Brian Sabean is a jackass and Bruce Bochy, as a former catcher, should really know better. This is not helmet to helmet NFL collisions, this is a hard but clean play at the plate and it is and always has been a part of the game -- and really should remain that way. There have been some dirty plays at the plate, probably the most heinous of them was Pete Rose taking out Ray Fosse during an All-Star Game. Totally unnecessary in a game that didn't matter and it severely impacted the rest of Fosse's career -- although not Rose's, really.

Had Eli Whiteside been in the game at that point, I wonder if Sabean would have come out blasting the way that he has. And yes he has since backtracked on what he said (The Giants are still planning on speaking to Joe Torre on behalf of MLB; Torre you will note is also a former bad-ass catcher and "old school" in a good way. I wonder what Angels' manager Mike Sciosia, one of the all-time renowned plate-blockers in the history of the game has to say on this incident) this rookie Cousins in Florida is getting death threats from Giants' fans. Poor kid is from San Francisco, has family there, making this all that much worse. Having a fan of the Giants still in a hospital bed from what one would have to imagine came out of what had probably just started as words should have zipped Sabean's lip, but it did not.

Yes, it sucks to have your catcher and one of your best players injured and lost for the season. Many teams over the course of the history of the game have had this happen. Yes, it sucks -- but it is PART OF THE GAME! Sorry if you can't repeat after losing your backstop; this happened to the 1979 New York Yankees and we didn't ask for the end of plane travel, did we? But that seems like what the Giants' management wants. I strongly believe Mr. Torre will hear them out, but I also strongly doubt that any real changes will or should be enacted based off this incident.

I submit this similar incident from earlier this season. The Yanks' Nick Swisher took the Twins' new second-baseman Nishioka out with a slide into the bag attempting to break up a double-play (he was successful) in a game during the 1st week of the season. Swisher broke Nishioka's leg on the play -- a clean slide, Swish could have maintained contact with the bag per the rule -- and although the Twins were saddened to lose the player not only did they all admit a) the slide was clean b) Nishioka needs to learn to get out of the way -- the game is PLAYED DIFFERENTLY here than in his native Japan c) it's just part of the game so why should the Giants and Buster Posey be any different? It should not especially when you take into consideration (and you really must) that a catcher is uniquely qualified for just such a collision. Catchers are strong, usually stocky guys who are abetted by shin guards, a mask and a chest protector; they KNOW that during a play at the plate, a runner may be bearing down on them at top speed and they still put their body in the way to protect the plate and keep a run from scoring.

Posey knew exactly what he was doing as he was doing it. It's a damn shame he was injured; as a baseball fan I do hope this exciting young rising star comes back completely healthy and able to field his position next year, but the fact that Sabean and Bochy don't want him to block the plate is bush. I would imagine that Twins' management gives Joe Mauer, when he finally returns from different injuries, the same instruction. As a Yankee fan and a convert to Russell Martin (at least for this season, he does only have a 1 year contract) I still want to see our backstop block the plate when the situation warrants -- such as it did for Posey that night against the Marlins.

Brian Sabean - you are a jackass and you should be embarrassed for what came out of your mouth.