Pitchers - Wear your masks

[MarkJMillsap]

Why do these types of posts always end up as a conduit for insult and argument....

....I don't give a rats ass what other posters, parents, college coaches etc. think. My dd is wearing a mask!!!

Thanks for clarifying...

No insult or argument here. Merely a factual statement!

[JCates]

DP, good post. I've done the motorcycle thingy and most of the crazy military stuff; jumping out of planes, rappelling out of helos, pilot etc, but I've always done it with proper training and safety gear. Personally, I wouldn't think of letting my DD play the corners or pitch w/o a mask.

That said, I feel just as strongly that you have a right to do what you think is best for your child and it doesn't make you less or more of a parent. How many of the "we gotta have a rule" crowd is out there on a daily basis teaching your child how to field properly? Grow up and put on your big girl/boy panties, be a parent and make a decision!

BTW,I don't need the village to raise my kid, that's why I get the big bucks.

Mark:

I think a point that is being overlooked in all of this discussion is how an injury like this can also affect the kid, from a mental standpoint, who hits the ball that injures the kid not wearing a mask. Can you imagine what this would be like for a 12U girl to see a ball she hit create some major damage to the girls face that she hit?

You have your DD wear a mask and I respect that you put her safety and well-being above all. However, those parents who refuse to have their DD wear a mask risk not only the safety of their child, but their decision can potentially affect other children as well. I wish everyone would make the decision you have made for your daughter then there would be no need to even discuss this subject. Unfortunately, there are those who put this game above the safety of their daughter for reasons I will never comprehend.

[MarkJMillsap]

Mark:

I think a point that is being overlooked in all of this discussion is how an injury like this can also affect the kid, from a mental standpoint, who hits the ball that injures the kid not wearing a mask. Can you imagine what this would be like for a 12U girl to see a ball she hit create some major damage to the girls face that she hit?

You have your DD wear a mask and I respect that you put her safety and well-being above all. However, those parents who refuse to have their DD wear a mask risk not only the safety of their child, but their decision can potentially affect other children as well. I wish everyone would make the decision you have made for your daughter then there would be no need to even discuss this subject. Unfortunately, there are those who put this game above the safety of their daughter for reasons I will never comprehend.[/quote]

JCates,

I couldn't agree with you more. The girl who hit my dd was very upset. The paramedics were called, and she was in tears also. The reason my dd wasn't wearing a mask at the time is pure ignorance. I had never seen or heard of a girl being hit. This was 10u rec. Fortunately, she was ok. Since moving to travel, and becoming enlightened on the bucket, I now know better. What I don't comprehend here is how some compare finger, leg, and arm injuries to facial and head injuries. I have done my best to convince all the parents I know that facemasks are a nessecity in the circle!

[Joe]

This whole thing reminds me of the whole motorcycle helmet debate. 30 years ago there I was riding my MC to work when a fool in a pickup cuts in front of me. Faced with the option of hittng the truck or laying the bike down I chose the latter. When I came to at the hospital the doctor showed me my helmet and said "This probably saved your life."

Seems to me a comment or two from the doc about you on a motorcycle would have been a more appropriate response. So the question begs...would you let your DD ride a MC?

[TX MAVERICK]

Wow,
why would you not want your pitcher to wear a mask. I doesnt prove they are tough not to wear one. This comes from parents not the kids, somehow it is suggested that if the kid wears a mask she is not as good of a player as the ones that dont. The young ladies are not going on to make careers out of playing softball, There is life after softball and its not worth the risk of a serious injury. My daughter is a pitcher and you wont catch her anywhere near the circle without her mask on. PROTECT YOUR KIDS!!!!

[Battle]

If dd wants to ride a harley without a helmet...why not? I mean hell, an injury is an injury, right? There is no difference between a broken finger or ankle and a head or facial injury. They all heal the same and everything is just peachy. Besides...if someone sees her on a bike with a helmet, they might think she is weak. Now how is she going to get in the X-games doing that.

It is the parents responsibility to protect their kids. Not the state, school, ASA, USFA, USSSA, or anybody else. The ones that think someone else should take responsibility for someone else's kid are just as dunce as the one's that think it is weak to wear a mask.

Newb

[twinsmom]

Along those same lines, my frustration is with the league teams who decide they are ready to come play tournaments with the TB teams. I have no problem with it. Everyone learns somewhere and lord knows that we had our "learning" early. I get scared to death when one of these "league" teams walks on the field against our kids. Our kids hit hard and these rec kids aren't prepared for what our team and some of the others can dish out. Their pitchers are also not very good and so tend to leave pitches fat over the plate. NONE of these kids wears a mask. Their parents are too inexperienced to know that they should. They don't have the reflexes to stop a hot shot hit off a composite bat at 100-120mph. We resort to bunting against these teams in a lot of instances.

This weekend our older (14U) team played in a local tournament and one of these types of teams signed up. Not one of those girls had a mask on. Our coach actually told the opposing coach that if they would promise to keep their kids backed up a "safe" distance, he promised not to bunt on them so that they wouldn't be charging in or playing up close. The first pitch was left a lot fat and a little inside instead of way inside and it got blasted just over the left shoulder of the third baseman (probably missed her face by less than 6 inches). She never saw it coming and never moved to get her glove even close to the play. After our player safely reached third, the opposing coach called time, walked out on the field and handed out face masks to every player. They were told to wear them or get off the field. All of us said a prayer and sighed our relief and on the game went, but unfortunately not all the coaches nor parents would have gotten it.

I am not for mandating rules for everyone but sometimes in these circumstances for the safety of the kids, maybe there should be a rule. Maybe in "B" classification tournaments masks should be required?????? You can't move up to A unless you have placed in a certain number of tournaments and then in "A" it is optional. I don't know that there is a right answer but can tell you my DD would be devastated if she hurt another kid.

[Joe]

...it is weak to wear a mask.

Who said that?

[Blind Squirrel]

"Unfortunately, there are those who put this game above the safety of their daughter for reasons I will never comprehend."

I can't comprehend that either. Probably because I've talked with plenty of parents of kids that don't wear a mask about this topic and none have even vaguely mentioned or given an impression anything like the sentiment you expressed. And that is part of the problem with this issue.

In general (at no particular individual):

1. As a parent of a daughter who did some pitching, I did what the vast majority of parents do on a near daily basis: I looked at what my kid wanted to do and assessed what the risks were. That goes for pitching, going to a football game, going to the mall, driving herself to practice, etc. I suspect that is pretty common as parenting experiences go. Nothing special.

Point of divergence folks: My assessment of the risk to my daughter when pitching was that the probability of her getting hit in the head with a batted ball was so low, that I didn't force her to wear a mask. I based that upon the number of games I've seen, the number of stories I've heard and the number of times pitchers face batters with no incident. In fact, my assessment is that my daughter was in far greater danger when she was 16 and started driving. Check the statistics on teen drivers and accidents. Some time ago I heard that most accidents occur within 10 miles of home. Sounds logical. A couple kids died behind the wheel (in separate incidents) that were school mates of my kids during high school. How many of you folks that require helmets are letting your teen kids drive? Rationalizations anyone? The list of preventable injuries that occur to the average active child is longer than my Richard. I had my share and so have my kids. Somehow I've made it to 52 and they've made it to 20 and 21 with no life altering episodes. I suspect that is the story with the majority of kids who play sports, including the vast majority of D1 and National team players who never wore a mask. (that is a sh*t load of idiot parents and kids/women)

2. I have no "common sense", I'm "not being a parent", etc. Really? Exactly what are the qualifications that any of you have that qualifies you to tell me how to be a parent. The fact that you arrive at a different conclusion than me when you assess the dangers? When did Piaget, Spock and Brazelton join HB? Of course the irony is that even well known specialists with decades of experience make their name by doing what? Coming up with the latest, greatest ways to raise kids. What does that tell you, you self-appointed, delusional authorities?

I'm out of time.

Please Help Me Raise My Kids Squirrel

[JCates]

Blind:

I am glad your daughter(s) made it through without serious injury. I wonder what your view had been had they taken a 100+ mph ball between the eyes and they had to spend a time in a rehab facility trying to learn how to do simple movements?

I work in a rehab physical rehab facility...I'm glad you do not have to see some of the things I've seen. If so, you would probably wish you were blind.