MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Matt Holliday on Marco Scutaro, 2012.

 

Shane Robinson on Starlin Castro, 2013.

 

Colby Rasmus on Dustin Pedroia, 2012

 

Matt Holliday on Stalin Castro, 2011.

 

Chase Utley on Ruben Tejada, 2010.

 

Notice none of these other guys had their back turned to the runner. The only one who got hurt was Scutaro, who had both legs on the ground, just like Kang.

If all these plays happened, along with others that google images did have easily accessible still shots of, why is this a suspendable offense now?

 

I think the issue here is, and what MLB has a problem with, is Utley was given full access to the back and still reached out with his legs and broke another mans leg... that is the bottom line.

Im not arguing Chase didnt have an opportunity to reach the bag, evidence clearly shows he did, but he went the extra in the take-out move that cost a man his leg. Thats the issue.

 

And furthermore; im all for a hard take-out slide if the 2nd bagger is blocking the bag... then mow him down, but in my opinion, if he is given the bag just take it.

 

Take out slides aren't about the 2nd base bag though, they are about the throw the 1B.

If you pause it right when Tejada is about to catch the ball he is facing right field. Utley can only assume that he will use 2B as a pivot and turn to first as a SS is taught to do. The throw was behind him though so he turned his back to the runner, which a SS is taught to never do. To me this is like a hit in the NFL where the receiver ducks at the last second and that makes it helmet-to-helmet contact. There's no way a defender is going to know a WR is about to duck, and similarly there is no way Utley could know Tejada was about to turn his back to him, especially because that's exactly what you are taught not to do. If Tejada uses the bag as a pivot like he's supposed this isn't a conversation.

 

In my mind, Utleys intent was to take out Tejada. He could have just slid into second, but still in the attempt to disrupt the throw to 1st he injured someone and whether injured or not he still impeded the throw to 1st.

I guess you see it from one way, I another... I happen to agree with Joe Torre on this one and have for a long time never liked the runner going out of his way to blowup the 2nd baseman, but as i stated earlier, if the 2nd baseman is in the way, or impeding the baserunner, then blow him up.

Its all cool , we just disagree... Im curious how the appeal goes. We should know soon.

 

It's a late and hard slide, and I actually don't like the slide itself. That being said though, this kind of slide is commonplace and baseball is reactionary because of the injury as opposed to judging the play itself. If they want to suspend for things like this, then that's fine, but we are going to start it now? In the middle of a playoff series? That's my problem. Baseball changes rules mid season too often (just like that 2B play last year where runners kept being called safe on replay). In 2012 they changed the playoff format after spring training had started. I just think this kind of things needs to be noted and address next month at the owners meetings. If we want to make it something we look at then announce that, meet with the players in spring training over rule changes, and going into a full season with it. That's where my problem with the suspension is.

Also, can we please use this as a teaching moment for kids? Never, EVER, EVER, turn your back to the runner at 2B.

 

Side note, I also disagree with the blocking the plate rule at home, but they did establish that in the offseason, met with players in spring training, and went into the season with it. They should handle this like they handled that one.

 

Utley's slide was late and very very dirty! he didn't want the bag, he wanted to take him out or why else slide so late?

here's the bigger issue...the idiotic umps who review the replay and decide tejeda never touched the bag! like ripken and darling said he left the field of play. he shouldn't be allowed to go back - replay or not. it's like striking out and going to the dugout and then coming back out and going to first bc it was a ball! utley never touched the bag!

terrible MLB. cost the mets the game. i hate the mets so i don't care but what a cluster!

 

I agree, Tigers... the timing is a problem. These things have been going on forever and should have been brought to the table a long time ago, especially before a playoff series, not during.

Its funny/strange how it always takes a death or injury or some kind of substantial loss before someone makes the right move. That aint right.

 

Cat, Utley doesn't have to touch the bag to be safe. A runner is safe until called out. So if he never touches a base, but is never tagged/forced out, and the play ends, then he reverts back to the last base he safely reached. However if he is a forced runner (could be forced out) then he is granted the next base. In this case, he was ruled out, but that ruling was overturned, so he would be granted 2nd base.

The whole thing with him leaving the field and then coming back I don't see as a big deal. The play was ruled dead. MLB has been lenient with players running off and then coming back for a review because at the end of the day whether they stand there or not during a review doesn't really matter.

 

this is one of the things about MLB that bothers me - a lot.

i totally disagree with and dislike the policy of givng the pivot man on a DP the benefit of the doubt and awarding the out at second even if the fielder doesn't actually touch the base while in possession of the ball. wtf? if u don't touch the base, the runner should be safe, and there should ne no need to discuss it.

hockey doesn't award goals for pucks that hit the post but don't go in.

football doesn't say well, he ran 50 yards after u grabbed him, but since u ALMOST tackled him, we'll spot the ball at that point.

seriously, that is some fucked up nonsense right there. touch the base, or the guy's safe. it's not rocket surgery.

 

Chief baseball officer Joe Torre said in a release he believed discipline was warranted because Utley violated the rule against targeting defenseless fielders, particularly around second base. He cited rule 5.09 (a)(13), which, he said, "is designed to protect fielders from precisely this type of rolling block that occurs away from the base."

GUILTY!

 

Those kind of plays can be reviewed now Lulz. If a manager thinks his guy is safe it can be reviewed if he challenges. If a player is NOT on base the whole time of the slide, he can be called out. Most of the reviews are what you are pointing out but even more at whether a player is safe at 1st or not. Polanco (Pirates right fielder) got called out twice in 1 game for not touching the bag the whole time of the slide and the fielder kept his glove on him. But then, Polanco is a terrible base runner. He actually got called out more than those 2 times. It was like, do you know how to slide into 2nd base without coming off at all?

Btw, I'm shocked! The runner has to duck throws to 1st base so you can't eliminate slides. A runner trying to score from 3rd base doen't have to duck. He just barrels into the catcher. The 2 plays are different....

Edit: These kind of plays have gone on since organized baseball started (over 100 years). The reason he's suspended is because another players leg was broken on prime time tele. If Tejhada's leg wasn't broken, there wouldn't be any debate about slides.....Players are taught from an early age to take out the 2nd baseman.....I disagree with the suspension!

 

lol, 'rocket surgery' - i like it.

 

i wish i could take credit for it, but i can't. heard it this summer somewhere - the more i think about it, the more i think it was in an osgood files spot. either osgood himself said it, or (i'm leaning more toward) dave ross.