Pitcher hit by line drive

[Sam]

I wish they would make it mandatory. Itscares the hell out of me every time my DD takes the mound. She has a mask and has used it in the past. But she got grief and snickers for it and feels uncomfortable wearing it now. Plus in the heat it really is hot to wear. So she and I go round and round on this subject.

I had heard the ASA was considering making it mandatory for the corners and the pitcher? Has anyone heard anything on this??

Here we go again. Just how stupid can people be? Why does some organization have to make something mandatory because you cannot do your job?

If it is that important to you, why must it be mandatory by rule? Just do it! You are the adult;
You sign the forms; You pay the money; You provide the equipment and transportation. If your daughter refuses to wear the protective gear YOU feel is necessary, DON'T LET HER PLAY!

Then again, you will probably be one of the first in line to sue someone if you do not get your daughter to wear the proper equipment and gets hurt.

MLB mandated use of batting helmets for batters in the 60's and now for base coaches. Did they do it because somebody wasn't doing their job? The NHL mandated helmets and shields....same for them....somebody wasn't doing their job? The NFL keeps improving their protective equipment and they mandate use of a helmet and face mask. If you ride a motorcycle in CA you have to wear a helmet.

Why is somebody always neglecting their job in your world, Mike?

[22'sDad]

Don't put it in the hands of any association, of any coach, or leave it up to any child, if your DD plays in the infield, especially the corners and pitcher, take it on your self to make them wear a mask...they fight and wine and cry right up to the point that you tell them that if they don't wear it they don't play, and then they wear it...I pay for your braces, I pay for the make-up you wear, I pay for the food that you eat, I pay for that cell phone that is grown to your hands and ear, and I pay for you to play, and I'll have to pay for the hospital or worse if you take a liner to the face, so if you are going to play you are going to wear it.

Amen to that. Treat it like a catchers helmet, wear it or don't play

[Sam]

Don't put it in the hands of any association, of any coach, or leave it up to any child, if your DD plays in the infield, especially the corners and pitcher, take it on your self to make them wear a mask...they fight and wine and cry right up to the point that you tell them that if they don't wear it they don't play, and then they wear it...I pay for your braces, I pay for the make-up you wear, I pay for the food that you eat, I pay for that cell phone that is grown to your hands and ear, and I pay for you to play, and I'll have to pay for the hospital or worse if you take a liner to the face, so if you are going to play you are going to wear it.

Amen to that. Treat it like a catchers helmet, wear it or don't play

Catchers helmets are mandatory.

[Tucson]

Coaches can require that their players wear them.

LL isn't even requiring face masks on batting helmets, yet, but I would.

[MTR]

MLB mandated use of batting helmets for batters in the 60's and now for base coaches. Did they do it because somebody wasn't doing their job? The NHL mandated helmets and shields....same for them....somebody wasn't doing their job? The NFL keeps improving their protective equipment and they mandate use of a helmet and face mask. If you ride a motorcycle in CA you have to wear a helmet.

Why is somebody always neglecting their job in your world, Mike?

And the intelligent folks were already wearing the equipment WITHOUT it being mandated. Hello? Anybody in there, Sam? You are also referring to big money business protecting their investment. BTW, the mandate for the base coaches in the MLB was a sorry-ass, chicken little reaction to a minor league incident where wearing a helmet would NOT have made a difference.

GAFC, sam. We are talking about some weak-ass parent who is afraid of their child, whining about someone not acting as a babysitter for them.

Remember all the whining that went on about how ASA just HAD to mandate the face mask on the batting helmet? Of course, the smart ones were already wearing them. Once mandated, then the "masses" whined about not making in mandatory immediately even though ASA went to lengths to explain that the standards had to be developed, tested and the equipment in question was placed on the standard one-year probationary period by NOCSAE prior to receiving final approval and the NOCSAE stamp. Meanwhile, ASA clearly stated that any manufactured masks would be allowed just as they were prior to the mandate.

When NOCSAE attached their approval, then even some manufacturers even thought it would be delayed. One stood up in the equipment and safety standards committee in Colorado Springs and announced they just ASSUMED ASA would not move forward with the mandate since not every sporting goods manufacturer was not prepared to hit the market, but the committee clearly stated that all had time (nearly 18 months) to get up to speed.

Now that there was a required standard set in place, the new whine was that those who demanded the mandate didn't understand why they had to buy a new mask that had passed the required testing!! Go figure, people didn't want to pay for a product they demanded.

At nationals that year, a multitude of batter's helmets were shot down because the masks for which everyone clamored did not carry the NOCSAE approval.

Tell me, sam, how many players wear gloves and why?

[Sam]

Why the insults, Mike? You know as well as I do that organizations in all walks of life mandate safety equipment...many times in response to changing conditions. ASA has legalized dangerous bats, so we...as parents, need to react accordingly...to protect ASA.

The batting helmet mask issue was orchestrated by Schutt. They were on the group that came up the NOCSAE standard....which their masks already met....then ASA mandated that all the masks had to have the NOCSAE stamp and refused to grandfather in the masks that met the standard...so everybody had to buy new masks. Pointing out stupidity in a process isn't whining, Mike, its what you are supposed to do. That was the sole "whining" I heard about the batting helmet masks. You may have heard more in that bastion of ASA Girls Fastpitch Softball we call simply ......Delaware.

[Stubs]

Last October we were in a tournament in Indy. One of our better hitters just creamed a ball that skimmed the side of 3B's head and left her ear bloody. No face mask. A few inches to the right and she might have been killed.

This year our 3b had a shot hit her in the stomach. No chance to get her glove up it was there that fast.

Saw a college game at Notre Dame a few years ago vs Northwestern. Girl from NW hit a shot that hit ND's 3B near the chest. Again, no chance to get a glove on it.

I agree. Don't wait for ASA or anyone else to make it manditory. You as a parent do it!

[anonlooker]

And when you take into account that hitters are taught to smash anything over the plate right back up the middle... yikes.

Fortunately, pitchers are taught to never put anything down the middle...!!

But no doubt, there is a lot of risk.

[16<3sfastpitch4evr]

well yes, us girls hate the face masks, nobody wants to wear one, theyr hot and make it difficult to see balls hit on the ground, not to mention they r ugly! 'Cmon, im not gonna get hurt!' we all say to r parents and coaches who advise us to wear a mask. but i know 1st-hand that once u get seriously hurt by a liner, 90% of girls will want to wear the mask. i was hit while pitching right on my kneecap with a hard liner at nationals when i was just 10. and ever since i have worn a face mask...although that may not help my knee (that to this day is still not right), and didnt prevent me from being hit with another liner in my other knee just a year later, it could definitely save your face. Avoiding a ruined face for lyf is worth a bit of discomfort/adjusting for the short tym that ur wearing a mask, and i have urged the others on my team to wear one as well. hopefully they wear one now, rather than learn a lesson the hard way as i did

[CallingCadence14]

How many times are you people going to read about this type of incident and idley sit by?Not saying you have to pass a law or something to retard the game,what I am saying is like thmany who have taken it up to themselves to enforce there own and police there own.Do not wait until your child is sucking her meals through a straw living off a ventilator and drooling baby food on a bib cause your too ignorant ,do your job as a parent.Protect your child!!!!
That simple, make her do it because you care enough about her!!!