European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday october 10.19b8 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Howe can t of Gure ouf Sticky situation by Scott Ostler if you think a burglar has Sticky fingers you should have seen Jay How Ell saturday. The dodgers Ace reliever was thrown out of game 3 of the National league playoffs in the eighth Innig with his team ahead 4-3, for having Pine tar on the Heel of his Glove. It was the beginning of the end forthe dodgers who immediately Crum bled and Tost the game 8-4. Howell had a 3-2 count on Ladof Hitler Kevin Mcreynolds when the umpires lipped off by met manager Darcy Johnson charged the Mound. They inspected Howe i s Glove found traces of a substance they believed to be Pine Lar and ejected the stunned reliever. You arc l surprised when you get mugged in a new York subway or in Central Park. But on the Pitcher s Mound at Shea stadium Umpire Harry . The Crew chief snatched Howell s Glove a 12 year old hunk of germ infested leather. Wendels Ludl carried it to National league 1 resident Bart Gia Maili who never handled a Csc like this at Yale. The Glove becomes exhibit a in the sports scandal of the week go Gate Howell was so stunned that Heddin t protest his ejection. He had been caught Black handed. And after the game he seemed to have resigned him self to being a victim of baseball s whimsical Rule enforcement. I be used it Pine Lar in cold weather situations when the Rosin bag does t work and the Ball is Slick. It throwing a Slippery Ball could be dangerous. I m surprised they re out looking at gloves where it use of Pine tar is not changing the flight of the Ball simply helping you get a feel for the Ball. But i that s the Way they want to work it  Howell said he has used Pine tar be fore but that he did t use it in game 1of inc series in los Angeles. The acts said they spotted him using it then and wailed until the right Lime to Call the umpires attention to it. Howell said what the mets were Sec ing then was simply his nervous habit of up Ling at the thumb string hat tight ens his  was warm in los Angeles. I did l need it Howell said. When it swarm the Rosin works. When it s cold it does t work the Ball s sleek i regret that All this has happened. At the same Lime i think in a situation where it s cold i Don t think it should be illegal i m not getting hitlers out by making the Ball Tail or run or drop. It s not like i m cutting the Ball. It does t change the flight of the Ball at Umpire Joe West lakes Jay i Lowell s Glare saturday after the mugs complained. All and it s to the advantage of the hit lers As Well. I d say there arc other pitchers that use it. There arc other pitchers that scuff and scrape the Ball As Well but the umpires Don t go out and Check the Ball i think they could have thrown the Glove Oul and we could have gone on and played the  As pitchers1 crimes of Vio Lence against inc baseball go gouging nicking Sand papering slime ing this infraction docs seem relatively minor but it s still it violation of the Rule. And baseball is nothing if not a Rule nit picker s Paradise. You look for any Edge you can gel in this game whether it s creative use of Pine tar or creative use of the Rule Book. Still the dodgers did t appreciate the Honor of being the first team in his tory selected for enforcement of he no Pinc tar Rule. Manager Tom Lasorda freely admitted that he used Pine tar during his Semi illustrious pitching career in cold weather situations when inc Rosin bag proved useless. He s nol cheating if he s trying to gel a better grip on the Ball Lasorda said,1 reminded Lasorda that if Pine tar can be used to gel better Finger traction on the Ball and thus snap off a nastier curve Ball it would provide an advantage to the  docs a Pitcher use Rosin for Lasorda  get a better grip on the Ball. Right Lasorda said. If both serve exactly the same purpose Why should one be illegal technically they re right but theoretically i Don i  an interesting concept to kick around this Winter at the baseball meet Ings or in inc schools of Law but irrelevant Here the Rule Good or bad seems Clear Cut. Use Pine Lar Maple syrup or any other foreign substance in the Ball go to  s downfall was in his Lack of chemical expertise. Using a substance he knew was illegal he should also have used a masking substance to hide the Pine tar. Chewing tobacco perhaps. There s so much tobacco juice flying around a Ballpark that umpires Proba Bly would be suspicious of a Ball or Glove that did l have traces of that Gravy like  Dempsey the dodger Catcher at inc time of inc ejection said he was unaware thai Howell was using Pine dumps by did say i would t want to see a Pitcher go out there with a for eign substance that helps him be a bet Ter Pitcher than he is. That would be like using a loaded Bat like Howard  expressed scepticism that the umpires could possibly single Poulone foreign substance in the microbe swamp that is Howell s Glove. The Glove s 12 years  Dempsey said. There s Gonna be a lot of grime spit they pitchers use in there. I looked at inc Glove and unless you dug into it you would t get any Sticky sub stance on your  they do some kind of chemical analysis i Don t think they d want to touch thai Glove. It s probably got every kind of germ in the  has not been a great series for Jay Howell. He was one pitch away from saving game i when Gary Carter Pool cued a great curve Ball into shallow Center Field for the winning hit the bal bouncing out of John Shelby s Glove. Ironically if Shelby had been using Howell s Glove the Ball Wouldhave stuck in the pocket like fair on  that game Howell was the tar get of a line in the newspaper column of met Pitcher David Cone who wrote hat Howell s curve Ball reminded him of a High school Pitcher. Now Howell has an even Darker smudge on his High school  Giamelli s investigation. Howell could face a suspension Possi Bly for the remainder of the series. The dodgers Are praying thai their Best Relief Pitcher is nol Given what amounts to capital punish Cal for Jay  dodgers will be incensed if Howell is Pine tarred and feathered for what icy see Asun incidental violation of a nil meant to Snag the game s Mali Cious Bull Grinders other pitchers do inc same thing Howell Kepi saying. I did l really try to hide it. Everybody knows it s illegal but other Guys use it i Don l thin kit s a major infraction of the rules. I think it s  it was t minor saturday it probably Cost the dodgers the game i gave the Mots a 2-1 series Edge and to seemed to leave the dodgers  collective head and wondering what they have to do to gel a  gloves Shelby s for Howells and the lodgers might own a 3-0 series Lead right , inc dodgers arc a team Sluck in a Well trying to claw their Way up the Wall unable to get a Good grip. The lot in Tim to nil from Paga 21 Yards of offence until Atlanta put together an 84-Yard drive Hal ended carry in the fourth Quarter when Greene intercepted a Steve Dili piss. Everett s touchdown passes covered 54 Yards to Henr Ellard and 4 Yards to Buird Mcgee in inc second Quarter and 21 Yards to Pete Holohan in the third. Bell who ripped off a 32-Yard run on inc first play of the game scored his touchdown on a i Yard run with 1 35 left in the opening Quarter. Bell had 110 Yards on 11 carries in the opening period and finished at 155 Yards on 21 attempts for the  last carry came Midway through the i hit Quarter Everett also Sal Oul the final Quarter for the rams. Redskins 35, cowboys 17 Irving Texas Washington turned three Dallas turnovers into touchdowns behind Mark Rypien s passing and Kelvin Bryant s Rushing and receiving to beat inc cowboys. Rypien threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score to Cam his first Victory As a starter. Kelvin Bryant caught two scoring passes ran for a to and rushed for 118 Yards As the defending super bowl champions evened their record at 3-3. The cowboys plunged into the pfc East cellar Wilh a 2-4 record As Washington victimized Sieve Pelluer with three interceptions. Bears 24, Lions 7 Pontiac Mich. Jim Mcmahon guided Chicago to its first touchdown before leaving the game Wilh a slight concussion and the bears Well on to beat de troit. The bears remained in first place at 5-1 in inc pfc Central division while the Lions who lost quarterback Chuck Long with a sprained knee fell to 1-5. Mcmahon completed 8 of 1 passes for 78 Yards including an 11-Yard touchdown pass to Dennis Mckin non before going Oul Wilh 10 12 remaining in inc second Quarter about two minutes after Long was Hurt. Mike Tomezak replaced Mcmahon and completed 12 of 22 for 158 Yards including a 31-Yard touchdown to Ron Morris. Jim Harbaugh finished up for la bears. Neal Anderson rushed for 70 Yard on. 14 carries including a 1-Yard touchdown bunt and Kevin Butler kicked a 37-Yard Field goal for the bean. Rusty Hilger who was signed monday As a free agent after Detroit backup enc hippie suffered a Bro Ken ankle replaced Long and threw a 7-Yard touch Down pass to Pete mandly for the Lions Only score bled away a punt at his own 24, and Johnson kicked Field goals of 31, 38 and 22 Yards after a blocked held goal a Fumble and an interception. Hilger. Who played three years Wilh the los Angeles raiders before being Cul in Camp this season completed 12 of 43 passes for 186 Yards. In thanks 16, Browns 10 Cleveland Curt Warner ran for 96 Yards and one touchdown and Norm Johnson kicked three Field goals to give Seattle a Victory Over the Cleveland Browns who lost their third quarterback Mike Page with a separated shoulder. The Browns 3-3. Moved the Ball reasonably Well in the first half until Pacl was Hurt making a tackle on Paul mover s 62-Yard return of a blocked Field goal. Don Sirock the former Miami backup quarterback whom Cleveland signed after Bumie Kosar and Gar Danielson were Hurt last month was unable to pro Duce any Points until Matt Batir kicked a 23-Yard Field goal with 2 40 left in the game. The sea Hawks 4-2, capitalized on Cleveland mis takes for All their Points. Warner ran i Yard for a Firtl Quarter score after the Brawns Gerald Mcneil Fum bled away a punt Al his own 24, and Johnson kicked Field goals of 31, 38 and 22 Yards after a blocked Field goal a Fumble and an interception