"A line drive straight to my face" By Ashley Pais

[Cannonball]

Ok, so I can't view all of the post on this thread. Is someone really making the argument that the author loses creditability because she might be a little high on her statement about the speed HS pitchers pitch? That is not the point. This young lady is attempting to tell her story. What next? Is someone going to suggest that because she didn't use proper grammar throughout her story that her story is not valid?

 

[GunnerShotgun]

I thought the same thing when I read it. She spends the first paragraph talking about speeds and reaction times. Clearly her math is wrong.

I just skimmed the rest as the credibility of the article went out the door.

Don't let facts get in the way of a good story I suppose.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Even if she's off a few mph in her average speeds and we assume the pitcher has a full second instead of just 7th of a second does that rally matter?

And questioning if she would have been better off had she been wearing a mask? Seriously is that even a question?

The responses in this thread seem to be missing the forest for the trees.

 

[Jabber13]

While she may be off on the avg HS pitchers speed, I used to calculate as I was sitting on the bucket just how quick my DD's ball was getting to me as she grew older and got faster.

At 60 mph the ball is traveling at 88 feet per second. So if the release point is roughly 40 or 41 feet as the pitcher strides forward, the ball gets to the plate in less than 1/2 a second. It comes back much quicker.

The article does show the incredible damage that can come with a line shot whether it is at P, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, or SS. I don't think a lot of people take into account the lasting mental damage that comes with a hit to the face. It is a lot longer than just getting over a broken bone.

 

[Cannonball]

Wow, she is not an expert. She is a kid playing softball. She was injured and apparently pretty badly. This is not a scientific journal that she wrote her story for. Wow oh wow. I'll tell you this, she has as much creditability with what she wrote as some of the crappola I've read certain posters make!

 

[MandM]

I want to thank JAD for posting something to make us think about injury risk and safety issues that we often take for granted- unless we have personal experience to lead us otherwise. I am not sure why some posters feel the need to question comments made by a HS student or imply she has a "poor me" attitude. I respectfully disagree- what I read was a painfully honest baring of her feelings that reveal how traumatic this event was to her and I imagine her feelings to be typical of many girls her age faced with this injury-

I think it is important to realize that the odds of this happening are vanishingly small only because of the "perfect storm" of physics required to have the ball come off the bat at the correct trajectory to hit a relatively small target area. Do not underestimate however, the powerful impact and potential for damage for that impact to cause - should it hit a vulnerable area. A friends DD, a talented HS pitcher, just suffered a fractured patella after being hit by a line drive, her season is over.

I watched my DD's team play a weaker opponent the other day, the pitcher was weak, DD's team was far ahead. The other coach was putting in subs in the infield- weak, inexperienced players, none of them wearing masks. WHen DD came up to bat, I was actually frightened for these girls . I just don't see why safety gear should be such a controversial issue, masks are better designed, lighter and increasingly unobstrusive.

For those who think girls are fine with a mouth guard- I mean really, the teeth and jaw are the LEAST of their worries compared to the fragility of the eye and surrounding orbital bones. Teeth can be replaced, vision.. not so much.

 

[3bmama]

Wow, she is not an expert. She is a kid playing softball. She was injured and apparently pretty badly. This is not a scientific journal that she wrote her story for. Wow oh wow. I'll tell you this, she has as much creditability with what she wrote as some of the crappola I've read certain posters make!

Amen, cannonball. I hope that this never happens to any of your dds so you don't have to worry about random adults on the internet tearing apart her account of he situation.

 

[dustydog]

I dont post much here but "lurk" alot! Cannonball is right on! This isnt about her cred or her math but a story of what happened! Wow and people wonder why nobody wants to post on here alot as the responses become crazy most of the time! There is a lot of great information to be had on this website! There would be alot more but many people dont want to post as it allways seems to get changed to something other then what original post was about!

 

[riseball]

Even if she's off a few mph in her average speeds and we assume the pitcher has a full second instead of just 7th of a second does that rally matter?

And questioning if she would have been better off had she been wearing a mask? Seriously is that even a question?

The responses in this thread seem to be missing the forest for the trees.

Yes, actually it is quite valid. Not necessarily a question of better off but what would have happened had she been wearing a mask. Yes a mask would have prevented much of the facial trauma but to where would that energy have been dissipated? Based on the her account even with a mask she would not have walked away from this.

 

[MandM]

I just don't agree with that assessment riseball- she does not have permanent traumatic brain injury from the injury (likely because the fragile facial bones collapse and partially absorb the transmitted energy). She has residual pain and PTSD caused by the extent of the fracture damage and resulting surgeries. This would have been prevented with either a full or partial face mask