Safety Equipment some good, some not so good

A recent thread got me thinking, what safety equipment should be mandatory?



What safety equipment should be disallowed, unless it protects an injured area?

I feel the elbow pads used by batters should be disallowed, unless it is there for medical reasons. The elbow pad takes some of the fear of being hit away from the batter, allowing them to dive in over the plate with little fear of injury. This gives the batter an unfair advantage in my book. I have no problem with the ankle and foot guards as they afford the batter no real advantage.



What safety equipment has created greater safety risks?

I know this is a softball forum, but I wander how many broken necks and concussions there were in football before helmets and face masks were mandatory? They most likely traded numerous facial injuries for more concussions and spinal cord injuries. A player may be more inclined to lead with their shoulder then their head, if there were only a leather pad on their head.

 

I'm sorry, but I have to totally disagree with your post. In football, the helmet is used as a weapon to inflict pain and injury on an opponent. In softball, I have yet to see a batter try to injure an opponent with an elbow pad. I have however seen a slapper get hit by a pitch in her throwing elbow and have it fractured. She began wearing an elbow pad after that. Making your same argument, does wearing a facemask give an infielder an advantage in fielding a ground ball because they are less likely to turn their head? Personally, I have no problem with elbow pads, batting helmets, facemasks, etc. because I feel they enhance the safety of the players. I'm sorry if this offends you, but this should be more about safety and less about gaining a competitive advantage. There are rules to cover a batter that intentionally moves into the path of a pitch.

 

How can elbow pads give a competitive advantage if everyone is allowed to wear them? The only disadvantage would be if someone wasn't allowed to wear them while some were.

One of the things I like about the face masks on the helmets is it allows the player to get their face right down near the bat without risk of serious injury.

Same thing with face masks on the defense. It allows the hot corner, for one, to be more aggressive down the line, with less risk. Many do it without the masks but it's certainly much safer with it.

Softball (nor baseball) isn't, and wasn't intended to be, a daredevil sport. It's simply foolish to expose a player to unnecessary injury. There's enough danger as it is.

 

Absolutely no offense taken. I started this thread to get opinions on safety equipment, pros and cons.

 

Double first base?

I am against double first bases. I feel it promotes bad position playing habits.



Break away bases?

I feel these promote bad sliding habits. What happens when a player who plays on fields with break away bases plays on a field with anchored bases?

 

I feel it gives the batter an advantage over the pitcher, if the batter is less afraid of an inside pitch then they are more likely to dive in on pitches, and reach that outside pitch with a little bit more ease.

JMHO

 

wearing the armor does not give any advantage.... a hitter is gonna aggressively
cover the outside pitch....

Pitchers have the advantage...they know to what side they are throwing it..

The new rule is specific... if the ball hits the batter in the box, batter is awarded first base.. problem is, a batter that hangs out over the plate, and uses the armor as an offensive tool...ie...like a bat...

this is easily fixed, but the umps have to call it... or in this case....
not allow it...

 

The rule merely removes the attempt to avoid the pitch if the ball is entirely inside the batter's box.

I will call a strike in a heart beat when the batter gets hit by a pitch on the elbow when she is up on the plate. You always get the moans and groans, but we don't get paid to make the easy calls.

Although batters in softball don't hang their elbows out over the plate nearly as much as they do in baseball.

 

Sounds like someone advocates the removal off all safety equipment. Shall we next strip girls of their neoprene knee braces because it allows them to slide better -- or because they are less afraid of their knee coming out of a joint when they go down on it to make a play?

 

Not all safety equipment. Just the equipment that seems to create other safety concerns, and elbow pads for batters when there is no injured area to protect.