Pitchers - Wear your masks

[ontheblack]

Along Squirrel's line of thinking, I didnt require my kid to wear a mask. I bought one and offered it to her, then listened to her mock me and do her best Jason impersonations.

Two weeks later, she watched the other pitcher on her team have a screaming line drive up the middle glance off her glove and cheek. The girl was very fortunate. The following week she asked for the mask. She wont pitch without it. It was completely her decision which of course Im glad she made.

My data is different than Squirrel's. We know 4 girls hit in the face, with two losing teeth. One still wonI a mask. I dont believe her parents lack any parental skills, and the kid will be playing D1 in a year.

Thats the tricky thing about being parents. Experiences shape our perspectives and ultimately are actions. That doesnt mean the skillset is suspect.

[Blind Squirrel]

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.

I wonder what your view would be if your teen age kid got in a horrible car accident because she was allowed to drive? For the record, I wouldn't wish such a thing on you or anyone else.

Rocket J.

[JCates]

Blind:

I did not wish that on you either, nor would I. Although you are comparing apples to oranges, when my daughter is at the age to drive she will do it with my insistence that she adhere strictly to both laws and regulations of the law as well as any I may demand from her. If she doesn't, and I catch her, she will not drive my vehicle. If she gets in an accident, knock on wood, it would not be my lack of common sense on my part that led to that accident. I will not like the fact that she was in an accident any better, but I will know I did everything I could possibly do as a parent to protect her and keep her from getting injured. I can assure you she does not set the rules as the child, nor will she ever while I guiding her through her teen years!

Now can we get back to discussing softball instead of driving?

[TX MAVERICK]

SPAZ,

All great points but wouldnt you agree that no matter how small the risk if it can be reduced by simply wearing a mask its worth it? There is no arguing that wearing a mask will reduce the risk of serious injury to a player so why would you not wear one. There is no down side to it.

[JCates]

SPAZ,

All great points but wouldnt you agree that no matter how small the risk if it can be reduced by simply wearing a mask its worth it? There is no arguing that wearing a mask will reduce the risk of serious injury to a player so why would you not wear one. There is no down side to it.

I agree 100 percent Maverick.

Spaz: I have seen many that were there because of serious head injury...whether that be by ball or other means is not the point. The point is that you do not want to see your kid in that position and if wearing a fairly inexpensive Rip It mask can prevent that type of injury. What logical thinking parent would resist in making their daughter wear one. It will not in any way shape or form take away from the integrity of the game. It will, without question, reduce the chance of serious head injury should a girl be hit by a screaming line drive between the eyes.

[Battle]

...it is weak to wear a mask.

Who said that?

Nobody has said it here yet, but as long as you have been on this forum then you know this subject comes up every few months although this has been one of the most civil one so far IMO. I will have to thread jump to show you who advocates the "wearing a mask is weak" crap so please forgive me but it is the root problem for the weak belief in my opinion.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6202&start=60

[Joe]

. I will have to thread jump to show you who advocates the "wearing a mask is weak" crap ...

Primitive thinking...and so was playing football with a leather helmet...

[JCates]

Spaz:

AKA Lucy, let me do some splainin' to to you.

Point One:
I am not trying to convince you as you have made it clear in your views that this game is more important than the safety of your DD. God forbid, you be made to put out for an inexpensive mask that will not take away from your DD's ability to make plays, will protect her should she be hit in the head, and keep another parents DD from having to encounter the mental effects of driving a screaming line drive between your daughter's eyes. You have been lucky so far, and for that I am glad...I would not want that to happen to anyone. I will, however, go head to head with you if I can convince one other parent to buy the mask for their DD. Softball will not last forever...the effects of a shot to the head can. If somehow along the way I play a part in getting the governing bodies of softball to require the pitchers and corners to wear a mask then that is a bonus in my view.

Point 2:
Yes...I used my experience in working in a physical rehab setting and seeing brain injured kids as a reason for wearing the mask. Did any of these get here because of getting hit by a softball...no. I will give you the satisfaction of using that lame response. However, the effects of a brain injury will be the same regardless of whether they hit their head on concrete in a fall, or if they get hit by a softball (which is not soft by the way) between the eyes at a 100+ miles per hour. Regardless of how they are injured, the long terms effects are the same and I assure you that you do not want your kid in that position if you can prevent it. Why risk that by not having pitchers, and the corners wear a mask that does not cost much and does not limit the ability to make plays?

Now I will save you the effort of responding. You are a big boy, the parent and you have the right to choose what you have your kid do. I said it for you. I just hope your DD never has to suffer from your decision. However, I hope some will read this post and put their DD's safety first.

[afastpitchfanatic]

JCates.....you, among others, have convinced me to tell my daughter to put her mask back on. One of my dd's teammates linedrived a pitcher in the mouth during a 10u tournament game a couple of years ago. It took her to the ground, but thankfully she was okay, as she had a facemask on. If she hadn't of, it was likely she'd have lost some teeth and possibly broken her jaw. I was ignorant prior to that moment, of how important a facemask is. I bought one that week for my dd, since she played 3rd base. She continued to wear it for the rest of that season and the next two years. Now, she isn't wearing one. After reading this thread, I'm going to purchase her a new Rip-It mask and insist that she wear it. When we were playing the Lasers 98' out of Ohio, she was creeping from 3rd for a bunt. I kept saying to myself, "Please God, don't let her take a ball to the face, please God, don't let her take one to the face." While I understand her decision not to wear one when facing some of the weaker teams, I'm going to insist that she wears one anyway. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if she got hit.

[3Bsnag]

Spaz: I have seen many that were there because of serious head injury...whether that be by ball or other means is not the point. The point is that you do not want to see your kid in that position and if wearing a fairly inexpensive Rip It mask can prevent that type of injury. What logical thinking parent would resist in making their daughter wear one. It will not in any way shape or form take away from the integrity of the game. It will, without question, reduce the chance of serious head injury should a girl be hit by a screaming line drive between the eyes.

Actually, that is the point exactly in mandating equipment. The injuries can be/are horrific, but the numbers don't justify an across-the-board rule.

It will be interesting to see how the masked kids will adjust to college ball or if we will start to see masks when the 14U's and younger get there. A good number of them don't even have cages on their batting helmets.