Were it not for the overzealous censors at MLB Advanced Media, YouTube clips of Florida’s Scott Cousins absolutely creaming SF catcher Buster Posey on Wednesday night would approach “Faces of Death” status. Ever mindful of how rarely we see such home plate collisions (and with everyone from Posey’s agent to Bruce Bochy suggesting the practice be outlawed), the Palm Beach Post’s Joe Capozzi turned to a man who couldn’t resist such an opportunity in a game that meant nothing.
“That’s good, hard-nosed baseball,’ Rose said Friday after watching TV replays of Wednesday’s collision from his home in Las Vegas.
“I’m sorry Buster got hurt, but that’s the chance you take. That comes with the trade of being a catcher. It was a good hard slide. If (Posey) would’ve had the ball waiting for him, he could have really given it to Cousins.’
“I think he could’ve gotten to the plate without doing that,’ Ray Fosse, an Oakland A’s announcer, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “It was unfortunate. Catchers are very vulnerable. A lot of things can happen.’
“If you can get there before the ball gets to the catcher, you’re going to knock him on his ass. It’s just a fact: You’re going knock him on his ass,’ Rose said, pointing out that the play unfolded too quickly for Cousins to realize that Posey didn’t catch the throw from the outfield.”
“Can you break up a double play and knock a second baseman on his ass?” moaned Rose. “Are we just going to protect these players like you don’t want them to play the game?’