American Athletics

[GSB]

I am glad to hear she is going to be alright. Last All Star season, I saw a line drive ripped to third base. The girl at third caught it directly in the throat. It crushed her larynx and she spent a few days in intensive care. Last year winterball, I saw a center fielder attempting a catch on a monster pop up. The sun caught her eyes and the ball hit her directly in the forehead. This knocked her out for about 2 minutes. Thank god she was not permanently injured. I think ASA should protect the girls in every realistic way they can. I know the pitcher is more likely to be at risk, but shouldn't the other positions wear masks/throat guards as well?

[Rich]

There will always be girls who won't wear the masks, for a variety of reasons. I watched several college games this year, and so far I have not seen one girl wearing a mask. Maybe, like me, their daughters are over 18 and won't listen to what their parents have to say. Legally I can't force my adult DD to wear a mask. Apparently the rest of you can still dictate that sort of thing to their adult children, and while i still have influence, she doesn't do everything I tell her to do. Perhaps I'm a bad parent, but apparently there are other bad parents out there too, because college players are not wearing masks. My youngest plays 12U, and while there are some girls who wear masks, the vast majority do not. So, for whatever reason, bad parenting, ignorance, whatever, most pitchers are not wearing masks. I had this misfortune this past Sunday of seeing this young girl take a line shot directly to her nose. She didn't even have time to raise her arms to her face. I think we can all agree, that for whatever reason, most girls are not wearing masks and ought to be. I can't see any other way to stop the inevitable tragedy than making face masks mandatory. What are the arguments against it? Getting on this board and crowing about how much control/power you have over your kid isn't going to solve the problem. The only solution I can see is for ASA to make the rule change.

[Skarp]

What are the arguments against it?

Ummm...personal choice. You know, the founding principle of this country.

I took a different stance on metal cleats, because in that case it's almost always someone else's choice that causes a given kid to get injured. But I'm sick to death of being told what to do in terms of the decisions I make with respect to my children. As if the jackasses in the government, the schools...or ASA for that matter...know better than me what's best for my kids. F them.

[Rich]

Skarp wrote: "Ummm...personal choice. You know, the founding principle of this country."

I'm about as libertarian as they come politically, and abhor gov't intrusion in my life in almost all of it's forms, but there are some issues where people need to be protected from themselves. This is one of those issues. Maybe it was the shock of seeing that young lady laying on the field with blood all over her face, but I see a lot of reasons to be in favor of this rule change, not too many reasons not to implement it.

I have a question for you, since you are a proponent of personal choice, I am assuming that you believe ASA should do away with their rules mandating all players wearing batting helmets and masks? How about catchers, helmets and chest protectors also not mandatory? The jewelry ban? Same question goes for MLB players? How about illegal drug use? Should one of our criteria for not making rules and laws is that the person will only be hurting themselves?

[Skarp]

Skarp wrote: "Ummm...personal choice. You know, the founding principle of this country."

I'm about as libertarian as they come politically, and abhor gov't intrusion in my life in almost all of it's forms, but there are some issues where people need to be protected from themselves. This is one of those issues. Maybe it was the shock of seeing that young lady laying on the field with blood all over her face, but I see a lot of reasons to be in favor of this rule change, not too many reasons not to implement it.

I have a question for you, since you are a proponent of personal choice, I am assuming that you believe ASA should do away with their rules mandating all players wearing batting helmets and masks? The jewelry ban? Same question goes for MLB players? How about illegal drug use? Is our only criteria for not making rules and laws is that the person only be hurting themselves?

It's an interesting set of questions. Harm--particularly moral harm--is necessarily a subjective concept. Some, myself included, would argue that a certain amount of adversity and suffering is character-building. In other words, not harmful at all. Others, probably including everyone who voted for our current president, think nobody is ever supposed to suffer any adversity at all.

One of the fundamental flaws in libertarian thinking when discussing drugs, prostititution, gay marriage, etc., is their claim that "it doesn't harm anybody"--as if that's a settled issue. It isn't. What is harmful is subjective, and thus the only way to come to a decision on any given issue which turns on the concept of harm is to allow the majority to decide. Because no individual's opinion on what is harmful is more valuable or should carry more weight than anyone else's.

So to answer your question re drugs, I defer to the majority (although I believe that fighting the war on drugs is an incredible waste of resources).

With respect to jewelry, that's a potential danger to others, and is rightfully regulated. Helmets and masks, and especially MLB safety equipment...I couldn't care less.

I do recognize that sports organizations have a right to make rules that will protect the integrity and viability of their game. Obviously if kids are getting carted off to the morgue week in and week out, softball would die off in a hurry. But the justification that you advance...that people need to be protected from themselves...I categorically reject.

[Skarp]

Anyone remember Baby Jessica? Some kid falls down a well and now we have to watch 24/7 coverage about excavation engineering, interviews with 3rd cousins, etc. Then the trailer park parents, who were probably hitting the hash pipe when their kid wandered off, get a 7 figure t.v. deal out of the thing. Don't know what in the hell that has to do with anything, but the "if it only saves one kids" comment reminded me of it.

I don't care about Baby Jessica, and I don't care about the one kid who gets injured in a freak sports accident. Not unless I know her or know someone who does. People die and get injured every day...by the thousands and millions. I know...I'm evil.

[NavinR]

Personally, I believe the reasons we have and will continue to have rules governing any potential hazard is the threat of lawsuits. If Suzie gets injured in the circle, some attorney will pursue the angle that it was a known hazard, that the governing bodies (ASA, rec league, coaches, etc.) not only knew about the danger, but was aware of the safety device that would have prevented the injury.

It's a heck of lot cheaper to mandate a face mask then to face lawsuits.

[bpowell]

My DD is a 14U pitcher who's pitching coach pitched at a D1 scholarship. She shared a story of being hit in the forehead by a shot in her 1st college game. After that incident and her recovery her college coach started working with her on being prepared to field her position.

Therefore, about 5 minutes of every pitching pratice is now dedicated to reaction to come backers (i.e. she throws a tennis ball at DD after she pitches). It has helped my DD and to date she has reacted very good to come backers.

To each his own, just sharing what my daughter and I do. Everybody should have the freedom to choose!

[Skarp]

Personally, I believe the reasons we have and will continue to have rules governing any potential hazard is the threat of lawsuits. If Suzie gets injured in the circle, some attorney will pursue the angle that it was a known hazard, that the governing bodies (ASA, rec league, coaches, etc.) not only knew about the danger, but was aware of the safety device that would have prevented the injury.

It's a heck of lot cheaper to mandate a face mask then to face lawsuits.

'tis true.

[sball14]

the game has change over the past ten years and some of those changes have made pitchers more vulnerable then in times past. two things that pitchers and their parents need to remember.

1. the offense in softball has improved greatly over the past decade. every other kid has a hitting coach. the days of a pitcher (in tb) striking out 12-16 batters every game are gone. the more contact the higher the risks.

2. the approved bats have incredible spring and every kid in tb has one.
not sure how common it is, but the use of illegal bats makes the risks even greater.

the risks and the dangers are real. every parent should seriously consider protecting their child. should it be mandatory? i don't know. i just can't see why any parent wouldn't take precautionary measures to prevent serious injury.