Tiger hurler Kenny Rogers has distinguished himself thus far in the 2006 post-season. After tossing eight inning of two-hit, shutout baseball Sunday night, Rogers had put together a streak of 23 scoreless innings in the post-season, good for Number Three on the all-time list. Typical of Rogers, however, the streak has not been without controversy. After shutting down the Yankees in the Divisional Series, Rogers pitched a second brilliant game against Oakland and, on Sunday, stymied the Cardinal bats with a variety of off-speed, crooked pitches. Things started to get a little testy for Rogers when, in the second inning, Fox TV cameras zeroed in on a dark colored substance on Rogers’ palm. You can say whatever you want. You can agree with Rogers that it was just dirt and that he didn’t even know it was there. You can also agree with Rogers when he claims no one told him to wash the stuff off his hands between innings, yet the chief of the umpiring crew states otherwise.

Believe what you want. For my money, that was pine tar on The Gambler’s hand, pure and simple. My only question concerns why he would be so blatant about it.

Giving Rogers credit, he washed the stuff off after the first inning, and still went on to pitch a hell of a game.

No, Rogers career has not been without controversy. During the 2005 season Rogers pushed a television cameraman to the ground, shoved him several times, and then kicked the camera for good measure. It was a low-point for Rogers, who has never been a favorite of his teammates or the media. Perhaps that has something to do with his caustic personality more than anything else.

Rogers had spent most of his career pitching for the Rangers. In fact, he has left the Rangers and returned on three different occasions. In addition to the Tigers, Rogers has also pitched for the Mets, Yankees, Twins, and a few other teams as well. It seems the southpaw manages to wear out his welcome, in spite of turning in generally great pitching numbers.

Maybe we will never know what that was on Rogers’ hand. If this series goes to six games, we will probably see Rogers again. Stay tuned.