The annual question

Those who watch baseball on TV only at this time of year typically have a few questions.

Some wonder why the commercials are so off-putting and why it’s the same four over and over.

Others want to clarify the difference between a double and a double play.

But almost all eventually get around to the one time-honored head-scratcher.

“What’s with all the spitting?”

Has anyone ever come up with a decent answer?

A small percentage of modern players chew tobacco, so that’s not it. And the theory of spontaneous saliva overloads has been pretty well debunked.

So, really, what is it?