Tests Show That Tavarez’s Cap Is Simply Dirty

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 Manager Lloyd McClendon asked umpires to check 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 was guilty only of being filthy. Aides paid $140 to the fan who caught the cap, then gave it to McNary.

At the urging of a local television reporter, 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 and results revealed dust and dirt, but nothing illegal.

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Right-hander Scott Erickson was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers, and has agreed to report to triple A Oklahoma if he clears waivers. Erickson, 36, has made four starts for the Rangers since being acquired from the New York Mets in a July 31 trade. He is 1-3 with a 6.16 earned-run average.

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The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms with infielder Eric Patterson, an eighth-round draft pick and the younger brother of Cub center fielder Corey Patterson. The 21-year-old Patterson batted .326 with nine homers, 49 runs batted in and 48 stolen bases last season at Georgia Tech.

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The Cleveland Indians called up right-hander Jeremy Guthrie from double-A Akron. Guthrie, 25, was the 22nd overall pick in 2002 out of Stanford. He went 8-8 with a 4.21 ERA at Akron in 23 appearances.