Abolishing the catcher-baserunner collision rule

 Note: all images obtained from a Google image search at google.com

Collisions like these have no place in baseball, and rules changes should be undertaken immediately.

This was supposed to be my usual Twins rant.. er.. blog.  And my next column about my beloved Minnesota Boys of Summer will go up in the next day or two, I promise.  But there’s an issue that came up earlier this week that I just have to comment on, and that’s regarding the tremendous misfortune incurred by the San Francisco Giants and their stud catcher, Buster Posey.  If you haven’t seen the play, here it is (warning: it’s ugly).

A brief description of what happened:  After rallying from 4 runs down in the bottom of the 9^th inning to tie the game at 6-6 this past Wednesday night, May 25^th, the Giants were in a bit of trouble in the top of the 12^th, as the opposing Florida Marlins had put runners on 1^st and 3^rd with one out.  Pinch hitter Emilio Bonifacio lifted a fly ball to short right field, and Giants RF Nate Schierholtz made the catch and fired a laser to Posey on a hop.  Scott Cousins was the Florida baserunner at 3^rd, and he had tagged up and was making a mad dash to the plate.  Posey wasn’t able to field the ball cleanly, but it probably didn’t matter; Cousins launched himself into the defenseless Posey, with the force of a blitzing middle linebacker hitting a quarterback who doesn’t see him until the last second.  Posey writhed on the ground in agony, and it was very obvious why: his left ankle had been pinned under him, and the force of the blow from Cousins force Posey’s ankle to roll in a way the human ankle is not supposed to roll.  Just today, he had surgery to repair three torn ligaments in the ankle, and is out for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Naturally, in the aftermath of such a public, eye-opening event, questions start being asked.  Should this rule change?  Should baserunners be allowed to hurl themselves into completely vulnerable catchers for the sake of scoring a run?  Jayson Stark wrote this column on the subject, and I was surprised at some of the comments made not only by people within the baseball industry, but former catchers as well.  Apparently, this is nothing new; it is simply what you sign up for as catcher, and although the injury is horrific and unfortunate, it was a legal play.  “That’s baseball,” they say.

I could not disagree more.  There is no place for this in the game of baseball, and the rule should have been changed Thursday morning, and hopefully will be in the near future.  Here are some of the (weak) arguments to keep the play legal, as well as my counterarguments:

Argument #1: This is the way it’s always been; catcher-baserunner collisions are part of the game.

This is the biggest joke of an argument I’ve ever heard.  If we kept doing things they way always did them, baseball players still wouldn’t wear helmets in the batter’s box.  Football players would still have helmets made of padded leather.  Basketball would still be played under the rim, and players would be shooting balls into peach baskets.  Sports evolve; rules are meant to be changed.  This rule is no different.

Argument #2: A rule change would be too complicated to implement, and would take too long to take full effect.

I don’t buy that for one second.  Aren’t baserunners called out if they run out of the baseline, everywhere else on the diamond?  Aren’t infielders penalized for impeding a baserunner’s path to the next base, therefore awarding said base to the baserunner?  Rule one: if the baserunner intentionally plows into the catcher, with or without the baseball, without making an attempt to score, he is automatically out and subject to a lengthy suspension.  Rule two: if the catcher, in the absence of the baseball, doesn’t make the plate available for the baserunner to score, the baserunner is automatically given the base.  Can someone please explain to me why these changes don’t make sense?  This brings my opponent to his counterargument…

Argument #3: It is too difficult for the home plate umpire to determine the intent of the baserunner, or the positioning of the catcher relative to when the ball is or isn’t caught, in order to make the proper call.

Um, maybe it’s just me, but hasn’t baseball ALWAYS relied on the subjective judgment of its umpires?  Umpires are allowed to call obstruction, when baserunners impede a fielder’s ability to field a batted or thrown ball.  They’re also allowed to call a balk on a pitcher, easily the loosest, least-defined rule in the game.  Heck, don’t ball and strike calls vary considerably from one umpire to the next?  This is another of many weak arguments so far.

Argument #4: Catchers have all that protective gear on, so they can absorb a blow from a baserunner easier than other fielders.

Are you serious?  I’m sorry, but when did catchers become NFL running backs with shoulder, chest, and knee pads under their jerseys, and helmets encompassing their entire heads?  Apparently I didn’t get that memo.  Because last I checked, catchers wore their equipment outside of their uniforms, and guarded against foul balls that would bounce every which way.  When the manufacturer of catcher protective wear designed his product, did he design it to protect its wearers from 180- to 250- projectile missiles coming at them like freight trains?  Didn’t think so.

Argument #5: If this had happened to a lesser catcher (i.e. Class AAA or fringe major leaguer), we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Now, this is the one point that is valid.  I will concede that we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion had this disastrous event not befallen Buster Posey, a star coming off the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year award, and instead had been suffered by a lesser, and less well-known, player.  But who cares?  It doesn’t matter how the issue first arose; we’re talking about it now, aren’t we?  It’s not going away.  Society is, by nature, reactionary.  And it often takes catastrophic events to prominent figures for change to be made.  Things happen, and we adjust as we best see fit.  Just because nothing has been done about this rule in the game’s history doesn’t make it wrong to act upon it now.

In the 1970 All-Star Game, all-time hits leader Pete Rose bowled over Cleveland catcher Ray Fosse.  His career was never the same.  Just last year, promising young Carlos Santana, also of Cleveland, was run over by Red Sox baserunner Ryan Kalish, and he was fortunate to narrowly miss a catastrophic, career-threatening knee injury.  The evidence is there, right in front of us.

I don’t care that this rule hasn’t been changed in 100 years; better late than never.  The NFL is cracking down on illegal hits.  Concussions are the single biggest issue facing the sports industry today.  To do nothing about this rule, to still put catchers in the line of fire, despite the heightened awareness surrounding safety issues in sports, is stubborn, shortsighted, inane, and just plain wrong.  Don’t listen to Brad Ausmus or Buck Martinez, MLB.  Do the right thing and change the rule.  Baseball will be better because of it.