Absolutely good news. I know it was meant to add to the excitement somewhat, and in previous years who could complain? Buster Posey's collision was incredibly exciting. Whole games can come down to it, but that shit is terrifyingly dangerous, and both the runner and the catcher knew it, and games shouldn't be decided by it. People are guaranteed to act like this is the end of baseball, but we know that's horseshit, just like when football banned horsecollaring. We'll look back in a few years and wonder why the hell it wasn't banned earlier.
I genuinely don't understand the "excitement" argument. I love a perfectly-executed hook slide or a late deke, but there's nothing exciting about big players running into each other. More often a beautiful throw/cutoff from the outfield is ruined when the rules allow a 215-pounder to smash the fuck out of a catcher who's had the ball for three seconds.
I agree with this. There is the "will he hold onto it" factor, but I have never enjoyed seeing a collision at home plate in a sport that's not meant to be a contact sport. There's not really a place for it, and I think this rule will encourage better baserunning decisions.
I agree with you. I'm an O's fan and watching everything that Manny did this year was way, way better than seeing them hit each other. It doesn't even have the 'power balance' argument that comes up for beaning the batter or fighting in hockey. It's just violence for violence's sake.