If you saw Jim Boeheim’s
tirade on Saturday after a bang-bang call (it could have been called a blocking
or charging foul) you will expect the same reaction to calls when it comes to
the new plate collisions rules.
All of home plate
collisions have been banned except a one year experiment: if the catcher has
the ball and is blocking the runner's direct path to home plate, and if the
catcher goes into the basepath to field a throw to the plate. I wasn’t alive to
see many of the home plate collisions that I have seen rerunning on
Sportscenter when they were discussing why plate collisions is essential to the
game. Major League Baseball is trying to be as cautious as the National
Football League is with injuries and concussions. I figured there was going to
be a change in this rule when All Star Buster Posey sustained a broken bone in
his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle. I doubt baseball
wants to see their players sustaining season ending injuries and possible career
ending ones as well.
I still feel a lot of
sports rules have their share of gray area and there will be a few
controversial calls, just like the Syracuse vs. Duke Game this past weekend. I
understand why a catcher will block the plate, his job is to prevent runners
from scoring. I would have an issue having a catcher block the plate with his
whole body especially if he doesn’t have the ball, how will a runner be able to
get around the catcher without ramming him. Runners need to protect themselves
as well, catchers have gear to protect their whole body while a runner has a
helmet and the speed approaching home plate as an advantage. The runner can
slide but if there is no room for the runner to slide he is only left one other
option. I don’t see a player jumping over a catcher like Willy Mays Hayes in
Major League.
With new rules being
implemented you also have to look at how umpires officiate them. Umpires can
see calls differently and should read these new rules. I don’t want to hear an
excuse about not knowing all the rules, that’s the job of an officiator, know
the rules and make sure they are being implemented in a right and fair way.
Especially that the video-review system can be used to check if the rule was
violated by a player. I believe this rule was implemented as a safe way to keep
home plate collisions in the game instead of completely banning it. As long as
the runner has some space to slide and the catcher can block the plate I don’t
see any issue with this new rule. We will see how this rules turns out.
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