Charlie Hustle, who famously
flattened Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 1970 All-Star game, couldn't believe
Major League Baseball intends to eliminate home-plate collisions by 2015 at the latest.
"What are they going to do next, you can't break up a double play?" Rose said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press after MLB announced its plan Wednesday.
"You're not allowed to pitch inside. The hitters wear more armor than the Humvees in Afghanistan. Now you're not allowed to try to be safe at home plate?" Rose said. "What's the game coming to? Evidently the guys making all these rules never played the game of baseball."
In an attempt to make the game "safer", baseball will further soften it's minor, but yet, indispensably aggressive element.
You want to avoid a home plate collision? Don't block the plate without the ball in your mitt.
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, chairman of the rules committee, made the announcement at the winter meetings, saying the change would go into effect for next season if the players' association approved. Safety and concern over concussions were major factors — fans still cringe at the thought of the season-ending hit Buster Posey absorbed in 2011.
"Ultimately what we want to do is change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of the game," Alderson said. "The costs associated in terms of health and injury just no longer warrant the status quo."
In a sport long bound by tradition, a ban will be a major step.
AP
28 comments:
I think I would need to see the exact wording of the rules change. I've seen reasonable rules for kids, and while their kids and not adults; I don't think the ruling detracted from the actual game. However, I'm an Astros fan, so my enthusiasm for various baseball rulings keep me from wanting to seek the specifics.
From what I've seen in practice; I think you shouldn't be able to block the plate without the ball. That's interference if it occurs anywhere else, so it should be with homeplate. Once you have the ball, you should be able to be a wall anywhere from the plate to along the baseline.
The next controversy comes from the runner. If the catcher doesn't have the ball, then he's interference and you can run them over. But if the have the ball... well the game for the runner is to get the catcher to lose the ball by creating a severe enough impact for them to drop the ball. I think this should be regulated. After all, you can't break up a double play by running through the bag and touching the fielder. You shouldn't be allowed to just tackle to catcher. If the catcher has the ball and you're not at the plate; then you either deal with tag or attempt to retreat to third. Think of it as reverse roughing the passer or kicker. You can't hit them if they have the ball.
Safety and concern over concussions were major factors — fans still cringe at the thought of the season-ending hit Buster Posey absorbed in 2011,
WTF does that run-on nonsequitur even mean?
I know it's popular to think that mail brains are not in their heads, but Posey broke his leg. Fosse fractured his shoulder.
Chrissakes, baseball is boring enough as it is.
Baseball isn't boring, it's cerebral :)
But banning collisions? Yeah, let's go from looking the other way with steroids, to nicey-nicey rules.
Open and shut case. No team owner wants to have a $5 million catcher knocked out with injuries.
They obviously see what the media and the medical community and libruls are doing to football and so MLB wants to avoid that down the road.
In a country where the highest value is NOT risking life and limb in any endeavor, because no endeavor is worth it...well, all I can say is that Ty Cobb is weeping in baseball heaven.
I agree with this most welcome change.
They should add one additional rule and have the catcher wear a dress.
We don't need baseball reform.
What we need is tort reform.
Are they banning blocking the plate too?
Let the vaginization of the country continue full speed ahead into the impenetrable wall of stupid.
Smart words Leland.
Are they banning blocking the plate too?
It's going to be interesting to see how the rule is going to be worded.
How they avoid running up against the wall of the impossible.
You know. The ball has to be hit, caught and if you are running to any base other than first w/o the possibility of a force play, you are going to have to be tagged out. Period.
well.. maybe period is not what I'm going for there. if you know what I mean.
Yeah, NFL football is such a pussy sport now that I only saw several guys have season ending injuries last Sunday. In the old days, those injuries would have been CAREER ending, god damnit!
Baseball has been a pussy sport ever since they went to the live ball to promote the biggest pussy the game ever knew: Babe Ruth. All that to fool people into caring about a rigged sport.
You know. The ball has to be hit, caught and if you are running to any base other than first w/o the possibility of a force play, you are going to have to be tagged out. Period.
At those bases, the runner has to at least try to slide, too.
They should add one additional rule and have the catcher wear a dress.
That would be counter-productive. If you make the catcher wear a dress half the Yankees would be colliding with him just on their way up to bat.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
In the immortal words of Crazy Nancy Pelosi --
"Embrace the Suck!"
You see running into the catcher is bullying. We can't have that now can we?
Plus they should outlaw spitting and scratching your balls. Plus o
50% of the team must consist of women, minorities, homosexuals, transgender types and the handicapped. Playing ability is not an appropriate or legal measure of who should be on the team.
Also the keeping of the score is problematic.
That is why the general manager of the Mets is so deeply involved in this.
It doesn't matter whether it is white or not as long as it is just based on performance. Not on government mandates.
Sports was one of the few places where your talent is what determined if you play.
I hope it stays that way.
Somehow I don't think it will.
I think hitting the ball is inherently confrontational.
Baseball should transition to talking through a solution to their disagreements, sharing their feelings about the heteronormative microaggressions of some being hitters and some being catchers.
Televise the conversations. Vin Scully could fill time talking about different therapy techniques over the decades.
It's always a white ball that's getting hit. The knockout game, trying to knock it out of the ballpark.
It's rare to see a guy diving for a ball, because they fear getting injured and loosing out on a contract extension.
This is only going to intensify that risk averse playing style that is ruining the game.
The days of a Derek Jeter diving into the stands for a foul ball are gone.
Baseball should transition to talking through a solution to their disagreements, sharing their feelings about the heteronormative microaggressions of some being hitters and some being catchers.
THis sounds similar to the Monty Python skit with the soccer game between the German and Greek philosophers.
But instead of doing some sort of encounter group therapy, let's get Jerry Springer to do it. Or better still, Maury Povich! Yeah, and that way we could have women in the audience trying to find out who their baby-daddy's are! Of course, this will up the level of violence, but that's really a good thing. Plus Maury and Jerry know how to end a show in one hour. A win for everyone!
This is only going to intensify that risk averse playing style that is ruining the game.
Would you want to risk getting a Cano-sized contract?
"They should add one additional rule and have the catcher wear a dress."
Beard-tugging optional.
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