Your Morning Dump...where Buchholz is accused of cheating

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. As Scott mentioned in our recap of last night's game, a major storyline developed throughout the broadcast. Toronto analysts Dick Hayhurst and Jack Morris accused Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz of cheating, after they spotted him rubbing his fingers on his left arm on a substance of some sort. The allegation was made by Toronto television analyst Dirk Hayhurst, a former major league pitcher who told radio station Sportsnet 590 The Fan that Buchholz was “absolutely” cheating during his start Wednesday night against the Blue Jays. The station’s website provided screenshots of Buchholz wiping two fingers on his right hand across his left forearm, which appeared to be partially covered with a white substance. Hayhurst also leveled accusations via Twitter. “Forget the hair, I just saw video of Buchholz loading the ball with some Eddie Harris worthy slick’em painted up his left forearm. Wow.’’ “You could see it slathered on there,” he tweeted. Asked Thursday if he were upset by the allegations, Buchholz said, “Not at all. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I definitely don’t think if I’d given up nine runs in 2⅓ innings it would have been an issue. That’s my guess. I don’t know. It is what it is.” With all the publicity the accusations have created, Major League Baseball might at least take a look at the video. But will there be enough evidence to prove anything? Buchholz explained his game routine. “Before every start, I pat rosin on my arm, go up and get stretched,” Buchholz said. “They said I had something in my hair? It’s the bottle of water I pour over me between each inning. They don’t want you licking your fingers on the mound so it’s a way to have moisture. I wipe it off every time I touch my hair. “Every pitcher puts rosin on. That’s why it’s there. It is what it is.” Globe: Buchholz accused of cheating Listen, I'm not going to sit here and act like an expert about the specifics of what a pitcher is or isn't allowed to "apply" during a game. Although it's legal, I find it a little strange that Buchholz places rosin on his left arm. Isn't that the whole point of placing the rosin bag on the mound? Maybe he puts it on his arm so he can keep his quick pace going? Since this has been publicized so much, MLB will obviously take a look at Buchholz's recent starts and will most likely issue a statement. If MLB concludes that Buchholz was in fact not cheating, shouldn't Hayhurst and Morris be punished? That's a hefty accusation to be throwing out on a TV broadcast based on such little evidence, not to mention the fact that zero teams have asked to look at the ball Buchholz was using. NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley may have delievered enough punishment already with this shot: "I think Jack Morris should zip it. I feel sorry for Buchholz to even have to deal with this. I’m styling here, and you’re taking away from me, a guy that can’t even make it to the Hall of Fame yet, and he’s chirping over there — zip it.” Ouch! That's gotta sting Jack. 1-0 Eck. Rest of the links - Globe: This time, Hanrahan replaces Bailey | Globe: Dempster enjoys return to Canada | Globe: More progress fro Victorino; more trouble for Bard | Herald: Ryan Dempster right at home as Red Sox top Blue Jays | Herald: Clay Buchholz defends self | Herald: Mike Napoli ‘can’t wait’ for Texas return | CSNNE.com: Dempster 'good enough' against Blue Jays | CSNNE.com: Bailey sidelined with 'biceps discomfort'