The Other McCain

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Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?

Posted on | December 15, 2013 | 29 Comments

The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher trying to make the tag — dude, that’s baseball.

So the news that Major League Baseball is planning to ban home plate collisions has sparked outrage from fans.

Pete Da Tech Guy provides a sample of the reaction and asks: “Hey, why not just enforce the existing rules?” Y’know, like immigration?

 

Category: Sports

Comments

29 Responses to “Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?”

  1. MrEvilMatt
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/W2pV9GrZFd

  2. CHideout
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/nCtW60Cdyq

  3. MrEvilMatt
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/tCEM6iDwLo

  4. Resista38176897
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/Lg0UQYeCBp

  5. jwbrown1969
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/ijf4bMlMqK

  6. Lockestep1776
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/wZbPJG8q27

  7. Citzcom
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:19 am

    Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball?: The collision at home plate between a runner trying to score and a catcher … http://t.co/7Po5frrUg1

  8. rsmccain
    December 15th, 2013 @ 8:29 am

    RT @commonpatriot: via @rsmccain: Baseball Plans to Ban … Baseball? http://t.co/0KAe2LH2J3 #tcot

  9. Quartermaster
    December 15th, 2013 @ 9:24 am

    Intolerant H8erz! Your love of violence marks you! /sarc

  10. Wombat_socho
    December 15th, 2013 @ 9:30 am

    No, that’s football. And quoting Pete Rose on this, after he ended another player’s career with exactly this kind of illegal play, is a sign you’ve already lost the argument. They got rid of spiking players years ago, and it’s time for this to be done away with as well.

  11. Earl Scruggs
    December 15th, 2013 @ 9:44 am

    Whose career did Rosé end? Is it legal for catchers to block the plate?

    And hitting in football is illegal now, too.

    Just saying.

  12. Dana
    December 15th, 2013 @ 10:32 am

    Ray Fosse was blocking home plate in the Al Star Game, when Mr Rose scored. Mr Fosse was blocking the plate, which was against the rules.

    Mr Fosse injured his shoulder on the play. The hit didn’t end his career, but he was never the same player after it, and was out of baseball soon enough.

    Like Mr Rose said, “Evidently the guys making all these rules never played the game of baseball.”

  13. Matthew W
    December 15th, 2013 @ 11:01 am

    Back in the day when I played ball, I played f’ing hard.
    But, I never approved of collisions at the plate unless it was a game winning play.

    It’s not allowed at the bases.
    I think it is one of baseball’s stupid traditions that should go away.

  14. Matthew W
    December 15th, 2013 @ 11:17 am

    If the catcher has the ball or is in the act of catching the ball, he has the right to the plate. Otherwise the runner is entitled to an unobstructed base path.

  15. Earl Scruggs
    December 15th, 2013 @ 11:33 am

    Fosse left baseball 8 years later.

  16. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    December 15th, 2013 @ 11:38 am

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fj2B9z4Dbw Let’s just watch it again, shall we?

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  18. Quartermaster
    December 15th, 2013 @ 12:54 pm

    If the catcher blocks the base path, catching a ball or not, he takes his chances. The runner also has a right to the base path.

  19. Matthew W
    December 15th, 2013 @ 1:06 pm

    Kind of.
    Yes the catcher is always taking a chance but if the catcher has the ball, he has a right to protect the plate. The runner then is taking a chance.

  20. K-Bob
    December 15th, 2013 @ 1:53 pm

    They should use a softer ball, and get rid of those dangerous bats.

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    December 15th, 2013 @ 5:49 pm

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  22. Quartermaster
    December 15th, 2013 @ 6:07 pm

    Both are. It’s part of the game.

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    December 15th, 2013 @ 6:12 pm

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  24. Adjoran
    December 16th, 2013 @ 4:25 am

    Rose’s play was not then nor now illegal. The proposed rule change is if the catcher has the ball, in which case he has the undisputed right to block the plate. Fosse did not have the ball when he blocked the plate, he was the one illegally obstructing the runner’s path.

  25. Adjoran
    December 16th, 2013 @ 4:29 am

    In the case of the catcher being “in the act” of catching the ball, there is always a split second where he must obstruct the plate before the ball arrives, in which case both have the right to be where they are under the rules. Does baseball propose to resolve this case always in favor of the catcher? It would have an effect on strategy, making it less productive to wave a runner home if it was going to be close.

  26. Adjoran
    December 16th, 2013 @ 4:34 am

    I agree with Rose. In fact, the benefits of the few significant rules changes are debatable.

    I strongly suspect the number of concussions in baseball are far more the result of incidents with the batter and those involving the runner at home are very rare. And both are far fewer than in football, soccer, rugby, and I believe even basketball.

  27. Wombat_socho
    December 16th, 2013 @ 9:18 am

    Yes, and for most of that time he was a marginal player, not the All-Star he was in 1970.

  28. Wombat_socho
    December 16th, 2013 @ 9:19 am

    And I’m okay with that. If I want to watch a full-contact sport with occasional brawling, there’s always the NHL.

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