Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Addison Reed recently quit using smokeless tobacco, and it took the loss of a baseball legend to inspire him to kick the unhealthy habit. On Saturday, Reed told reporters that he threw out all of his cans of dip and swore off tobacco the day Tony Gwynn lost his battle with cancer.
“It’s one of those things where I’ve done it for so long it’s just become a habit, a really bad habit,” Reed said, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “It was something I always told myself I would quit, like next month, and the next thing you know it’s been six or seven years.
“It started to get bad my first year in pro ball and it’s one of those things where I’ve always done it. I’d come to the field and throw one in and have multiple ones. I’d have one on the ride home, one on the way to the field and it was one of those things where I always had one with me.”
Reed played for Gwynn at San Diego State University. Gwynn, who had cancerous tumors removed from his salivary glands and the inside of his cheek, had said publicly that he believed numerous years of smokeless tobacco use caused his cancer. That was enough to make Reed want to change his lifestyle, though he said it hasn’t been easy.
“These five days have been kind of rough, but I think it’s something that’s doable,” he explained. “I don’t have any cans in my locker, so as long as I don’t go and buy any, I should be all right.”
As for the type of person Gwynn was, Reed echoed the sentiments of so many others who were touched by “Mr. Padre” in some way.
“Just kind of being in the room with him was unreal,” Reed explained. “I was kind of sitting there like, ‘Wow, that’s Tony Gwynn over there. I’m going to play for him right now?’ It was a no-brainer.”
Hopefully Reed can fight off the addiction. Watching a great man die too young is an unfriendly reminder of how understated the dangers of smokeless tobacco can be.
