I've never seen the Dip Police. I've never witnessed one of their raids, never felt their wrath.
I spent the majority of my Rookie season doubting such a tobacco task force even existed. I assumed the whole mythical concept had been dreamed up by the league offices as a way to deter the use of chewing tobacco and dip among minor leaguers. Scare tactics, I thought.
Not to mention: guys going around the country, popping into MiLB stadiums every night to inspect the players on the field- determining whether or not they had anything underneath their lip, or tucked between their cheek and gums? Seemed pretty far-fetched to me.
Nope. They're out there. And they're watching your every move.
I've heard legend of epic Dip Police invasions and searches- most of which I'm assuming are fabricated, or at least grossly exaggerated.
There's the kid who got bagged for merely having little dip crumbs on the floor around his stall; the player whose tin was found in a heap of garbage after thorough inspection of the clubhouse trash can; the guy who got nabbed for having BreathSavers in his back pocket during a game- a circular container that simply looked like a can of spitting tobacco; and perhaps my personal favorite, the kid who got fined for having boxers with a Skoal logo on them hanging from a hook in his locker.
