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New owner of Tavarez cap says lab tests showed nothing but grime

By JIM SALTER

Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Julian Tavarez’s baseball cap is dirty and grimy – but not illegal, according to the man who now owns it.

Tavarez, a right-handed reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, is appealing a 10-game suspension handed down Tuesday for having pine tar on the cap. He was ejected from the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 20 at Busch Stadium after Pittsburgh Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon questioned the cap. Tavarez frequently fingers the bill of the cap, raising concern that he uses an illegal substance.

Umpire crew chief Joe West inspected the hat and said Tavarez and manager Tony La Russa “as much admitted” to the presence of pine tar, which could be used to improve a pitcher’s grip on the baseball. Tavarez was ejected and as he left the field he tossed the cap to a fan in a box seat behind the St. Louis dugout.

But Gene McNary, a former St. Louis County executive who is running again for the county’s highest office,said the cap is guilty only of being filthy.

Aides paid $140 to the fan who caught the cap, then gave it to McNary.

At the urging of KSDK-TV sports reporter Frank Cusamano, McNary took the cap to St. Louis Testing Laboratories, where substances on it were analyzed.

McNary said the lab tested specifically for both pine tar and resin amd results revealed dust and dirt, but nothing illegal.

The Cardinals intend to forward the cap to Major League Baseball for further testing. Once he gets the cap back, McNary plans to donate it to La Russa, who has expressed an interest in auctioning it to benefit the Animal Rescue Foundation.

Tavarez continues to play pending a hearing on his appeal. In his first year in St. Louis, he has emerged as the right-handed set-up man for closer Jason Isringhausen and was 6-4 with a 2.63 ERA and three saves entering Friday’s game at Pittsburgh.

AP-ES-08-27-04 1733EDT