Posted on 05/26/2011 11:57:37 AM PDT by ZGuy
[Buster Posey, last year's Rookie of the Year is out for the season with a broken leg sustained on a collision at the plate last night. This is a major loss to the S.F. Giants. This blog post is in response to that hit.]
Barreling into a catcher adds nothing to the game of baseball. It never has. Every time I'd watch Pete Rose barrel into Ray Fosse, I'd think how messed up it was. It never really hit home until now, but it's the only element of contact in a non-contact sport. It's like the NFL using Scrabble to decide games that are tied after regulation -- it's the exact opposite of how the rest of the game is played.
Take-out slides at second can cause an injury, but there's something more organic about sliding a little late or wide. A player putting his head down and leveling a catcher is legal, and it's nonsense. I understand the logistical aspect -- you can't run through second or third base, so you have to slide,and first base is a force out, so there's no reason to knock the ball out of the first baseman's hands.
But there has to be a way to eliminate crazy-violent collisions at home plate. You can't decimate a catcher in college. They're able to enforce that somehow. There's no way to eliminate contact altogether, but there's a way to eliminate the strategy of plowing into a catcher so hard that he drops the ball. We're storming the administration building, folks. We're going to burn bras and draft cards and effigies, and we'll get this fixed.
After we stop openly weeping.
(Excerpt) Read more at mccoveychronicles.com ...
Maybe the catchers feel that the best way to protect the plate and insure the out is to block the plate in preparation of the collision........Seems to me, the catching community would have already thought of that stupid idea and put it to use if they thought it would work.
I'm thinking they did and it didn't.....decades ago
First Basemen are rarely run into because it's a force at firstbase by rule. OTOH, they do get spiked with some frequency. It all depends on the nature of the throw. Middle infielders get run at with greater frequency when baserunners attempt to break up double-plays. It's part of the game.
The catcher is taught to block the plate and there is a technique to it. He's just very vulnerable while receiving the throw from Right Field.
I feel bad for Posey, but he's young and he will bounce back from this. I bet he doesn't give an inch on his next play at the plate. That's how it's done in the Bigs.
The Womens’ Softball League plays pretty rough, too; perhaps, after all, baseball should be banned in America in favor of... oh... tiddly winks?
Where the heck did you ever get that idea? Have you ever played the game? There is no such thing as "interference in blocking a base" if there is a play being made at that base.
Someone has already quoted the rule. A fielder may not block the runner's progress to the base unless the fielder has the ball. Home plate is no different, although as several have pointed out, it is not generally called by the umpires consistently with the way that the rule is written.
He's right. Blocking the base without the ball is interference and by rule the runner gets a free advance to the base.
No, you don’t get it... that’s the only time it happens. When the catcher has the ball, in plenty of time to tag the runner out, he is allowed to block the plate. At that time, the only option remaining to the runner is to try to knock it loose through a collision. It’s a last ditch, hail mary attempt. If the catcher blocks with OUT having clear control of the ball, they WILL get called for interference.
It’s kind of like our relationship with Mexico.
Bottom line, if a catcher is afraid to block the plate, he’s not going to be playing in the bigs. If he’s in the bigs and he DEVELOPS a fear of blocking the plate, he won’t be in the bigs for long, unless as a pu$$y DH in the AL.
Bottom line, if a catcher is afraid to block the plate, he’s not going to be playing in the bigs. If he’s in the bigs and he DEVELOPS a fear of blocking the plate, he won’t be in the bigs for long, unless as a pu$$y DH in the AL.
HE'S WRONG. The rule only applies if there is no ball thrown to the base (in other words, no play) and any attempt to block passage of the baserunner is interference.
A defensive player has every right to position himself at whichever base the ball is being thrown to in order to make the out.......
Dear Mr. Brisbee,
I spent a few years living in Leesburg, Ga, happened to be Posey’s last few years he played High School there. It’s where he grew up.
Leesburg is a cotton and peanut town in sw Ga and is fortunate to have the beautiful kinchafoonee creek running through it. The summers are brutal. The gators and cottonmouths adult. The gnats and skeeters relentless. Leesburg folks love their hs baseball and football.
They don’t grow pussies there Mr. Brisbee, unlike where you’re from. Buster doesn’t need you helping to pussify the sport he dearly loves. Matter of fact, if Posey heard you say that...he’d prolly bust you right in the mouth, and unfortunately for you, he was called “One punch Posey” in high school, so I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you.
Have a nice day.
By the rules of baseball, a runner has the right to an unobstructed path to a base. However, this right is not granted if the fielder guarding the base possesses the ball or is in the process of catching the ball.
The fielders guarding first through third base are unlikely to risk physical harm and will generally place themselves out of the path of the runner. The catcher guarding home plate, however, wears padding and a face mask and will frequently place his body as an obstacle between the runner and home plate. Since the runner does not have to worry about remaining on home plate, only tagging it, he will run at full speed in an effort to reach the final base. The speed of the runner combined with the fact that the catcher still has to tag him (unless the bases are loaded and the force play at home is still available) makes for a dramatic play.
I did a facepalm on this one. It’s like the author actually knew the answer, but then didn’t see it.
Yes, you slide into second base, because you don’t want to overrun the base. (Of course, you can also run right through the base if you want, and if the shortstop is stupid enough to stand on the base, you can level him).
But there is no reason to slide into home, if you don’t want to. You can run through home as fast as you want, because as soon as you touch it, you are safe. (this is the same as overrunning first base, so long as you turn away from 2nd, and there are very few slides into first).
BTW, note that at first base, the play is always a force. So the first baseman only has to touch the bag while holding the ball; this means the 1st baseman can be well out of the way of the incoming runner, who then runs over the base.
NOW, at home plate, most plays are tag-outs. So you have a situation where the catcher has to tag the runner with the ball before the runner touches the plate. And the runner can run full speed across the plate.
So, the catcher BLOCKS the plate, because if the catcher stands out of the way of the runner, the runner could avoid the tag (btw, at first base, if there is a play BACK to the bag, the 1st baseman will also block the base if they can, and the runner won’t run over him ONLY because if he did, he’d be out after overruning the bag).
So, home plate is unique. The catcher can avoid being run over by standing out of the way, but then will have a hard time tagging the runner (this has made some cool plays at the plate, with the catcher blocking, people sliding past and trying to touch from behind, etc.).
But when the catcher decides to completely block the plate, the runner has no real choice. What, is he supposed to give up? Run back to 3rd? (BTW, if he runs back to 3rd and the 3rd baseman tries to block the base, he COULD run over the 3rd baseman).
So how would you possibly change the rules to prevent collisions at the plate? The runner has a right to try to reach the plate. The runner can’t leave the basepath and hit the catcher, but has to be allowed to run through the plate whether the catcher is there or not.
And frankly, few players want to risk getting broken.
it’s worse than that - he has made it clear he’s an inconsistent self-serving clown
You can’t squat in front of first base and block the runner from touching the bag, or second or third for that matter. It should be the same at home.
It's not necessary at first base since only the first baseman's foot must make contact with the base upon the receipt of the throw..........
Tell me, have you ever played competitive baseball or softball or are you just one of those wannabees who think the rules should be in accordance of your own perception of the game?
the rules totally agree with you - to the point of having the ball or not
Thank you. Every other position player takes care not to stand in the basepath and get called for interference and the catchers plop right down in it. No change in the rules is necessary...just start calling it correctly. And btw, make the damn shortstop touch second base on the double play while you’re at it.
What would happen if the first baseman did what the catcher does at home, iow, blocked the base so the runner couldn’t get to it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.