The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Bob Costas was talking earlier this afternoon as a proponent that the MLB should make a rule change regarding home plate collisions between the catcher and base runner. Historically, the catcher has always held his ground and protects the plate while the base runner often hits the catcher while running at full force. Recent injuries such as a horrific injury to the Giant's Buster Posey has officials considering alternatives such as the base runner having rights to a section of the plate. What do you think?

Mods, please insert poll.

Should MLB change the rules to protect catchers from home plate collisions?

Yes

No

I say yes.  While it's cool to see, you just can't have guys getting hurt or asking guys to get run over at full speed.  It's dangerous and an unneeded hazard.  Plus, the sport is best when the best players are playing, not when they are hurt and on IR.

While it's cool to see the collisions and all the catcher is pretty much defenseless. I would consider myself a bit of a purist but this is something I wouldn't mind changing.

Guess this one slipped by the mods, but my feeling is they should do something to stop the collisions. I am thinking the catcher cannot block the plate unless he has the ball, but there may be better solutions. I remember playing ball and the catcher blocking the plate without the ball. Heck yeah, I am going to plow you down!

Mods, poll please??

The only way I would change it, is that the runner would have to make a play for the plate. Much like when a runner is advancing towards second.

I say absolutely not.

Its part of the game.  If you have a catcher that looks like Patrick Willis, would Bryce Harper think twice about trying to run him over?

The catcher is sometimes the aggressor too - depends on the throw.  You can't allow the runner free reign at the plate.  The Buster Posey injury (over a year and a half ago) was a freak accident, not from getting hit, but from the way he was sitting in front of the plate.  Catchers are wearing pads and a helmet and are the most protected players on the field.  Has one single catcher been injured since Posey? 

Not a fan of changing the rule on this one.

I'd say change the rule. If the catcher has his mask off and the runner still has his helmet and lowers his head prior to the impact, that could be deadly.

If both are not wearing protective headgear at the moment of impact, then, you're asking for an injury at some point. Bodies aren't meant to collide like that w/o someone getting hurt.

Thank you moderator!!  ;D

As I said in my 1st post, the collision with Buster Posey is what got the debate going on changing the rules, but this play is one of the most famous.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fj2B9z4Dbw

^^^ I don't see anything wrong with what Pete Rose did.

No, I didn't either. That was normal play back then and as he said, there was no place to slide. The plate was entirely blocked.

Why should home plate be considered differently than the other bases? Change the rule.

Never seen a guy slide hard into second, nowhere near the bag, to try to break up the double play?

You said slide which is not what happens at home plate frequently. That isn't even close to a slide. To be an accurate comparison you need to ask have you ever seen someone plow into a second baseman?

I don't think the situation allows for it, typically the guy running to second is also getting thrown out so, by definition, he hasn't reached 2nd base yet.  And they typically slide so as to take out their legs.  Not to mention that the guy is turning to throw and its perfectly legal for the 2B to bean him in the face with the ball if he's not in the base path.  Its in the runner's best interest to slide to make that play, and gets him there faster.