Baseball, get tough on pitchers who hit batters

[Michael Allen]

Main Idea (Quoted):   " What is needed to make pitchers avoid brushback pitches along with the beanings that come with them are a series of rules with penalties that send a clear message: Major League Baseball is serious about protecting its players"

Main Idea (My Own Words ): Rules need to be added to the Major League Baseball rule book that penalize pitchers who hit batters, to make baseball a   

safer game.

Response: I can see where Nicolaus Mills' concern is coming from, wanting to make the game of baseball safer for it's players, but I do believe the rules he has invented to avoid pitchers hitting batters are a bit too extreme, and that this isn't as big of an issue as he thinks it is. Players in ANY sport know that there is a possibility of being injured while playing. It is a pretty common occurrence. Baseball, of course, no exception. Baseball players sign a contract knowing full well that if they are harmed and put out of the game, they are on their own. On top of this, the rules that Mills has constructed to penalize pitchers for beaning a batter are pretty ridiculous. Especially giving the pitcher a $10,000 fine for hitting a batter. It is already pretty hard to tell if a pitcher hit the batter on purpose, adding these editions would make things pretty crazy. Maybe Mills thought it would be a way to intimidate pitchers into throwing better, but I just see it causing problems for fans of the traditional rules.

[Michael Allen]

Forgot the link:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/03/opinion/mills-baseball-hit-by-pitch/index.html?hpt=op_t1