Infield Masks

[uncdrew]

Wish somehow the "cool" thing to do was to wear it.

Fortunately my DD doesn't care about being cool. She cares about being good.

 

[_MIA_]

DD wears one and I encourage it, but for whatever reason she says it annoys her at times because it never seems to fit perfectly, eg it bounces around on her face when she is running for a ball. I don't know if she doesn't tighten it enough or what.

 

[Rolling Hard]

the problem with making mask mandatory is that there is no uniform standard for testing for any infield mask, and therefore there is a liability issue if any coach / org / league makes them mandatory.

Wow! Are you a bureaucrat or an attorney? I am sure mask makers would love uniformed standard testing and mandatory use requirements.

 

[Lightning]

DD wears one and I encourage it, but for whatever reason she says it annoys her at times because it never seems to fit perfectly, eg it bounces around on her face when she is running for a ball. I don't know if she doesn't tighten it enough or what.

They need to be tightened periodically to stay snug, and the elastic will give out over time so the strap needs to be replaced.

 

[MightyMO]

DD2 has worn one since she played machine pitch and has never complained about it. She's 16 now and this last year she asked if she could go without when playing middle infield. I told her I was fine with that based on her skill level. She still wears it when she pitches or if she ever plays corners.

In all of these years I have seen her snag some rockets hit right at her or by her and make amazing plays with no problem. This summer she was pitching a game and I was travelling for work. My wife texted me and said "DD just took a line drive to the face on the second pitch of the game". The coach went out and checked on her. She walked it off and had no effects from it. Eight years of wearing a mask were all worth it for that one save.

 

[_MIA_]

DD2 has worn one since she played machine pitch and has never complained about it. She's 16 now and this last year she asked if she could go without when playing middle infield. I told her I was fine with that based on her skill level. She still wears it when she pitches or if she ever plays corners.

The only concern for MI is some of the fields DD plays on are horrible. I saw a kid take one to the face at SS this spring (on a field that we workout at here in Norman) on a top spin grounder that took a wicked hop..she wasn’t wearing a mask. You can have the best footwork in the world but if the IF is full of rocks you cannot do much.

I played MI for 15 years and only took one to the mouth (in HS)..I played the rest of the game with cotton in my mouth and got stitches in my lip after the game

 

[MightyMO]

The only concern for MI is some of the fields DD plays on are horrible. I saw a kid take one to the face at SS this spring (on a field that we workout at here in Norman) on a top spin grounder that took a wicked hop..she wasn’t wearing a mask. You can have the best footwork in the world but if the IF is full of rocks you cannot do much.

That's true with a lot of fields we play on also. I have seen some crazy hops in the infield and outfield. That's why you will never hear me make fun of someone who chooses to wear a mask anywhere on the field.

Heck, DD1 was exclusively an outfielder through high school who chose not to wear a mask and she got hit. It was late in a game her senior year and it was already dark so the field lights were on. She charged a shallow fly ball to right field and just as she got to the ball it dropped through the lights and she lost it. Hit her square in the forehead. After I realized she was alright, it was pretty damn funny.