Collisions at the Plate

[dannahann]

Any recollection by Pete Rose has to include the caveat, "consider the source". Do you need to be reminded that Pete's an admitted liar, and a felon who pleaded guilty to lying to the IRS on his taxes and who served time in the federal pokey? Not to mention how self-serving every one of his recollections is.

Fosse may not have missed much time after the collision, but that was probably because (a) he was young and trying to be 'tough", and (b) neither he, the Indians' medical staff, nor anyone knew how badly he was hurt. As Judge Jude pointed out, he was never the same hitter after the collision.

EDIT TO ADD: Rose's recollection is correct as to his missing time. He didn't play in the Reds' first three games after the All-Star break and appeared in the fourth as a pinch-hitter only, all of which were the first games for the Pirates in their new home, Three Rivers Stadium (to tell you what ancient history this is). He rejoined the lineup after that.

I'm in no way vouching for Rose but Fosse was an allstar again the year following that collision with Rose. Some attribute his falloff to the shoulder injury he sustained in the dugout scuffle with Reggie Jackson following the trade to Oakland. Maybe the collision played a role in him being more easily injured in that fight, who knows? Someone suggested how his power waned in the second half and that could indeed be due to the collision or some of it might be just something that occurs all the time; kids pummeling pitching when they first come up before pitchers figure out there weaknesses. Chris Shelton is by no means the only guy to do it. I'm not in favor of MLB doing anything too drastic with plays at home and was simply pointing out (as the OP sourced Fosse) there is at least some level of doubt as to if THAT ended his career.

[Pogues]

I'm in no way vouching for Rose but Fosse was an allstar again the year following that collision with Rose. Some attribute his falloff to the shoulder injury he sustained in the dugout scuffle with Reggie Jackson following the trade to Oakland. Maybe the collision played a role in him being more easily injured in that fight, who knows? Someone suggested how his power waned in the second half and that could indeed be due to the collision or some of it might be just something that occurs all the time; kids pummeling pitching when they first come up before pitchers figure out there weaknesses. Chris Shelton is by no means the only guy to do it. I'm not in favor of MLB doing anything too drastic with plays at home and was simply pointing out (as the OP sourced Fosse) there is at least some level of doubt as to if THAT ended his career.

It was either the collision with Rose, or something that is much more prevalent in the Majors...he had a bad case of being a Cleveland Indian.

[Don Quixote]

It was either the collision with Rose, or something that is much more prevalent in the Majors...he had a bad case of being a Cleveland Indian.

That's true. I remember going to several games at Municipal Stadium in the 1970s, "plenty of good seats available". There would be 10,000 people in a stadium that seated 80,000 and the place looked totally empty--and deservedly so. Boy, those Cleveland teams stunk, and still did through the 1980s. Go to a game, get stinking drunk, and not care about the score. Ah, to be that young, foolish, and alcohol-tolerant again.

As I tell younger people now, "The movie producers didn't choose Cleveland at random for 'Major League'."

[Judge Jude]

I'm in no way vouching for Rose but Fosse was an allstar again the year following that collision with Rose.

Fosse was VOTED into the 1971 game by the fans in spite of hitting only .264 with modest power at the time of the game - which he missed, by the way, due to injury. Fans have a tendency to favor young stars who are famous for things like - well, a memorable collision in the previous All-Star Game. Fosse never played at an All-Star level again after 1970 (though he was a decent hitter for a C for sure).

And unlike, say, Shelton (33rd round pick), Fosse was the 7th overall pick of the 1965 draft out of high school. He hit .301 in AAA at age 21 and was the Indians' starting catcher before his 23rd birthday. That 1970 half-season didn't seem fluky.