Earlier, D.J. Short informed us that Major League Baseball is considering banning collisions at home plate in an effort to better protect catchers. There have been quite a few incidents that have been the impetus of the call for change, most notably when Buster Posey and Scott Cousins collided on May 25, 2011. Posey was hurt badly, as he suffered a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments. Most recently, Tigers catcher Alex Avila was bowled over at home plate by fellow catcher David Ross in Game 5 of the ALCS. Avila didn’t suffer a concussion, but there was concern since Avila was only a couple months separated from a previous concussion.
Another motivating factor is the mess the NFL finds itself in, with many retired players suffering from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The NFL has been the target of many lawsuits as a result. Back in August, the NFL settled with about 18,000 retired players for a total of $765 million. Major League Baseball, seeing this, wants no part of that.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is one of a growing number of former Major Leaguers to support a ban on home plate collisions. Matheny caught for the Cardinals, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Giants over his 13-year Major League career and he was forced into retirement after suffering a concussion in 2007. Via Derrick Goold, here’s what Matheny had to say about the situation:“I do believe that this game will get to the point where there will no longer be a collision at the plate, ” Matheny said during spring training. “And I am 100 percent in support of that. … Can this game survive without that play? I say absolutely.
“Why doesn’t it turn into every other base?” Matheny continued. “It’s a tag play. You get in position to make a tag like a third baseman. No one is going to (level) a third baseman. … I’d love to hear the rebuttal. What I personally witnessed is enough to change my mind. It took me a little longer to get to the realization of risk we’re putting these guys in.”Follow @CrashburnAlley
