Utley's Dirty Slide

Many idiotic comments have been made about this infamous play, and I will try to analyze them one-by-one.

1. "We've always done things this way". This is completely idiotic, because the fact that something has always been done a certain way is no argument that it is the right or best way to do things. The fact is that there is no cogent argument for supporting Utley's dirty slide.

2.  "There needs to be a rule change". Completely unnecessary, as the current rules provide for penalizing a player who goes for the middle infielder rather than for the bag.

3.  Calling Utley's actions a "slide" is completely bogus. He didn't start it till he was at or beyond the base, and it was not an actual slide. Rather, it was a football block or tackle.

4.  Going into a player who has his back to you is inherently dangerous and a two-game penalty for this is woefully inadequate. Utley should be out for at least a month.

5.  Utley's idiot agent says he can't be punished for making a "legal baseball play". This is absurd, it was not a legal play as mentioned above. Further, saying this is like saying a pitcher cannot be punished for throwing a beanball at a batter, because pitching a baseball is a legal play! Total nonsense.

6. "Utley wasn't trying to hurt Tejada". Nobody thinks he was trying to hurt Tejada, but we are all responsible for the consequences of our actions. To say otherwise is like saying a driver who runs a red light and kills somebody cannot be prosecuted for vehicular homicide, because he had no intention of hurting anyone.

At least this play gives me a strong rooting interest for the Mets and against the dirty-play Dodgers. Here's hoping the Players Association cooperates with MLB in ensuring that this type of play becomes a relic of a bygone era.