MLB soon to become a ‘pink tea’

Major league baseball announced Wednesday its intention to ban collisions at home plate. They must be intentionally out to destroy the game, because I can’t believe the GMs and managers on the rules committee could be so naïve to think that such an action is not wrong for a number of reasons.
First, it’s going to be an impossible rule to enforce adequately. It’s going to be, at best, like enforcing pass interference in NFL football, and we all know that the NFL gets THAT wrong half the time.
What’s more, catchers block home plate before they get the ball. They ALWAYS block home plate. It’s in their DNA. What does major league baseball expect a baserunner to do when he sees the catcher blocking his path to a score? Curtsy?
Sandy Alderson, chairman of the baseball rules committee, promises that an “extensive review” of plays that occur at home plate will be made to determine exactly how the rule will be enforced.
Oh, I’m sure everything will be fine, then. Right.
Since the beginning of baseball home plate collisions have been a necessary part of the game. No one was ever killed. Sometimes a catcher or a baserunner missed a game or two for the bruises to heal. What’s the problem?
Collisions can occur at second base, too, and often do. Players run into outfield walls to catch fly balls, so what are they going to do about that? The slippery slopes are endless.
They have these kind of rules in church league slow-pitch softball. Is that what major league baseball is drifting toward?
Alderson says his committee wants to “change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of the game.” Well, la de da. Does he know WHY they’re ordinary and routine and an accepted part of the game? Because doing what the rules committee wants to do has never made an ounce of sense.
One of my favorite all-time baseball quotes was uttered by the immortal Ty Cobb (who, granted, was quite a bit too aggressive for the sport even in his own day), who said. “Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It’s no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It is a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest.”
Cobb is rolling over in his grave now.
So do us all a favor, major league baseball. If you insist that this nutty rule be approved, don’t call it baseball any more. Call it pink tea.