Mask or No Mask

[BobInMadison]

The shouldn't coach of yelled, but some coaches do make it mandatory before the girls even step on the field. If that's the case then he does have the right to ask to put her mask on. I am pro mask and not just for safety reasons. I saw many girls improve their performance by wearing a mask (at many different levels), for example girls who have a tendency to turn their head to the side or pull up prematurely when a grounder is hit their way resulting in a ball under their glove.

Interesting.

DD 3 thinks that the mask makes her a better fielder, or at least a more self-confident fielder. She can make the play without worrying about whether the ball is going to hit her in the face. That may be one reason why the ball has never hit her mask -- she has always stuck out her glove and made the play in the nick of time -- so far.

 

[wheresmycar]

You missed the ball! My point was that a mask does not hinder a pitchers ability to field to the point it warrants not wearing one. The same can not be said for corners and MI. There you need to analyze the risk reward trade off.

You point, is a baseless opinion. Thanks for sharing.

Oh, and Shoemaker turns his head to protect his face... perhaps if he had learned to play with a mask, he faces the ball and tries to make a play.

 

[riseball]

You point, is a baseless opinion. Thanks for sharing.

Which one? A mask certainly hinders vision as evidenced by the numbers of players not using one on their batting helmets at the first opportunity to do so. Then there are those that ditch the fielders mask as they get older. And as we know catchers leave their helmets on at all times. Rarely if ever does a pitcher dive for a ball compared to corners and MI. And the biggest threat to pitchers is hard line drives, not bad hops as with corners and MI. So what part is baseless opinion?

 

[shaker1]

My youngest dd wears a mask, no way the ball will ever hit it, she turns her head way too fast for that. The ear maybe, never the face

 

[KCPhoto]

Which one? A mask certainly hinders vision as evidenced by the numbers of players not using one on their batting helmets at the first opportunity to do so. Then there are those that ditch the fielders mask as they get older. And as we know catchers leave their helmets on at all times. Rarely if ever does a pitcher dive for a ball compared to corners and MI. And the biggest threat to pitchers is hard line drives, not bad hops as with corners and MI. So what part is baseless opinion?

Riseball, I never consider any of your opinions to be baseless. I respect the knowledge you have shared with many of us on this site. That said, I'm going to continue to disagree with you on this safety issue. I don't think girls abandon face masks and helmet masks for performance reasons. I think they discard them due to coaching and peer pressure in high school. Around here, HS is when players start taking them off.

 

[wheresmycar]

Which one? A mask certainly hinders vision as evidenced by the numbers of players not using one on their batting helmets at the first opportunity to do so. Then there are those that ditch the fielders mask as they get older. And as we know catchers leave their helmets on at all times. Rarely if ever does a pitcher dive for a ball compared to corners and MI. And the biggest threat to pitchers is hard line drives, not bad hops as with corners and MI. So what part is baseless opinion?

Batting helmet cages are further from face... and if there was a statistically measurable and meaningful difference between cage/no cage batting at the collegiate level, none of the players would be using batting helmet cages, but that is not the case.
Catchers helmets do obscure some peripheral vision, and catchers do yank helmets off for pop ups, as the helmet makes looking straight up more difficult.
Many infielders eventually give up protective masks, but I'd say it's not because of restrictive vision, but rather because some macho dinosaur of a coach (or parent) telling them, "real ball players don't need a mask". And that is a real shame.

If you ever bothered to put on a infielders mask, you would know, the vision they provide is excellent.

 

[MNDad]

Why mandate face masks when helmets offer more protection? They've already proven that girls can play just fine wearing one. We have a piece of equipment that will make the game safer. It should be mandated and any parent who disagrees is a sadist.

 

[riseball]

Riseball, I never consider any of your opinions to be baseless. I respect the knowledge you have shared with many of us on this site. That said, I'm going to continue to disagree with you on this safety issue. I don't think girls abandon face masks and helmet masks for performance reasons. I think they discard them due to coaching and peer pressure in high school. Around here, HS is when players start taking them off.

I do not disagree with the safety issue. Of all the places they should be worn it is HS where you have a huge disparity in skills and abilities. When I spoke of abandonment at the higher levels I was referring to college which is a very different game, and players have told me it is a performance issue. College playing surfaces are also significantly better than what is seen in HS and certainly TB, so the bad hop is not as common. College players rarely play into the peer pressure game, those that do tend not to last. You either have skills or you do not. They do not care how you get the job done, just that it gets done.

I take issues with the nannies that wish to usurp parental authority with a mandate under the guise of safety. When all they really seek is validation of their own personal beliefs. If it is mandated they do not have to be the parent, and can continue just being a friend.

 

[MNDad]

I do not disagree with the safety issue. Of all the places they should be worn it is HS where you have a huge disparity in skills and abilities. When I spoke of abandonment at the higher levels I was referring to college which is a very different game, and players have told me it is a performance issue. College playing surfaces are also significantly better than what is seen in HS and certainly TB, so the bad hop is not as common. College players rarely play into the peer pressure game, those that do tend not to last. You either have skills or you do not. They do not care how you get the job done, just that it gets done.

I take issues with the nannies that wish to usurp parental authority with a mandate under the guise of safety. When all they really seek is validation of their own personal beliefs. If it is mandated they do not have to be the parent, and can continue just being a friend.

Couldn't agree more with your last sentence. I made DD wear a mask through 14U and couldn't believe how many times I was asked "how do you get her to wear it?" Why is it so hard to tell your kids what to do and make them listen? Wear the mask or don't play. Simple. You don't need mandates in place of good parenting.

 

[Sweet Lou]

I am a fan of masks.

I am not a fan of yelling at players, especially for not wearing a mask. (Unless mom and dad have told me not to let Suzzie take the field without one).

Personally I'd like to see the choice removed and make them mandatory at the youth levels but that day is not here so until then I will politely encourage girls to wear them and require my DD to do so.

In this case I think the AC was out of line with the player.