In one of the ugliest plays of the 2011 MLB season, and in recent baseball memory Colorado Rockie Scott Cousins collided with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey that left Posey with a broken bone in his left leg and torn ligaments. Some may call it a cheap shot, while others will just call it good, hard baseball. I am somewhere in the middle on this one. I enjoy a great collision at home plate as much as the next guy, but I have to wonder if this play was really necessary.
I have watched the video on this again and again and the baseball coach in me wonders if Cousins needed to drill Posey on this play. I understand this is a part of the sport, and for the most part I do not have a problem with Cousins taking this shot, but something in me thinks he may have been able to reach home plate without drilling Posey.
Part of the problem here is Posey, the 2010 National League rookie of the year, but himself in a really bad position. In the video we can see that Posey laid his legs on the ground and extended his feet back. Upon contact with Cousins it was this position that did the damage to his ligaments and likely his leg bones as well. Beyond the ethics of a play like this is puts the 2011 Giants in a very bad spot.
Posey was a big part of the Giants and now they have a noticeable void in their lineup at catcher. It will likely force them into a spot to trade or sign a veteran to fill in for the rest of 2011 as Posey will need surgery to recover from his injuries. I could see them trading for a guy like Ivan Rodriquez to come in and help this team defend their World Series title.