St. Louis manager Tony La Russa changed his tune Monday, admitting he didn't believe it was dirt on the left hand of Detroit's Game 2 starter, Kenny Rogers. But La Russa wouldn't go so far as saying that Rogers stepped over a line in what he did. He downplayed the notion that Rogers was cheating. Responding to the question whether the pitcher had committed "a violation of the competition," La Russa said, "Depends." Sportswriter Ken Rosenthal, in a Tuesday morning column for FoxSports.com, reported that an American League coach and National League scout identified the substance as pine tar. La Russa implied this was a common practice. "I also know that many pitchers -- I was going to say, 'routinely,' but that may be too strong -- use some sticky stuff to get a better grip from the first throw in spring training to the last side (session) they're going to throw in the World Series. Just because there's a little something that they're using to get a better grip, that doesn't cross the line." Well, it happens to be a violation of major league rules, and that rule led to an eight-game suspension when reliever Julian Tavarez was caught with a foreign substance on his cap in 2004 -- while playing for La Russa's Cardinals. Rosenthal suggests that La Russa also may not have pursued the Rogers matter more seriously because Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who scouted for St. Louis prior to his appointment with Detroit, "almost certainly knows where the Cardinals' balls are scuffed and where their bodies are buried. And if La Russa had pressed the issue with Rogers, Leyland could have responded in kind." Rosenthal notes that might have created another scandal of sorts for MLB -- in the midst of its biggest event, the World Series. Baseball has rules that players routinely attempt to circumvent to get that edge. The use of spitballs by Gaylord Perry and many others is a part of baseball's charm. Fans are far less charmed by steroid use. Where does a dab of pine tar fit into this? Considering pitchers still have to hit spots to succeed, and hitters get to use the sticky stuff, should MLB regard this matter in much the same way as La Russa does? Or should this be treated as a rule that has been broken, which should have serious consequences for the player involved?