NEW SUPPORT FOR REDUCING BASEBALL COLLISIONS

NEW SUPPORT FOR REDUCING BASEBALL COLLISIONS. I have posted several times, including here, supporting changes in baseball rules to reduce injuries from collisions. A lot of collisions at home plate and second base occur because of customs that are defy the logic of baseball rules. As Bill James pointed out, defensive players are not permitted to block any other base. Why home plate? At second base, a runner who is out is often permitted to go wandering around away from second base trying to interfere with the defensive play. Now, this article tells how Mike Matheny, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and a major league catcher for 13 years, has joined Bruce Bochy, manager of the San Francisco Giants and a former major league catcher, in calling for rule changes to reduce home plate collisions. This article by Eric Adelson tells how Terry Collins, the manager of the New York Mets, has instructed his rookie catcher, Travis D’Arnaud, not to block the plate. Adelson gives an indication of the traditional feeling of sports writers by referring to “exciting moments like Pete Rose ramming Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game”. That play gave Fosse a broken shoulder, changing Fosse’s career for the worse (see this article by Tracy Ringolsby).