like it was in this case, at his hip/upper leg; then it sends the message correctly, the guy gets a free pass to base, and the issue is resolved.

Anderson needs to understand what he did, and know that is possibly coming, and not react. His tough-guy reaction is what drew the whole altercation. If he just shakes it off and runs to 1st base, it is a non-issue and the whole thing has been dealt with.

Players police themselves far better than umpires and MLB do IMO.