Matheny: Game wouldn't miss home-plate collisions

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Matheny recently received a call from another baseball player, a catcher, seeking out advice on dealing with the symptoms of concussions, a subject in which the Cardinals' skipper is well versed. 

Matheny was forced into retirement in 2007 after concussions ended his 13-year playing career, which has helped shape the four-time Gold Glove catcher's perspective on home-plate collisions. 

"I think people give too much credit to the equipment that the catchers are wearing. It's not collision equipment, it's deflecting-ball equipment," Matheny said. "I think it's a play that the game would move on just fine without."

Matheny has publicly advocated that baseball should ban home-plate collisions all together, for both the safety of the catcher and the runner. 

"The game's gone on a long way with it like this, and I imagine it still will," Matheny said. "I just think for us to not take all this information that's coming in through hockey and football and do something proactive to be ahead of it, I think it would be a mistake at least not to research what could possibly be done.

"I just hate to see somebody go through it. It's not a fun run."