Now begins the offseason of baseball. Probably just as exciting as the regular season itself. With all of the trades and signings going on it really is Christmas for baseball fans to see what will be in store for baseball in 2016. I am here to talk about the potential rule changes that could be discussed and subsequently changed for the upcoming season.
We all know the biggest one that will be talked about are the slides into second base where the primary discussions began, believe it or not, in the regular season a couple of months back when the Cubs’ Chris Coghlan slid hard into the Pirates rookie second baseman Jung Ho Kang (who was in serious contention for Rookie of the Year honors) breaking his leg and thus ending the rookie’s amazing season.
Then, the discussion was thrust back into the spotlight with Chase Utley’s slide in the playoffs that broke the Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada’s leg. Utley was suspended by MLB but appealed it and was able to play the final three games of the series (He got one at-bat the rest of the way).
Baseball has been around for over a hundred years. It hasn’t changed much and it shouldn’t change now. I mean, just go back to the 70’s through the 90’s and see how hard the “take out” slides were at second base. I’ll tell ya, it is a lot tamer now than it was then believe me. Where was the outcry for rule change then? Not there. Why? Because players and owners have gotten soft today. Also, American greed. Money is the biggest factor here. These players are invested in big time by the teams nowadays. But here’s what you do: You teach them how to defend themselves better and teach them how to be smart on plays like that.
While I agree that dirty slides (i.e. Utley’s slide) need to not happen, and the way to handle that is punishment not rule change. I also don’t agree with the “Buster Posey” rule (and I’m a diehard Giants and Posey fan). As a baseball player, you learn how to make adjustments as best as you can so that the injury does not occur again to the best of your ability. Collisions at the plate were a part of the game. It was part of what made baseball, well, baseball. That rule was created because of two things:
1. It was Buster Posey -- A Rookie of the Year, MVP, and World Champion catcher. He puts butts in the seats. --THERE IT IS AGAIN! MONEY!-- If that injury had happened to any lesser of a catcher there may have been some punishment handed down but certainly not a rule change (Well, maybe. Which leads me into my second point).
2. Concussions. At the time this particular injury occurred, the concussion discussion was well into the heat of the fire with the NFL. MLB saw an opportunity, and took it to cover themselves from it happening to them. Now they are trying to figure something out about comebackers to the pitcher.
Back to the take out slides at second. The only reason Chase Utley was suspended and punished in this case was because it caused injury. Just so everyone is aware, the overwhelming majority of slides into second base do not cause injury. It is unsettling to me that MLB’s reaction to everything now is: “RULE CHANGE!” “RULE CHANGE!”
Get a grip. Again, baseball players are very adaptive athletes. They learn quite quickly on these things and make adjustments as best as they can. Instead of rule change, make the punishments more consistent and tough. Please do not make the “Kang-Tejada Rule” happen. Stop the rule changing.
Let baseball be baseball.