Baseball’s toughest position: Catcher

Ever go to a barbecue, or a bar, and overhear a bunch of guys talking about what the most physical sport is?

Well, I can’t say what the toughest one is, but as a former catcher, I can tell you that there’s nothing like seeing a dude 90 feet away from you run full speed towards you.

Not only do you have to brace for the hit, but you have to take your eyes away from him for as long as it takes to field the ball. Most times, by the time the ball is in your hands and you look back…BOOM!

When done the right way, and with enough time to react, catchers can avoid a collision by doing a simple sidestep. Kind of like the “Ole!” of a matador when facing a bull. Veteran catchers like Jorge Posada for example are the best in the business at this.

However, you can’t always anticipate a sidestep because you must block the runner from making it home, which is when bigtime hits happen. Kudos to John Brinkas and the good folks at ESPN to describe what this is like..