Buster Posey on DL with broken bone

[alltimegiants]

It's sad to see a raising star in Buster Posey getting a brutal hit hard late last night by Scott Cousins of the Marlins at 11:10 PT. He got carried off.

He was placed on the DL today with a broken leg and could be out for the season with torn knee ligaments. It's sad to my stud catcher go down like that. As a die hard giants and Buster fan, I wish him get well soon.

here's the espn story http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6593598

I think it was a hard clean play but it's just wrong and not cool to take him out like that.

Your thoughts.

Mike

check out my site
www.alltimegiants.com

[EurekaDave]

I share your sadness about this. I really do. He was really good at the most punishing job in baseball. Furthermore, he brought optimism to the field -- something the Giants had not had in years.

I guess in life's scheme of things, he does have a WS ring as well as ROY trophy. And at 24, he has time to contirbute so much more to the game. Still it is so sad, not just because of Buster but because of what he represents to us and everyone.
Dave Silverbrand

[frikativ54]

I guess in life's scheme of things, he does have a WS ring as well as ROY trophy. And at 24, he has time to contirbute so much more to the game.

You make good points, Dave. Posey has accomplished things in his rookie year that many of us would kill for in a lifetime. I understand the sadness of watching one's favorite player getting injured - I've been through that - but Posey still has a bright future ahead of him.

[frikativ54]

I think it was a hard clean play but it's just wrong and not cool to take him out like that.

The pain Buster was in must have been brutal. However, that being said, the game of baseball shouldn't change because a star-in-the-making gets injured. There are many collisions in baseball. Some end careers; others cause no damage at all. Sadly, it's pure indifferent chance.

[alltimegiants]

Thank you for your responses and thoughts.

yeah. I agree baseball shouldn't change the rules. But looking at the replay, Scott Cousins had a clear path to touch the plate but choose to run over Buster. Again, It's just sad to see my new favorite player go down like that. He had a great ROY and WS champ season with bright future. I was excited to see him try to be an All Star this year. But this will have to until next.

Bruce Bochy had press conference today regarding the play
courtesy of SF GATE.com.

Here is the bulk of the first 4:30 of Bruce Bochy's pregame news conference this morning.
Q: What's the latest you have on Posey?
A: Right now, it's a lower leg fracture, ankle fracture that we know of. X-rays did show that. Now, he's about to come out of his MRI, so we can give you more information after we get the results of that. We're hoping for the best as far as ligaments, things like that, in the leg. That's all we know right now: It's a fracture of the left ankle.
Q: Have you talked to him?
A:>Yeah, I talked to him last night once he got finished with the X-rays. I saw him this morning. He had a tough night. He was in a lot of pain, didn't sleep much.


Q: The collision itself, is that a clean baseball play? What's your take on that?
A: It's part of baseball. I understand that. Guys run into catchers. Being a catcher, I've been in a few of them. You're in harm's way there. I do think we need to consider changing the rules a little bit because the catcher's so vulnerable -- and there are so many who've gotten hurt, and just a little bit. I mean, they've had their careers or shortened. And here's a guy that's very popular in baseball. Fans want to see him play. Now, he's out for a while. I'd like to see maybe something considered here where we can protect these guys a little bit more. They just don't have the protection to take a guy coming in full speed, with that kind of force. But, it's part of the game. He had two paths to go; he could have gone for home plate, but he elected to try to knock the ball loose, even though Buster had dropped the ball.


Q: Have you ever talked to Buster about trying to avoid those kind of collisions?
A: Yeah, I've talked to Buster. He's heard me tell him I didn't want him blocking the plate. He was not completely in front of the plate. He was in a position where he could make a tag without being hit, too. He just got himself in a tough position there because (the way) his leg was situated. He was down on one knee, and ideally, you'd like to have the foot pointed that way to protect you a little bit. But, again, you're trying to handle a throw. You don't have time to get set up perfectly. That's what hurt him was his leg was tucked underneath him when he got hit.


Q: When you think about rule changes, what could you really do?
A: Well, I think you could say, you know what -- if there's lane there, you've got to go for home plate. I know in high school and college, they have a rule there. If there's no place to go, sure, you can run into the catcher. I don't know. I'm just saying we might need to consider something to protect these guys because they are getting bigger and faster and hitting these guys when they're not really prepared to get hit. It's a little different than football; it's not built to be a contact sport as much as it may look like it. We saw what happened here. There have been a lot of really nasty injuries where catchers were carried off. I just don't want to see somebody carried off because they get their neck snapped.

[matt]

Just yesterday before the game, a Bay Area sports talk radio show was debating whether it would be smart to move Buster to another position to protect him since he is capable of playing first or other positions. Obviously, players seem to have shorter careers as catchers. It was stated that Buster loves catching and does not want to consider other positions. Perhaps he will have some time to reflect now and change his mind. The fact is that he can contribute much more as a catcher with his ability to handle the pitchers and control the game to some extent. He would have less impact at another position...but might play longer.

Matt

[camarokids]

The guys on MLB Network were defending the runner on the play. I agree with them. It was a legit play. Harold Reynolds thinks if Buster held onto the ball he might have been in a better position and would not have got hurt. I do feel for Buster. He will bounce back.

[ballhawknet]

Of course it is awful that Posey suffered this injury , and I feel bad for him and the pain he is suffering. But I have to say I can't find any fault whatsoever in the play itself. IMO , if he had held on to the ball , and the runner slid to the outside , he would have been out ...easily .

It appears as if the catcher was going to have the ball while the runner was still 15 feet from home. Sliding wide of the plate or knocking the ball loose is a split second decision. And given where he was when Posey first touch the ball ... he made the right decision imo.

Im surprised to hear all the talk of it being a " dirty play " ... even Bochy saying " he could have gone for the plate even though Buster dropped the ball "

Even had he seen the drop , it was too late to stop , he had already launched himself at Buster . And Posey , after the ball got behind him, still spun around to make the tag put himself directly in the path of the runner.

[camarokids]

I do not think a rule change is the way to go here.

The catcher does not have to block the plate to make a tag.

[Rob L]

Totally legit play. But the way his leg bends when seen in slo-mo is almost as stomach turning as the Thiesman hit!!