Sports heroes

At my foster son's Little League game the other night, I looked over at the other team's first baseman and saw his lower lip bulging, packed with...what? I knew it couldn't be snuff -- he was only 10 years old. Then the boy leaned over in perfect Major League style and spit. A sunflower seed.

Another parent told me he sees the seeds-in-the-lower-lip thing frequently. "They're copying the big league guys."

Before now, I've never given much credence to claims that sports celebrities might influence kids. Let's hope they stay with the sunflower seeds.