"I've always said that the main thing is for everybody to be comfortable with it, that the catchers and runners are protected," said Posey, addressing the rule change for the first time.

Posey, an All-Star catcher, sustained a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle in the May 2011 collision, an injury that helped intensify debate over plate collisions. Posey returned in 2012 to win the National League MVP award.

The new rule, in what both sides said was a one-year experiment, allows collisions if the catcher has the ball and is blocking the runner's direct path to home plate, and if the catcher goes into the basepath to field a throw to the plate.

The rule states that "a runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate)." A runner violating the rule will be declared out, even if the fielder drops the ball.

The umpire crew chief can use the new video-review system to determine whether the rule was violated.

"I have always set up in front of the plate, where the runner can have part of the plate," Posey said.

Tony Clark, the new executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, asked for Posey's input in helping both sides shape the rule. "They got a lot of different input," Posey said.

"The way I look at it, I don't see that drastic of a change," he added. "The hardest part will be for umpires to make a judgment, although having the replay might help."

Manager Bruce Bochy, himself a former major-league catcher, was pleased with the change.

"I've been for it. It's time for a change," he said. "You want to protect the catcher, not just in the majors but the minors. Guys (baserunners) are getting bigger and stronger all the time."


TORRE EXPLAINS RULE


Joe Torre says Major League Baseball's playing rules committee leaned toward banning all home plate collisions but concluded it would be unrealistic because contact between catchers and baserunners is sometimes unavoidable.

Torre, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, spoke Tuesday at San Diego's spring training facility before meeting with representatives from eight clubs training in Arizona. Torre was there to answer questions and address concerns regarding the new collision rule, which was announced Monday, and expanded instant replay for umpirest replay.

Torre said when it came to the rule on home plate collisions he had to "put the uniform back on" because there is never a perfect play at the plate and throws can make contact unavoidable.

MLB could not have implemented the rule this year without approval from the players' association.


OPENING DAY A HOLIDAY?


Ozzie Smith wants the federal government to make opening day of the major league baseball season a national holiday.

The Hall of Fame shortstop is leading a campaign to collect 100,000 signatures within 30 days under the We the People petitioning program, which would trigger a review by the Obama administration. The effort is being backed by Anheuser-Busch InBev's Budweiser brand.

"Coming from St. Louis, of course being such as baseball town, it's sort of an unofficial holiday, opening day, so they thought it would be a good idea for Mr. Smith to just take a trip to Washington," Smith said Tuesday during a telephone interview.

The 59-year-old Smith, known as the "Wizard of Oz" for his great glove, played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1982-96 after spending his first four big league seasons. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

"I don't know exactly what the odds of success are," Smith said. "With the Budweiser machine behind it, I'm sure that we'll get the 100,000 signatures."

Anheuser-Busch InBev said 10 percent of respondents said they had skipped work to attend or watch an MLB opener, according to a survey by KRC Research. The online survey of 1,004 Americans 21 or older was conducted from Feb. 13-16, and there was a 95 percent level of confidence the error margin was plus-or-minus 3.09 percent.

As for the current hot topic in baseball, Smith has reservations about any attempt by MLB to ban home plate collisions.

"I'm not so sure that it was broken, and I'm of the belief that if it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. "I think most of the concussions that come from baseball don't come from collisions, they come from foul balls off the mask of the catcher."


CRUZ MUM ON SUSPENSION


When it comes to his 50-game drug suspension, Nelson Cruz didn't have much to say during his introduction by the Baltimore Orioles.

Cruz gave short answers to any Biogenesis-related questions during a news conference Tuesday, a day after the 33-year-out outfielder finalized an $8 million, one-year contract.

"Whatever happened in the past, I look to move forward and have a great year with the Baltimore Orioles," Cruz said.

Cruz was suspended for 50 games last August for a violation of Major League Baseball's drug agreement related to the sport's investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic.

He was joined at the news conference by eight of his new teammates, including Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters. Markakis said last summer that MLB needed stiffer penalties for violations of the drug rules. On Saturday, Markakis said he still favored tougher penalties but was happy to have Cruz on the Orioles.

"My opinion doesn't change toward anything. He's part of this team now and he's going to be in this clubhouse and we're going to welcome him just like anybody else. He's going to be part of this team," Markakis said.

Cruz hit .266 last year with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 109 games. The suspension cost him $2,732,240 of his $10 million salary.

He signed with Baltimore more than three months after he turned a down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Rangers.

"It was a frustrating process, but I'm happy for the decision that I made. I'm really excited for the opportunity. I like challenges and I think it's going to be a great challenge for me. Hopefully, I do my best and I look for the World Series," Cruz said.

Cruz waited until training camps had opened. He's part of a late spending burst that has seen the orioles commit $63,575,000. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez agreed to a $50 million, four-year contract and South Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon received a three-year deal for $5,575,000.

Baltimore lost its first-round draft pick, No. 17 overall, for signing Jimenez, and its second-round selection, No. 55, for signing Cruz.

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette adopted a strategy of waiting for free agent prices to drop.

"We've been steadily putting our team together," he said. "We signed a couple of pitchers, which we said we were going to do, and we said we were looking for a bat in the middle of our lineup, and Nelson can fill that role. We're always looking, but I don't anticipate any players of this caliber soon, but we're always looking around."

Contributors:  Justin McGuire, The Associated Press