Mike Matheny knows a thing or two about injuries behind home plate.
That's because the former Brewers, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Giants catcher had to retire after the 2006 season because of too many foul-tip concussions. (You know, the ones we were worried about Buster Posey getting pegged with?)
Matheny, now a broadcaster for the Cardinals, thinks that Scott Cousins' season-ending collision with Posey was completely unnecessary as well.
"[Cousins] went hunting," Matheny said when the Giants visited the Cards over the holiday weekend. "Buster gave hin an option and he didn't take it. It wasn't a dirty play. He didn't come [in with] high spikes. He didn't come [in with a] high elbow. But it was an unnecessary play.
"I love the play at the plate. I loved it as a catcher. But when guys go out of their way to get you, I'm not a big fan of it."
Oddly enough, Matheny also said he might be "over-biased" because he's a big Posey fan -- because, you see, he's the Cardinals booth guy? -- but then even then, he didn't want to see the rules change.
"I don't think you legislate," Matheny said. "You just put a mark in the column. Next time I get the ball and he's coming, I'll stick it to him."
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That's not exactly Posey's style -- he refused to even "vilify" Cousins when speaking with the media immediately after the injury.
So it's hard to imagine him planning on taking out Cousins the next time they see each other on the dimaond.
Besides, his teammates had that chance when Cousins batted the next night -- it wouldn't have been hard to remind the Marlins outfielder exactly what he did, vis-a-vis a little high cheddar when he came to the plate.
Of course, it wouldn't have been hard for Cousins to simply avoid hitting Posey in the first place, and then we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
Or debating the merits of whether or not change is good in baseball.
