MASK

[monkeysmom]

What? Logical, insightful, intelligent thought on HB? Is this some alternate universe?

[HAMMER]

I will say this again "once you see a girl take one in the head without a mask you will be a believer" . It almost made me make my DD quit pitching after I witnessed a 14u girl get drilled in the head on the pitchers mound. The ball hit her so hard it landed in the opposing dugout on the fly. The sound alone I will remember forever.

[Vess Express]

I see both sides of the argument. I, too, hate the thought of having a rule for everything. However, no one complains about wearing a helmet for batting. Why is that? I played fastpitch softball from the age of 7 through college, and it wasn't until my second year of college that it was required to wear a batting helmet. (Yes, this was a long time ago!) I didn't even think about this until one day my daughter saw an old softball picture of me on base, and she said, "What did you do with your helmet?"

It just seems like at the very least, the younger age groups should be required to wear the masks. There are many other things that are restricted by age, (i.e. driving, drinking, voting, etc.), so it really wouldn't be that strange.

[Bring it]

The problem with limiting by age is it is the older kids that are knocking the daylights out of the ball, and the 1st, P and 3rd are often in the direct line of fire with very limited time to react.

[REALLY]

The problem with limiting by age is it is the older kids that are knocking the daylights out of the ball, and the 1st, P and 3rd are often in the direct line of fire with very limited time to react.

Why not move the bases back to 90 feet and the mound back to 60ft that should give them more reaction time. Then if we went to wooden bats that could limit the pop of the ball off the bats...


Rules wouldn't affect us. My DD wears a mask and will until I'm not paying the bills.


I made a rule and enforce it it's really a simple process.

[Bring it]

Really...not sure where you are headed with that statement.

We seem to be on the same side on this issue regarding the mask. I am simply trying to do my best to convince others to follow along with our view. Coming up with arguments like move the bases back and change the bats does not seem to drive home (pun intended) the point we are trying to make about the safety of the girls.

As I stated earlier, I am not in favor of a bunch of rule changes...simply having the girls wear a mask will eliminate, or greatly reduce the chance for severe facial/head innjuries that can have a long term impact on the DD's life.

[REALLY]

Really...not sure where you are headed with that statement.

We seem to be on the same side on this issue regarding the mask. I am simply trying to do my best to convince others to follow along with our view. Coming up with arguments like move the bases back and change the bats does not seem to drive home (pun intended) the point we are trying to make about the safety of the girls.

As I stated earlier, I am not in favor of a bunch of rule changes...simply having the girls wear a mask will eliminate, or greatly reduce the chance for severe facial/head innjuries that can have a long term impact on the DD's life.

We're on the same page but here is my thought process right now there are about 5 choices I have for my DD as far as face masks all based on personal preference for weight, visibilty, construction, color etc... The minute a rule goes into affect those masks will then have to go through a lengthy and expensive testing process to become certified ASA equipment and carry the ASA stamp of approval. This inturn will increas the cost of the mask and in the end each team will need to purchase 3,4,5,6 masks depending on the philosphy of sharing masks? When the simple answer is that parents and coaches should make the decision and not wait on ASA or any other organization.

I have about $500 in bats in my DD's bag right now that I cringe everytime I see a post about ASA Bat change and the ticking timebomb of them being banned. These organizations go where the money is and as soon as someone comes out with a "better" widget they jump ship gain the revenue and screw over the public in the "best interest of the player". The last thing I need is to change masks every year or two because someone decided that the old style she uses is not what "they" want us to use. Or get to the field and have them find a surface scratch that looks like a crack on her Mask and tell us she can't play with that mask. Rules like those proposed present more issues and potential problems than resolutions.

Ace Certification is a prime example

[Bring it]

I completely understand your argument regarding the issues surrounding ASA certification of equipment, etc. I also have a large investment in equipment for my DD.

There is still one glaring worry in my mind that overrides everything...without the rule to wear a face mask those DD's whose boneheaded parents do not place the safety of their DD first will continue to be in the line of fire. I hate the idea of having to spend more money, and I hate the idea of another rule, but I hate worse the idea of seeing some young girls dome crushed because of a hard line drive. Parents who have daughters playing on serious select softball teams pay thousands of dollars for softball each year between equipment, dues, and travel...another $50 - $60 for a facemask is a small additional amount to ensure the safety of all DD's playing 1st, 3rd or P. I buy all my daughters own equipment, but if the team bought three masks and this was spread over the cost of the entire team it would only be about $16-$18 per family.

If all parents operated with common sense like you and the majority do, we would not even have to have this discussion. Unfortunately there are many people breeding that do not have the common sense to make the correct decisions regarding the safety of their child. They are still so caught up in the "parent rights" philosophy that it would take the bloodied head of their child to make them change their mind.

[monkeysmom]

Sanctioned by ASA brings up a good point, you know someone will make money on the deal. Since helmets are required it seems like such a simple step to add face masks. When my daughter first started playing the cages were not required on the helmets but that changed very quickly. I predict we will see a rule come to fruition very soon.

[FP24X7]

If it was going to happen, it would need to be all or none, not just 3b, 1b and Pitcher.