Yes.
There is inherently more drama in knowing that a play at the plate could result in two grown men knocking the bejeezus out of one another. There's really no logical argument you can make to refute it.
No need to take this down the slippery slope.If that's truly the case, why not make the game more exciting my allowing collisions at any base? Better yet, lets go back to the days where plucking a base runner is as good as a tag or a force out. Force outs are kinda boring truthfully. There's real drama in Jay Bruce pegging a runner square in the back as he tries to stretch a double into a triple...
"I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful
Sure there is...senseless violence is not aesthetically pleasing.
Why not? You've just argued that there is inherently more drama in knowing that a play could result in two grown men knocking the bejeezus out of one another... Rather than a slipperly slope, it's a logical extension of your argument. If it is inherently more interesting (i.e. more drama) and removing it from the game would significantly cheapen the game, then why not add more of the element? What would be the logical argument for not making every play associated with a potential for a more violent outcome?
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
I think, if anything, the frequency of collisions and spikes and rough play around the bases has decreased.
From what my faulty brain can remember of the 60's and 70's, guys getting clobbered on the bases was a routine thing. It was expected. About when guys started getting really big money, they started taking offense at it. Which was around the same time that getting knocked down at the plate stopped being OK and mounds got charged.
All completely subjective.
And FWIW, if you don't like collisions, then don't play catcher. I don't like guys getting hurt, but if you put yourself in harms way, you might have to pay the price.
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
I watched it again, and can see your point, but I still stand by my initial statement that Posey was in no man's land.
First, if Cousins tries to go around Posey, and Posey fields the ball cleanly, Cousins is out, as the ball clearly beat him with enough time for Posey to do a sweep tag.
But regardless, even if Cousins shouldn't have tried to run Posey over, Posey was very poorly positioned.
The proper technique that Bench established for making a sweep tag is to be way in front of the plate, and stretch your left leg straight out so that it blocks the plate. This forces the runner to either jump over the leg, or go way around it, and allows you to sweep way behind the plate once you get the ball.
Posey was too close to the plate, and had his leg tucked under him. This gave Cousins a clear path to the plate, through Posey, and made Posey's leg very vulnerable when contact was made.
If Posey is in the correct position there, Cousins can't run him over, and even if he tries, Posey would be fine.
I'm not trying to blame Posey or take blame away from Cousins for a hard slide, but just point out that if Posey had proper technique, he would have not been injured.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
It's a self-policing dynamic.
If you don't want to get run over, don't stand in the baseline.
If you decide to plow into the catcher, plan on subsequently seeing a whole lot of high & tight fastballs each time you step into the batters box against the catcher's teammates.
Running into the catcher became really in vogue about 110 years ago when shin guards appeared and runs were scarce, the 60's and 70's were very scarce run wise, the Fosse collision is famous for its violence, and was essentially Rose's introduction to the country's casual baseball fans.
The need for that run in that game has always been debated, but it was a product of the era, and that same era produced 3 years earlier a 15 inning game for the AS game that was a 2-1 final.
Runs are gold
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
I sure don't get the hand-wringing. It was a clean baseball play. Posey knowingly put himself at risk with where he set up. That kind of play is an inherent risk of playing catcher. Given Posey's value to that team and that he can play 1b, the Giants had the option of removing that risk by stationing him at 1b. They chose not to. And a baseball play happened. Not sure why the fuss or the calls to change the rules.
home plate is a dangerous place....
YouTube - ‪Collision at Home Plate‬‏
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
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