There’s a fine line between tradition and old, tired habits.

Early in this year’s MLB playoffs, embattled star Pete Rose showed just how much the game has changed. Serving as a commentator on FS1, Rose scoffed at the notion that Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson would leave a game after hitting his head during a slide. Rose, who was known and loved during his playing days for his give-it-your-all style, appeared oblivious to today’s concussion protocols. In fact, he looked utterly dumbfounded as the other commentators tried to explain new concussion rules and concussion tests to him. The player should tough it out and stay in the game, he argued.

The change in concussion protocols is just one way MLB’s changes have been on display this post season, but it could be time rethink some other past practices, though change is rarely easy.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easy to see why people loved players like Rose. Similarly, I loved watching the fiery Paul O’Neill play for the New York Yankees growing up. But the need for player safety has also been on full display this postseason, and hard play shouldn’t equal injury-prone play.

Professional sports — and really all levels of sports — are beginning to be much more cautious with concussions, though you could make a valid argument that the NFL still has its head in the sand over the issue.

But it’s time MLB takes things a step or two further. The most talked about incident this postseason was when Los Angeles infielder Chase Utley broke New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejeda’s leg in Game 2 of the Division Series during a slide meant to break up a double play.

Mets fans went crazy over the play, and it provided plenty of fuel for sportscasters. Utley was suspended two games, though he appealed, even though his actions are common practice — players are taught to slide hard to break up the double play. In fact, he would have been criticized if he hadn’t tried to keep the inning going, and the Dodgers rallied that inning and won the game.

Regardless of your thoughts on the play, it’s time for baseball to revisit that issue. It’s likely baseball will look at it this offseason, and league officials could easily enact a rule similar to the one banning collisions at home plate, which was approved in 2014.

It’s the smart move. Safety trumps tradition.

While they’re at it, they may want to talk about baseball players’ propensity to seek revenge or to mitigate disputes by hitting opposing players with pitches.

In the National League Wild Card Game, Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta threw two balls that hit Pittsburgh Pirate batters. Both looked unintentional to my untrained eye, but the Pirates didn’t see it that way. In true baseball fashion, they retaliated and hit Arrieta during his next at bat, and a benches-clearing scuffle ensued that left Pirate Sean Rodriguez wildly punching Gatorade cooler on national television.

It’s old hat for ball players to plunk opponents to seek justice, but it’s grown tiresome. Sure, benches-clearing brawls make for good TV, but most of the general public care little for baseball’s old unwritten rules. It’s only a matter of time before these plunkings result in an injury.

Sure, baseball players, executives, coaches and fans are hesitant when it comes to changes. But recent changes have paid dividends. This MLB postseason has been a thrilling ride, and it started with the fourth year of MLB’s Wild Card Games.

Each league added a second wild card starting in 2012, and then the two wild card teams in each league duke it out to move onto the Division Series.

The move has been great. It’s enlivened the September playoff push, allowing many more teams to be in the chase late in the year. Then it adds two electric, winner-take-all games, which have also been a source of contention since seemingly great teams — mainly the 98-win Pirates two straight years — have lost after great seasons. But MLB needs to leave it alone, since the two Wild Card Game are two of the most exciting postseason games each year. And this is coming from a New York Yankees fans who watched them get trounced by Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros.

For a game steeped in tradition, some of the most recent changes have made baseball even better. Why not look at the next round of changes?