The purpose of a runner coming hard into home plate is to separate the ball from the catcher's glove, NOT separating the catcher's head from the rest of his body. A baserunner can slide under, through, or around the catcher; he can even go hard and low, in an effort to jar the ball loose. Darin Erstad, you can call it what you want-- coming in that hard, that high smacks of dirty baseball and you're lucky Ramirez pitched behind you tonight, rather than sticking it in your earflap. It's horseshit plays like last night's that end careers and cause permanent injury.