Just Who's Overrated?

Alex Rodriguez's off-the-field antics often
 draw more attention than he'd like.

I'm no fan of Alex Rodriguez, or any player who used performance-enhancing drugs, but it's hard to believe that a Sports Illustrated poll of major league players decreed him the most overrated player. Joba Chamberlain and Derek Jeter held down the next two spots on the list. It's interesting that all three are Yankees.

I suspect this vote against A-Rod has little to do with on-field accomplishments, or even use of PEDs. It seems to me A-Rod's behavior hasn't helped him gain his colleagues' esteem: off the field he often comes across as disingenuous; on the field he does off things like trying to slap the ball out of a fielder's glove.

The reaction of the players parallels that of Hall of Fame voters. Players who the press didn't like -- Jim Rice, of the Boston Red Sox, comes to mind -- often have trouble getting elected. Other players, who the press portrayed as likable, have smoother paths to the Hall. Kirby Puckett, of the Minnesota Twins, who some thought didn't measure up to the honor, comes to mind.

Excuse Me, I Want to Score

Pete Rose slams into catcher Ray Fosse
in the 1970 All-Star Game.

Buster Posey broke his ankle protecting home plate last night. He's not the first catcher to be injured blocking a runner from the dish. But to hear his agent tell it, he should be the last.

Jeff Berry, the agent for the San Francisco Giants' catcher, likened collisions at the plate to helmet-to-helmet hits in the NFL. He called for an end to the practice of runners slamming into catchers. The debate has started. Jim Rice, the Boston Red Sox star of the 1970s and '80s, has already weighed in, saying such plays are a part of the game.

I don't know when base runners first decided slamming into the catcher was a good idea. The first time I remember it being controversial was Pete Rose's destruction of Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game. Mostly I remember the controversy being about whether such a rough play had a place in a game that doesn't count in the standings.

Plays at the plate are among the most exciting. The crowd is roaring, the catcher is waiting for the ball and the runner is barreling toward him. The moment when ball and runner arrive at the plate is thrilling. The results, like last night, can be devastating for the catcher. Sometimes, of course, the runner gets the worst of it. Nyjer Morgan, of the Milwaukee Brewers, was injured earlier this season scoring a key run. Last year, Morgan ignited a brawl on a similar play.

In the more than 40 years I have been watching big league ball, collisions at the plate have been part of the game. With emotions raw, sometimes they have sparked fights. It's a shame when someone gets injured. But now a star has been injured.

Will baseball change its rules? I wouldn't think so. But when a star gets injured you never know. Certainly the vote from the Bay Area would be for a change.

If a change is decided on, baseball need look nor further than the NCAA, which outlaws a runner from lowering his shoulder into a catcher who is blocking the plate while in possession of the ball. The colleges still allow collisions, but ban the most violent kind. The replay of the Posey play shows him blocking the plate before the ball arrives. So maybe no rules would have helped him.

Maybe it's worth considering.

Infield Shift, Part II

In an earlier post on the expanded use of the infield shift, I questioned why more hitters don't just hit the ball the other way. One factor I didn't consider was mentioned by my Dad: Hurlers try to make sure they pitch to spots that make it harder for batters to defeat the shift. That makes a lot of sense.

Interestingly, I found an article about Cy Williams which mentions that managers used a "Ted Williams Shift" against him in the outfield. The name is a bit of a misnomer: Cy's career ended in 1930, so the strategy pre-dated Ted's major league career, which began in 1939.

Jim Rice, the Boston Red Sox slugger of the 1970s, faced an unusual shift: four outfielders. were arrayed against him. I have to admit that this maneuver has faded from my memory. And it turns out New York Mets Manager Gil Hodges employed a similar alignment in the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. And it also was used against Willie McCovey.

In baseball, it often seems that a great new strategy turns out to have its roots in distant decades.