BASEBALL DECIDES NOT TO OUTLAW HOME PLATE COLLISIONS.

BASEBALL DECIDES NOT TO OUTLAW HOME PLATE COLLISIONS. I posted here a couple months ago about the announcement that major league baseball was going to adopt a rule outlawing collisions at home plate. It seemed to be too good to be true, and it turns out that it was. The new rule is described here. It seems likely that there are going to be a lot of issues about interpretation. The main thing is that a collision will be permitted if the catcher has the ball and the runner takes a straight path toward him—that is, the vast majority of collisions will still be permitted. Tony Clark, the head of the players union says; “…coming up with a rule change that allows both the runner and catcher a fair and equal opportunity to score and defend was our mandate….” Clark’s statement, which is in conflict with a goal of ending collisions, shows how emotionally attached players are to the current rule.