Player safety

...hey Abbey, I've been staying out of this fray mostly because I'm all in for protecting the kids, but obviously we don't need "the boy in the bubble" gig. Over protecting a child is a parents human nature. I agree with you that it should be up to the parent, atleast for the most part, to decide whats best for their child.
Now, check this out, my DD was wearing her batting helmet with a full face mask ( I'm all in for this protective device ) when she hit a bleeder between 1st and 2nd, the 1B ended up fielding the ball and the 2B covered 1st properly. Well as my DD got to 1st, so did the 2b on defense, BAM!!, and I mean BAM!, it sounded like Lawrence Taylor at linebacker laying the lumber on a running back at full speed. Anyway, the facemask on my kids helmet was driven into her mouth. We've all heard of braces being pulled out of a kids lips, well I've seen it.
I thought about why it could be that if a facemask was mandatory, then why is a chinstrap not equally needed and mandated. Not the cheap elastic gig either. Without DDs braces on her teeth she would have lost 4 of them. Yes she should have been wearing a mouthguard.
She had to sit out for 4 weeks, and when we played in Richmond, Va. DD was a runner on 3B, the kid at the plate hit a rocket that hit her dead center in the face.
It both scared me half to death (3B coach) , and then I got tossed........................the ump called DD out for being inside the baseline!
I could care less about her being called out now, but I'm damn glad that the facemask, the same facemask that had a part in her 1st injury, probably saved her life!
I had 3+ hours to drive home that Sunday night, As I worked my way down I95, I thanked God for being able to see my kid asleep in the seat beside of me.
Parents have a right to dictate what is best for their kids, yes, I hope they make the right choice. Peace

 

I didn't have to make the decision for my 13yo DD. When she plays 3b or even when she plays SS, she wears the mask. That's her decision. She used to wear it in the outfield too, but has since stopped doing that. I wish she would have been wearing it while warming up this past weekend. Bloody nose.

 

Abbeyfan understands what i'm getting at. Let us as parents and our children make the decision. I have never and will never belittle anyone who CHOOSES to wear the mask, but i don't want some tourney director to get on his high horse and decide my kid can't pitch because she doesn't have a mask (for her own good?). I do agree w/ the phreak about the mound distance though. Would you still think that a gameface should be mandatory if everyone was pitching from 43'? I like the helmet facemasks and chinstraps (although i don't see much of anyone inforcing that one-wrapped around back of helmet-tucked around facemask-don't see anyone complaining about that.). I'm just saying let us make the call, my kid doesn't want to wear one, she's 16 and knows the risks. We have discussed at length, seen people get hit, and even been hit by a thrown ball (catcher didn't make sure she was looking-had her back turned) and she still doesn't want to wear it.

 

I don't like too many mandatory restrictions either but what usually happens is wearing safety equipment seems to bring out opinions of "not being tough."

I believe that a lot of kids would benefit from a rule requiring them for pitchers. They would wear them then without the feeling that they're not being tough.

The masks aren't that expensive. They don't interfere as much as it looks like they do. Why expose the player to unnecessary injury?

Ask a player who has been hit in the face while pitching, or her parents, if they would rather have had a mask.

Anyone who knows Marlin's DD knows she is genuinely tough. I dare say that if the helmet cage wasn't mandatory she would not have been wearing it. And her injury would not have just hurt her, it would have hurt everyone who cares about her. So it's not just all about parents and DD, we all care about the kids; a lot more than a lot of people are conscious of.

We need the rule!!

 

OK, I have got to say this, I do not care how great a pitcher is and I have seen a lot of very good pitchers, but EVERY pitcher will slip up and leave a pitch where she does not want one, my daughter has and has been lined drived a couple of times, she has caught every one, but she is not allowed on the field without one, nor does she want to be without one, we have seen too many injuries without one. I have been with her since 10U and each year the hits come a lot quicker and the reaction time is decreased. The girls are stronger and with the bats we use the ball coming at you at 98mph you are lucky to catch it or even just knock it down. We seen a pitcher take a line drive in the face with one on, she was sore and bruised and had a broken mask, she had no time to react, nor would anyone else, had she taken that hit to the face without the mask, her face would have been crushed and would have never survived it, it saved her life!! I have been hit a couple of times coaching 3rd and have had a couple of close calls and I am considering wearing a mask coaching 3rd. It only take 1 hit in the right place to kill a girl and I am not willing to take that risk with any of my girls!!!

 

Chin strap

A little side note on the chin strap.

The strap needs to be elastic. It needs to be tight enough.

The important part that hardly anyone is aware of: It needs to be worn on the chin--just below the bottom lip. Not under the chin like most everyone wears them.

What this does is keeps the cage from being driven into the face. The elasticity will act like a shock absorber, absorbing most of the impact until it stretches enough to stop the cage. Of course, if the impact is hard enough, even the strap won't keep the cage from reaching the face. Even so, it's better than the ball hitting the face. If the strap is under the chin it doesn't take much to drive the cage into the face.

Put the helmet on and try it; it'll be very obvious what it does.

 

Question ??

Are there any cases where anybody has ever been killed by a softball ?? I have heard by a baseball to the chest can make the heart stop, but a softball ??? Just Curious !!!

Guru

 

I don't remember the details.
A couple years ago in Raleigh a guy was killed playing slowpitch softball. He was playing third base and a line drive hit him in the chest, stopping his heart.

 

Ok here is a link to where a girl was killed last year when she missed the ball http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2007/07/25/Michigan_girl_killed_in_softball_accident/UPI-64401185404899/

Here is a link to where 2 high school pitchers had very serious injuries and wish they had the mask

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_560950.html

The 2nd one is a must read for pitchers.

 

Wow!! .3 of a second coming back at the pitcher! Imagine a batter trying to react if a riseball was thrown intentionally at her head with a reaction time of .4 of a second and then compare that to a pitcher exposed in a riseball finish trying to protect her head.

That's a must-read article! I'll be talking to our head coaches for sure. And to the pitchers and parents.