The catcher can always try not BLOCKING the plate.
So if a fielder obstructs the baseline, a base runner is supposed to yield in this author’s view?
EXACTLY! The friggin catcher is blocking the plate. What is the runner supposed to do? You can’t just slide past the guys legs. The CATCHER leaves only two options, get out of the way, or get knocked on your ass. BTW, Rose may be an ass, but Fosse was blocking the plate. He got what he bargained for.