Buster Busted

As of this morning, Giants catcher, reigning Rookie of the Year and franchise cornerstone Buster Posey has a broken ankle and probable ligament tears. (CSNBayArea.com Initial Story) His year is over and the Giants' chances of even making the playoffs seem dim.What makes him so great, isn't his offensive production, (which will be sorely missed on this already light-hitting team) but it's his intangibles. Buster's gifts are his leadership, play-calling and presence. His stats go down as the pitcher's but he has everything to do with the success of the Giants' amazing rotation. We don't win the World Series without him, last year or any year. I guarantee the Giants' front office and GM Brian Sabean are scrambling to find someone to fill Buster's shoes. Sorry, but Chris Stewart isn't going to do it. Eli Whiteside is a good receiver and game caller but he's a backup, not a starter.

The issue brought up by this tragedy is spreading the nation by wildfire. ESPN, Twitter, Facebook, all parties are weighing on one thing: Was Scott Cousins tackle of Posey clean or dirty? I have to agree with ESPN's Buster Olney and Posey's agent Jeff Berry on this one - this was a clean play given old rules and an old style of baseball. If an infielder can be called for obstruction when impeding the basepath of a runner, then why should catchers be expected to stand still and wait for a collision at home plate. Quarterbacks in the NFL do not get hit that hard. There should be a change, Cousins did not have to blow Posey up, and if it en James Harrison of the Steelers running down the line everyone would'vew expected Posey to mak the same play yet Harrison would've been slapped with a fine. Let's face it, Cousins blew Posey up, but anyone would have given the circumstances, it's physics. Buster Posey should become the poster boy for a major rules change in Major League Baseball. This is a non contact sport, you can't expect players to willingly blow each other up.

Talk about a crossroads, this could be a career altering injury for Posey. He may never be the same and the Giants' hopes of multiple championships hang in the balance. If I ran the organization I would spearhead the rules changing campaign and I would be drafting a formal letter to the commisioner today. Pete Rose ruined Ray Fosse's career on a similar play in the 1970 All Star Game. These plays are a thing of the past and should stay in the past. There's no place for it now, and the change should be made this season, so that we don't have another catcher's season cut short.

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Pat