Source: www.latimes.comAuthor: Gary Klein Utility player Mark DeRosa loads a wad of smokeless tobacco while playing for the San Francisco Giants before a game against the Dodgers on March 31, 2011. The use of smokeless tobacco is prevalent in the major leagues. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)   Rick Vanderhook played for Cal State Fullerton's 1984 College World Series championship team and was a Titans assistant when they won two more. So he remembers the days when cans and pouches of smokeless tobacco were omnipresent in the uniform pockets of the participants. Not anymore. The NCAA banned tobacco use on the field in the early 1990s. "It's probably cut back, I'll say, almost 90% compared to what it was 25 years ago," said Vanderhook, who in his fourth season as head coach has guided the Titans back to Omaha, where they will open against defending national champion Vanderbilt on Sunday at 5 p.m. Smokeless tobacco remains ingrained in baseball culture, however, including the college and high school levels where it is banned. "It sounds bad, but it's part of the game," said Fullerton pitcher Thomas Eshelman, echoing nearly every coach and player interviewed for this article. Minor league players can be fined for having tobacco products in their locker or partaking on the field. Major leaguers are prohibited from using tobacco during televised interviews and player appearances, and they cannot carry tobacco products in their uniforms. But they are otherwise not prohibited from using it on the field. Before he died [...]