwich brim -- white at home, orange on the road -- which would be a no-no for regular game action, so Rogers apparently fills in the colored edge with a dark marker, which means he doesn't match his teammates during pregame workouts.
But here's the key: The BP cap has a black underbill, instead of the Tigers' usual light gray. Now ask yourself, if you wanted to take a foreign substance out to the mound with you, wouldn't it be easier to hide it against a black background than a gray one? Far be it from Uni Watch to accuse the Gambler of taking cards from the bottom of the deck, but you have to admit it's an interesting coincidence at the very least. Uni Watch's suggestion: Make Rogers wear a 5950 like everyone else, and then let's see who holds 'em and who folds 'em.
The obvious smear of pine tar on Kenny Rogers' hand will end up being the story of the 2007 World Series.
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