Pete Rose is about as old school as they come, so it doesn’t come as a shock that he’s being outspoken in his rejection for the new rule banning home plate collisions.
Rose spoke with the Associated Press soon after the new rule was annouced, and he was none too pleased:
“What are they going to do next, you can’t break up a double play?”
“You’re not allowed to pitch inside. The hitters wear more armor than the Humvees in Afghanistan. Now you’re not allowed to try to be safe at home plate?” Rose said. “What’s the game coming to? Evidently the guys making all these rules never played the game of baseball.”
Rose makes some good points, but he does so from an outsider’s perspective. In a day and age where we now know so much about head trauma injuries, the game has to do their part to help players avoid such injuries.
The loss of what was perhaps one of the most, or one of the most phsyical parts of the sport is going to hurt from a fan perspective. MLB did the right thing, but Rose isn’t at fault for being upset that the game he played and help to perfect is slowly changing before his eyes.
H/T: Huffington Post