You cannot tag the green first base base

[Bulldog Bruce]

That’s the thing. Where were all the injuries this is supposed to prevent? They’re not there. If we want to prevent injuries, let’s look at the pitchers. If you don’t have a couple of Tommy John’s on you staff every year, you’re the rare exception. Change si they pitch underhanded which puts much much less stress on you arm & shoulder. Ridiculous? Of course. But so is a green base to prevent a problem that never existed. And created problems of its own.

I told you I personally saw TWO guys get a broken wrist from collisions at first base while I was playing.

It's like running into the catcher. There are only 3 examples I can think of off the top of my head where a catcher got truly destroyed. Buster Posey, Ray Fosse, Buck Martinez all had career ending or career shortening collisions. So since it's only a handful of guys we should bring back being able knock out the catcher? Just because you don't know of the injuries doesn't make it a non- problem.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

I personally do not have a problem with the green base from a safety standpoint. I just think the fielder should be able to tag it as well seeing that he rubber also can

The reason they are two different colors is because the safety bag doesn't actually exist. It is there solely to help avoid collisions. The runner can only touch the green base on plays at first base. If he hits a double or triple or HR he has to touch the white one. This is not that difficult. Hence morons.

 

[Ozarkdawg]

The reason they are two different colors is because the safety bag doesn't actually exist. It is there solely to help avoid collisions. The runner can only touch the green base on plays at first base. If he hits a double or triple or HR he has to touch the white one. This is not that difficult. Hence morons.

I'm in favor of the safety base but I do think there should be an exception for the fielder if he is having to come back to 1st to make a play (IE. the throw pulls him foul, or he fields a ball in foul territory after it has passed the base). If he is in foul territory and coming back, they have him crossing the green to get to the white to make the out, so that puts him right back in the runners path.

 

[patdog]

I told you I personally saw TWO guys get a broken wrist from collisions at first base while I was playing.

It's like running into the catcher. There are only 3 examples I can think of off the top of my head where a catcher got truly destroyed. Buster Posey, Ray Fosse, Buck Martinez all had career ending or career shortening collisions. So since it's only a handful of guys we should bring back being able knock out the catcher? Just because you don't know of the injuries doesn't make it a non- problem.

Come on Bruce. All 3 of those were collisions at home plate. The green bag would do nothing for those. Maybe we need a green 2nd home plate.

BTW, MLB has addressed this issue at all bases with larger bases. And here my radical idea to reduce collisions at the play. Change rule that catcher no longer has to tag the runner, just touch the base like in a force play.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Come on Bruce. All 3 of those were collisions at home plate. The green bag would do nothing for those. Maybe we need a green 2nd home plate.

My God you are just proving my point. I said I have personally seen 2 First Baseman get broken wrists on collisions at first base while I was playing.

I brought up to catchers because they were high profile examples and the rules were changed to protect them. It's also shows that all these cases are not common but the they do exist.

I could also get into middle infielders. They might have the most occurances of dangerous collisions. They initially tried to handle it with the "neighborhood" calls, but you still had people targeting those players. The interference rule was always in the books, just never called. Then they outlawed the Barrel roll slide since that seemed to be most dangerous. Now they force the runner to slide to the base and no contact is allowed. Much less middle infielders getting knee surgery in today's game.

Yes all these collisions have been relatively rare through the history of the game but they have occurred and they have ruined careers. Rules that protect players and are reasonable are good things.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

I'm in favor of the safety base but I do think there should be an exception for the fielder if he is having to come back to 1st to make a play (IE. the throw pulls him foul, or he fields a ball in foul territory after it has passed the base). If he is in foul territory and coming back, they have him crossing the green to get to the white to make the out, so that puts him right back in the runners path.

Agree that it is definitely something they should consider. However, You see how any change puts people in a frenzy. They tried to implement something that wouldn't change the game. If the whole bag was available for all plays, throws would not have to be as accurate and it would favor the defense. Baseball doesn't need to make offense harder. They could have just made the base bigger and put it all in fair territory and people would still complain.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

I thought the green base was silly (not an abomination, just fluff), but if Bruce Castoria says it's actually good, I'll defer to him.

 

[seshomoru]

Well, it’s certainly reassuring to know that they took by far and away the most horrid rule in all of sports, and somehow made it even worse.

You talking about the safety base or the dropped third.

I don’t mind the safety base. Kind of can’t believe it took so long.

I can nerd out on why the dropped third exists if that’s the one you’re talking about.

 

[Duggar Hall Desk]

If the green bag is there for the runner to avoid leg/ankle injuries due to contact, then it should apply both ways.
The 1st baseman should be able to use it too, so leg/ankle injuries due to contact are avoided.

I don't follow your logic here. The whole point of the safety bag is so the runner and the fielder aren't trying to step on the same bag. First, the runner doesn't have the option to use either side - he has to use the safety side as he's running through. Second, if the fielder can use either side, there's no point in having a safety side at all. It's like you're saying, if baseball creates a rule to reduce the chance of contact, then baseball should make the rule so that it doesn't actually reduce the chance of contact.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

If the green bag is there for the runner to avoid leg/ankle injuries due to contact, then it should apply both ways.
The 1st baseman should be able to use it too, so leg/ankle injuries due to contact are avoided.

You’re such a socialist

 

[mstateglfr]

I don't follow your logic here. The whole point of the safety bag is so the runner and the fielder aren't trying to step on the same bag. First, the runner doesn't have the option to use either side - he has to use the safety side as he's running through. Second, if the fielder can use either side, there's no point in having a safety side at all. It's like you're saying, if baseball creates a rule to reduce the chance of contact, then baseball should make the rule so that it doesn't actually reduce the chance of contact.

The runner should be able to use either side to avoid a collision.
The fielder should be able to use either sitode avoid a collision.

If it exists to reduce collision, then let's have it do that.

 

[Duggar Hall Desk]

The runner should be able to use either side to avoid a collision.
The fielder should be able to use either sitode avoid a collision.

If it exists to reduce collision, then let's have it do that.

I get what you are saying - it just seems counterintuitive to me.

 

[mstateglfr]

I get what you are saying - it just seems counterintuitive to me.

Maybe just make it one long base and allow both sides to use whatever side they need to avoid collision.

If the fielder has to cross over the green bag to touch the field bag, then they are going across the runner's path.
That sets up the potential for a collision...which is the reason why the additional bag exists to solve.


...or keep it as is. Or get bigger bags.

 

[patdog]

Maybe just make it one long base and allow both sides to use whatever side they need to avoid collision.

If the fielder has to cross over the green bag to touch the field bag, then they are going across the runner's path.
That sets up the potential for a collision...which is the reason why the additional bag exists to solve.


...or keep it as is. Or get bigger bags.

Just get the MLB bigger bags. Much simpler & solved the problem that really wasn’t that much of a problem to begin with.

 

[bolddogge]

As a First baseman I like the safety base. It is handled properly. The white base is for the fielder except for a dropped third strike where the catcher has to throw from foul ground and then the base flips for both runner and fielder. Pretty simple to understand. I saw multiple first baseman suffer some pretty serious wrist injuries by having to move into the runner to catch a ball. Also the running lane to the right of the line caused much more confusion and was hardly ever called.

The baserunner doesn't always know where the catcher is throwing from... I guess there will always be exceptions.

 

[thekimmer]

The safety base is not a bad concept. It just appears it might need a little refinement based on the play that sparked this convo.

One way would be to make the safety base a plate to make it easier for a receiving fielder to find the actual 1B on throws that stray outside the baseline. Another is change the rule allowing an exception for the fielder to tag the safety base in instances where the fielder is forced outside the baseline to receive a throw.

I would prefer the latter as that would avoid the disaster waiting to happen of a fielder stepping across a safety base that a runner is sprinting toward.