Sliding into First Base

I will never understand why a major league baseball player would ever slide into first base unless he were trying to avoid a tag.

What is a slide? It is a braking device that hopefully prevents the runner from leaving the safety of the bag and making oneself vulnerable to being tagged out. Pretty simple, huh? Slide=slow down and keep running=don't slow down. How many times have you seen a baserunner thrown out at first just before his little hand touched first base. Baseball rules allow a runner to overrun first base, and only first base, without penalty.

If I were manager, I would fine any idiot who slid into first, then I would chastise him in front of his teammates, and call into question his sexual orientation.

But that's just me.