The Aztec field at West Campus was the location for the filming of the MTV show, “Flipped” last Friday the Men’s Baseball team, KRQ a local radio station and Tobacco Freeways, a non profit organization all participated in helping an 18 year old baseball player quit chewing smokeless tobacco. The target of the show was Kyle Allen a ball player from Orange Coast Community College in Costa Mesa, Calif. who is an avid user of smokeless tobacco.

The target of the show was Kyle Allen a ball player from Orange Coast Community College in Costa Mesa, Calif. who is an avid user of smokeless tobacco. Allen came to Tucson thinking he was attending an exhibition game showcasing the top 40 players in the nation. Actually the players were members of the Pima Community College menąs baseball team who were disguised as the Sidewinders. Kyle had no idea what was going to be sprung on him. Early on in the Kyle was ejected from the game for chewing tobacco. It is against the rules and regulations of any minor league, college or high school player to use this product according to Al Coons, Special Projects coordinator for the Seattle Mariners and part-time faculty member at PCC. The reason we do it this way is if you preach to a teenager about something like tobacco they aren't going to listen. If they donąt know they are being preached to and they don't know they are being taught a lesson then it sinks in more. It's kind of like this revelation that almost changes the way they think about things, said Sarah Wetherbee, producer of the MTV show.

When I got kicked out of the game I kind of knew about the rule but I wasnąt sure if they were going to enforce it so I just left quietly. Then when I came back and had to pitch again that was kind of weird, but then my mom came out, said Allen.

After Kyle's mom came out he knew that he wasnąt in Tucson for what he thought he was. He had no idea that this was happening with the tobacco, he thought he was here strictly for baseball, said Londa, Allen Kyle's mother. We have been trying to get him to quit for awhile. Allen started chewing when he was a senior in high school at the age of 17 according to his mother. MTV came to his school and interviewed some of the kids and taped them. The tape was submitted and Kyle was picked out of the hundreds of interviews they did. The timing couldn't have been more ironic, we have been talking to him and explaining things to him.

Telling him about people who lost their jobs because of cancer, said Allenąs mother. At the event were several people who had first hand contact with cancer caused by tobacco use. They were willing to educate and relay the message to Kyle and all those who were willing to listen including the Aztec baseball team.