Isn't it still a violation of the rules for a catcher to be blocking the basepath if he doesn't have the ball in his possession or is in the process of getting to a throw? It's funny because I don't think the rule has ever actually been changed, and I have yet to see any pre-1965 video that has a home plate collision or a catcher in the basepath. A lot of close plays from the catcher getting the ball and then trying to apply the tag, but not standing there and waiting.
Anyway, all this crap about "defending a teammate" is a bunch of ridiculous pseudo-machismo. Let's consider the following:
1) A pitch that hits a batter can inflict a debilitating or fatal injury, whether thrown intentionally at him or not
2) That baseball allows players to leave the dugout or bullpen when an incident is in progress is a sure way to escalate nothing into something much worse
3) That baseball has no problem allowing additional players to become directly involved in said incident is ridiculous on several levels
4) That this crap is what masquerades as "team building" is even more ridiculous
5) In spite of what some may have us believe, the numbers of hit batsmen actually skyrocketed post-1970, which flies in the face of the idea that "Gibson would have put him down; in fact, anyone would have put him down for pulling on his jersey or for looking at him or for adjusting your nuts in the batters box".
I played hockey for a few years, so the idea of throwing down with someone who's being an idiot is certainly not a foreign concept to me. But what you don't see are players shooting pucks at each other. You don't see players leaving the bench when there's a fight (the NHL has a mandatory 10-game suspension for doing this, whether you actually join in or not). You don't see players jumping in on a fight in progress (third man in equals immediate ejection and a suspension). And you don't see bench-clearing brawls (last one in the NHL: February 26, 1987).
Baseball needs to get their collective heads out of their asses. There are some very minor rule adjustments and enforcements that need to take place to preserve the basic essence of the game. Namely:
- Don't let hitters step out of the box once their at-bat starts
- Don't let hitters call for time once the at-bat starts (barring an emergency of some type)
- Mandate that any player who leaves the dugout or bullpen during an on-field altercation be suspended for 12 games, with the team not being allowed to replace his roster spot
- Mandate that a player who joins an altercation in progress be suspended 12 games (if someone leaves the bullpen to join in, 24 games)
Games would be faster, and the stupid crap like throwing at a guy's head and seeing the benches empty would go away. Neither one has any purpose in baseball.
