Game Face Masks

[NumeroUno]

Okay I just talked to one of the best Gold Coaches in the country and I asked him about what a college would think about a kid that wears a mask. He said he wouldn't give a sh%t if they wore a mask and painted themself purple if they could hit. He says college do not look down on any kid that wants to keep her teeth

[Battle]

Maybe if you three had any contact with top gold coaches you would know that the previous statements are true. Wear a mask,and you will not be looked on favorably.

Will you please give names. If by coincidence I do know them, I would like to ask them myself. Thanks.

Call it what you want in your liberal utopia

What is liberal about not putting your DD in an unnecessary incident that could ruin her college career before it gets started. Was the liberal comment because others don't share your point of view?

Anyway, names please.
Thanks

[AlwaysImprove]

Do you think this is the first time the 'mask' discussion has come up? It has come up every 6 months for the last 10 years.

I do not see a big trend towards masks showing up in the higher levels of play. IMHO, it has gone the other way. Cleats for 16U and High School. 43 foot pitching rubber.

[ontheblack]

The trend is toward more girls wearing masks, not less. That trend will manifest itself at the higher levels over time due to the number of girls moving on to D1 schools in the next few years that currently wear masks. I know personally three that have either signed or verbal with D1 schools this year that will be wearing masks when they pitch in college.

As for those at a higher level having an issue with masks, Monica Abbott endorses a pitching mask, and the Weeklys from Tennessee endorse both a hitting and a pitching mask.

[Blind Squirrel]

Do you think this is the first time the 'mask' discussion has come up? It has come up every 6 months for the last 10 years.

Exactly my thinking when I posted. No worries. That is what my post was intended to make fun of.

And the predictions of certain, relatively near term significant change have one thing in common whether they be "the rest of the country is catching up to CA", "NorCal is catching up to SoCal", or "soon every pitcher/1B/3B will be wearing a mask". They all fall prey to the fallacies of hope.

Squirrel Who Knows Raven (and Her Dad)

[jmo]

Do you think this is the first time the 'mask' discussion has come up? It has come up every 6 months for the last 10 years.

Exactly my thinking when I posted. No worries. That is what my post was intended to make fun of.

And the predictions of certain, relatively near term significant change have one thing in common whether they be "the rest of the country is catching up to CA", "NorCal is catching up to SoCal", or "soon every pitcher/1B/3B will be wearing a mask". They all fall prey to the fallacies of hope.

Squirrel Who Knows Raven (and Her Dad)

I need to change my moniker - jmo who knows Sam and Raven's dads

[Daddylawman]

I do not see a big trend towards masks showing up in the higher levels of play. IMHO, it has gone the other way. Cleats for 16U and High School. 43 foot pitching rubber.

What???!!! Talk about a complete lack of logic. One thing has nothing to do with the other. By your argument the only conclusion id that fewer 16U's will wear masks in the future. This despite the one thing everyone agrees on is that the number of 16U's will mass has steadily gone UP.

By the way - Arizona's pitcher just got knocked out of the game by a comebacker that hit her pitching arm. Even the most elite pitchers can't react tothe speed balls are coming off the bats these days.

[Tumblebug]

I am continually amazed at how much credit is given to the bat. Bat performance, (if you are not using a composite that broke in past the rules or a juiced bat) has dropped since 2000. The bats have made some small advances but the difference here is not the bat. I have to work very hard to be certain that my bats don't perform beyond the rules. It's not difficult to make a bat that blows the rules away. I am cool with the limitations but staying under them is not a trivial or inexpensive task. I could release a bat tomorrow that hits a ball 40 feet farther.

These cute little girls are getting more training and are getting stronger than they ever had or were. When I go to a 12u softball game and watch the girls I am amazed at how much the level of play has elevated. They don't have to wear a mask to save them from a bat. They have to wear a mask to save themselves from each other.

The only way I can get behind the idea of de-tuning bats is in response to the higher level of play. But that's not healthy for the game itself. What happens when we reach the point where we are producing bats that are the same as wood and kids still get laid-out on come-backers? Shall we de-tune wood? Like it or not, because every little girl's parents want little suzy to play her best and get her hitting, pitching, and fielding lessons, the game has changed dramatically for the better in the last two decades. The higher level of play means more risk. The only way to insure the safety of your player from the risks of a hard hit or thrown ball is to use protective gear.

My eight year old son got a thrown ball in the kisser. he nearly lost his new permanent teeth. The dentist said that if he got hit again before the teeth got a chance to tighten up he would lose them. So, I put a mask on his batting helmet and made him wear a fielding mask. I'm a very traditional Baseball guy and If I had the power, I would mandate their use.

My son's experience made me acutely aware that the choices for protective equipment are very limited. So, I'm sitting here looking at a sketch of a cross between a batting helmet and a lacrosse helmet. There is a visor that looks right for diamond sports, and a place for a pony tail to go through. It has some cool features I could not find on other masks or helmets. I just applied for a patent for the unique concept. I don't know if it's going anywhere but I figure I will have done my part to make personal safety cool.

[ontheblack]

need a beta tester? I have 2 pitchers that would be willing.

[Tumblebug]

need a beta tester? I have 2 pitchers that would be willing.

That's still a long way off. Thanks for askin.