Although that sounds like the punch-line of the world’s strangest dirty joke, today’s headline is no laughing matter in Oakland, California. This report comes by way of Hal McCoy of Cox News Service and Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline

For the last five years, a humidor at Coors Field has kept baseballs in a 70-degree and 50 percent humidity environment, which didn’t help Oakland’s visit to Coors last week.

The Athletics were shut out twice in a row, prompting catcher Jason Kendall to say, “I feel there should be an investigation of the humidor.”

Does he think the Rockies are storing contraband Cuban cigars in it?

Well, humidors to store baseballs may soon come to a ballpark near you.

Major League Baseball is considering the use of humidors in more parks, according to Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations and humidor guru. “This is the wave of the future. We will talk about putting humidors in other major-league parks at our operations meetings. The Rockies are ahead of the times.”

Rawlings stores its manufactured baseballs in Missouri at 70 degrees and 50 percent humidity, along with a few boxes of executive cigars.

Why a humidor?

To combat a problem that once plagued George Costanza, in an entirely different way.

The problem is shrinkage. And this is a “rest of the story” that you’re not likely to hear from Paul Harvey.

More after the jump.

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Mike at Fumo Santo writes about a developing trend that…well…brings a song to my heart.

“…buy me some peanuts and a Montecristo white, I don’t care if I never . . . “

Okay, maybe I’d better stick to writing prose. Rhyming is for professionals.

The real news is that there are plans by Pittsburgh Pirates management to install a cigar and martini bar called the Montecristo Club at PNC Park for season ticket holders next year. As you might predict, there is the expected protest by militant non-smokers who don’t want the stadium air sullied by smoke from high-priced cigars while they watch baseball.

The protests are falling on deaf ears for a very interesting reason. Plans for the Montecristo Club cigar bar are going ahead anyway.

Why?

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