On one hand, the rules expressly forbid plowing into any other base. And while I, as a person who appreciates football more than baseball, might find that appealing to my baser instincts, that’s definitely not going to happen and banning it at home allows for consistency.
And of course, you have the injury factor. In all sports there is heightened emphasis on making the games safer, so this is just a part of that trend, and I don’t know if it’s a bad one.
On the other hand, there have been so many iconic moments in baseball where a runner dashes home, sees that the only way he can score is to separate the catcher from the ball, and proceeds to pit his will against that of the catcher. Who wins? We wait until the dust settles for the umpire to tell us.
So what do you think? I am on the fence here but I lean towards tradition and excitement. I am fine for banning it in exhibition games - what Pete Rose did in the All Star Game was reprehensible. The rules on contact - both implicit and agreed upon in a gentlemanly manner - are much different in the NFL Pro Bowl, for example.
I put this in Great Debates instead of IMHO because there is nothing trivial about baseball. This is important.
Speaking personally, I’m fine with a ban. You’re never going to see as many concussions and head injuries in baseball as you do in football, but there’s no sensible reason to allow this. Maybe it’s exciting, but a play at the plate is inherently exciting. Say the runner has a right to the base but can’t load up and try to knock the catcher unconscious and it should be fine.
Too many concussions happening to make it worthwhile. I admit that the plays are exciting but I couldn’t support this at the expense of some guy’s livelihood and long term health.
This seems like a good thing, but not for the stated reason. ISTM most injuries from collisions at home are orthopedic - knee ligaments, separated shoulders, etc. - although ending those would certainly be a good thing. Many of those incidents come from catchers blocking the plate, forcing a collision or some awkward twist of the runner’s leg, too. Catchers’ concussions ISTM are mainly from foul tips, and could only be addressed by continuing to improve the Tools of Ignorance.
I’d like to see targeted slides on double-play balls, where the runner leaving first goes after the fielder rather than the bag, be more closely enforced, even though injuries are rare.
High school baseball has handled both of these over the past few years:
Intentionally running into the catcher in an attempt to make him drop the ball is an automatic out, as well as an automatic ejection.
Also, if a runner going from first to second tries to “take out” the second baseman in an attempt to break up a double play, not only is the runner out, but the batter is out as well even if there was no chance for the batter to have been put out at first base. I don’t see baseball going that far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they let umpires use instant replay to check to see if the batter could have been put out before calling interference, even though it is a judgment call.
This is long overdue. Football has recognized the idiocy of forcing Person A to catch an object while at risk of being annihilated by Person B, and doesn’t seem to have suffered any loss of excitement or macho street cred.