Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon has expressed extreme displeasure with Rule 6.01(j), one of Major League Baseball’s newest safety provisions, which penalizes runners who slide through second base to break up a potential double play.
Rule 6.01(j) — known as the slide rule, or the Chase Utley rule — was implemented before the beginning of the 2016 season to crack down on injuries to middle infielders after Utley infamously barreled into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in the 2015 playoffs.
Tejada suffered a broken leg, outrage prevailed, and MLB responded.
Maddon’s Cubs, meanwhile, had a run wiped out Saturday because base runner Ian Happ overslid second base during the fifth inning of a 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs were assessed a double play, ending the inning and disallowing Kyle Schwarber’s run.
Maddon said Sunday he wasn’t upset with the umpires who enforced the rule, but that didn’t stop him from unveiling a list of tongue-in-cheek suggestions on how baseball can increase “protectionism.”
Maddon, it seems, is concerned about everybody — base runners, batters, pitchers, hitters in the on-deck circle, bat boys, beer vendors, you name it.
At least we think he is.
“I think we should consider now eliminating the head-first slide to protect base runners,” Maddon said. “That is really a dangerous slide. To head-first slide you can hurt your hand, and your eye can be poked out. All different things can occur on a head-first slide.
“I also believe, you saw [Chris] Iannetta get hit in the mouth the other day on a pitch. I think the face mask should be mandatory for all hitters, and pitchers have been hit in head with line drives several times. Pitchers should be forced now to wear helmets.”
Maddon was just getting started, adding that he recalled Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies getting nailed by a foul ball by pitcher German Marquez while in the on-deck circle Wednesday.
“There should be a cage in the on-deck circle so on-deck guys can stand behind the screen and not get hurt,” Maddon said. “Finally, when I coached third in the minor leagues, I always wore a cup. I always was concerned. So I think there needs to be a cup check for players around the field in order to prevent the loss of future families.”
All these incidents are “much more dangerous than the slide incorporated at second base by Ian Happ. Not even close.
“I’m on board with protectionism. Head-first slides? What’s more dangerous than that?”
Fast Lane
Florida Atlantic football Coach Lane Kiffin dug into his bag of old tricks Monday when he offered a scholarship to the son of former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin.
Kaden Martin, 5-11, 175 pounds, is a 13-year-old quarterback who is about to complete the seventh grade.
Kiffin, 42, did the same thing when he was head coach at Southern Cal in 2010, offering a scholarship to seventh-grader David Still, who committed to USC and stayed committed until 2014, the year after Kiffin was fired.
Still is now a wide receiver at West Virginia.
Kiffin, a renowned job hopper, would have to set a personal longevity record and stay at Florida Atlantic until 2023 if he were ever to coach Martin, provided he accepted the offer and came to school there.
That’s not likely, since Kiffin’s longest previous stay as a head coach, at Southern Cal, ended five games into his fourth season.
Quote of the day
“In the big picture, I’ve just got total respect for the decision because there is so much more to
life.”
Florida Coach Jim McElwain, discussing Arkansas Razorbacks running back Rawleigh Williams’ decision to retire because of neck injuries.