Protected and Moral: when do players cross the line?

The answer is probably what we'd expect: about the age of 13 when kids enter high school.  We want to protect younger kids and the types of suggestions I've made over the years make sense even for change resistant baseball minds.

That also applies to our sense of morality.  Acts of baseball vengeance and vigilantism, which many easily advocate as part of baseball protocol, are generally not taught to younger kids.  Why not?  If it's OK for a pitcher to drill an opposing batter for even an off field, off season statement as recently happened when Ubaldo Jimenez hit his former Colorado teammate Troy Tulowitzki, why not teach that to kids?  But most of us do not.  When does such despicable cowardly behavior become not just accepted but often advocated?

Here are examples of some safety measures that would be dismissed for adults, especially MLB players, but might be acceptable for kids even though adults have not yet had the common sense to adopt them even to protect their own children, probably because of the fear of ridicule

SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2008 Everyone should wear catcher's gear.

... infielders, certainly the pitchers need this protection ... Yes, including the face mask. If they do not start wearing this gear, pitchers will need the screen that is used in front of the pitcher during batting practice.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2009 Getting hit with the ball.

This morning on ESPN radio I actually hear Mike Greenberg say something semi-intelligent about the pitcher getting hit in the head: MAYBE the pitcher should wear a helmet. Wow! MAYBE! He even referred to kids pitching in youth leagues. It never occurred to him that players should wear catcher's gear, especially kids but this shows a smidgen of progress, which is very unusual for baseball management, fans and media.

I am ready to extend my punishment for hitting batters other than in the head. If a batter is hit flush below the head the pitcher is ejected and suspended.

First offense, one week.

Second offense, one month.

Third offense, three months.

Fourth offense, one calendar year.

See, that wasn't so difficult. Punishment is the key. Currently, the punishment 99% of the time is that the batter gets first base. Big deal.

Here is some of the traditional crap that I do not want to hear:

- it's part of the game

- pitchers need to pitch inside

- pitchers do not throw at the batter's head

- it's up to the batter to get out of the way.

What is this ancient Rome? Enough already. And, no, the balance will not tip to the batter, not until batting averages top .500.

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 Eliminate the catcher, outlaw the collisions or properly equip the fielders.
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Instead of trying to get kids to be like MLB players we need to treat MLB players with the same respect and care that we treat kids.  Protect them properly and demand moral conduct.  Do not accept behavior that we would be ashamed to teach them when they were kids.