Face masks

[flipper14]

I spoke to a local HS assistant coach who told me that during tryouts they place the players with a mask in one line, and the ones without a mask in another. They will fill their team with non-mask wearers until all spots are filled. Only if they need additional players will they grab one from the "mask" line. When I asked him about why this was he said that players who wears masks are less confident, less technically advanced and wear the masks from fear. I was amazed. Not that he was that ignorant but because he actually admitted his ignorance in public. Funny that his DD led the team in errors at SS, mostly because she would never stay down on the ball and kept lifting her head. But she was golden because she didn't wear a mask.

That's absurd. I coach a committed DI shortstop that wears a mask. I think she'd work her way into the lineup.

I will say that there are college coaches that do have negative perceptions about those who wear masks. I do think it will change, however.

Local girl this year who will pitch at Yale next year took a line drive off of the face this year that pretty much blew up her face. She's wearing a mask now.

 

[Dabears17]

The coach at the high school my daughter will go to bought two masks out of his own pocket for his pitchers and/or corners to use.

 

[mosftballdad]

All the girls on my DD's 14U where a mask when in the cirlce or infield. Most teams in this area will do the same. My DD just went through her HS camp and nothing was said to her about wearing a mask. I would have to agree that we will see more wearing them at the higher level as these girls move up.

 

[Bill S]

Coaches that take the "mask=lesser player" position should have to throw BP for a week or so, then move over to SS......

 

[obbay]

I am not sure why this is such a fight against those who don't wear them

this has nothing to do with those who choose not to wear them. It is a choice. it has everything to do with those who do choose to wear them but are assumed to be inferior by others (ie Adults and dim-witted coaches) for making that choice.

yes, I am saying a coach is dim-witted who discounts a player for using what has been determined a valid and valuable piece of safety equipment.

a parent can be ignorant of the potential danger, but a coach should know better.

 

[JAD]

I am apparently at the epicenter of pitchers getting hit in the head by batted balls this year. I have posted several times on it. In about April I saw a 14u pitcher get hit in the mask with a batted ball. The mask went flying behind her. She still ended up with a broken nose. Last week I saw an experienced second year 16 pitcher on an "A" team, not wearing a mask, hit by a batted ball and was seriously injured. My understanding is that her cheekbone and inter orbital were fractured. I saw it happen very clearly, the was absolutely no way anyone could have got a glove up to deflect it. It was awful to see and I can't tell you how bad everyone there felt for that kid.

Sunday, it was my daughter. She is a second year 10u, wearing a mask, pitching against a good team in a nq tournament. It was late on Sunday, the pitchers on both teams were tired and both teams were rocking the ball. DD had already deflected a hard hit ball about chest high in that game. She couldn't get the glove open to field it but she knocked it down. Another hard hit ball came right back at her and hit her in the mask. The gal that hit it plain smoked it and this time it was higher and there was no way she could knock it down. It hit square on her mask and dropped straight down. It dropped her on the spot and I have never been so scared in my life. There was people on the field before the ball was dead and the gal who hit the ball was standing on first bawling her eyes out. Even though it wasn't her fault and she did nothing wrong she felt terrible. Several of dd's teammates and friends from the other team were noticeably affected too.

The mask was still on her head and it did its job. It is a Rip-It btw. DD had a puffy lip and a couple marks under her lip that we could not determine how she got them. She was shook up but un-injured, her day was over. I later asked her what she remembered, she said she threw the pitch that was called, (fb middle), and was just thinking "that's a good pitch" and the next thing she remembered was being on the ground. Later that night, the gal who batted the ball called and dd and her talked for about 45 minutes about all the local softball gossip and what tv shows they like and whatever else girls that age talk about. Both of them felt much better after talking.

I can't tell you how thankful I was that she was wearing that mask. My two dd's will never play/practice the infield or pitch without a mask. Neither me or them could care less what some bonehead college coach with a brain stuck in the stone age thinks about masks. DD also wears a heart guard when she pitches and I don't think I will ever have to remind her to wear it again.

That is three times in a few short months I have seen a batted ball hit a pitcher hard in the head. It was an awful experience for everyone involved every time. It could have been even worse in every case. I don't want to see any more of it.

Play this out one more step: what if this had been a more serious injury or worse? How many of these gals would have been done with the game they love? Maybe the mask doesn't just protect the gal wearing it, maybe it protects everybody on the field from different kinds of harm.

Best $40 you ever spent!

 

[Dabears17]

Coaches that take the "mask=lesser player" position should have to throw BP for a week or so, then move over to SS......

I've got a couple bruises from my 8u's and one hit a glancing blow off my jaw I barely got out of the way of.... luckily its the low compression ball. I'm thinking about getting a mask for myself.

 

[softballphreak]

I would like to hear from parents over the age of 9-11. I don't know where you play, but the masks disappear about 90 percent by 16 and 18. So I am not sure why this is such a fight against those who don't wear them. It's like hating your own kind, just older.

As a coach, I would not be involved in buying masks for select positions, if they are not required. You could get sued if another kid gets hit with the ball that you did not buy a mask for. If you buy them for all, then if one is not up to snuff (some strap falls off and they still wear it), lawsuit. If you don't stay on the kid to wear it , she doesn't and something happens, lawsuit. If the one forgets the mask you bought her, then you can't play her. What if you need to move another player you did not buy a mask for to 3B? Guess that ain't happening.

Let the schools and organizations deal and buy them.

I bought one for anyone on the team who wanted to wear it. And one did. I would have bought another one if necessary. Sue me. I'll counter sue and buy some for the whole league.

 

[softballphreak]

I'll bet this guy can't even hit a fast pitch. Darnell Dockett Takes Facemask Game to a Whole New Ridiculous Level | Bleacher Report