Hit by line drive yesterday.

[smddad]

I took DD to the cages to hit a while back and there was a lady pitching instructor there who was putting down face masks and saying that she saw it as a sign of weakness and lack of skill when girls wore them. She talked proudly of her broken nose and fake front teeth.

There is a fine line between tough and stupid. Care to guess which side of the line I think this woman is on?

 

[bucket pinata]

You never know, maybe it was an improvement.

I took DD to the cages to hit a while back and there was a lady pitching instructor there who was putting down face masks and saying that she saw it as a sign of weakness and lack of skill when girls wore them. She talked proudly of her broken nose and fake front teeth.

 

[Country Boy]

In my opinion, many girls choose not to wear them at the upper ages due to perceived or actual peer pressure. So how do you overcome this real issue? Make it mandatory for Infielders. You immediately eliminate the teenager's fear of being 'different'. She doesn't have a choice so she can't be effectively mocked.

Yes, we should all be personally responsible for our own child's welfare. No, the masks may not stop every injury. Blah, blah, blah.

If choice is involved, the wrong choice will often be made. We, as parents, typically lack the fortitude/ focus to enforce smart behaviors. If we didn't, teen drinking, pregnancy, and drug use would not be challenges on our society. Merely putting it on the parents to make the smart choice is not effective.

Sometimes we forget that not every parent is coming onto Internet Softball Forums with the desire to learn. Many are more focused on their 'new' boyfriends/ 'new' car/ partying behaviors than they are on their DD. (Ask yourself how anyone can prioritize a new girlfriend over an exciting discussion such as this!)

Are we not, as coaches, supposed to teach and encourage safe techniques? Do you allow live batting practice without your catchers geared up? Of course not. Do you do infield practice without gloves to encourage toughness? No. Duh. Do you allow known child molesters to coach with you? I sincerely hope not. So why the reluctance to do what is right with regard to masks?

 

[riseball]

I am with Comrade Country Boy. He is correct. The peasants left to their own feeble minds will always make the wrong choice. It is our dear leaders that know what is best for us. It is our dear leaders that should make the decisions for the collective good of the people.

Long Live the United Nanny State of America!

 

[cuzmail]

The peasants left to their own feeble minds will always make the wrong choice. It is our dear leaders that know what is best for us. It is our dear leaders that should make the decisions for the collective good of the people.

Long Live the United Nanny State of America!

Yep.
And yet somehow we act surprised when someone says a child belongs to and should be raised by society. SMH

 

[cuzmail]

I took DD to the cages to hit a while back and there was a lady pitching instructor there who was putting down face masks and saying that she saw it as a sign of weakness and lack of skill when girls wore them. She talked proudly of her broken nose and fake front teeth.

and I bet she votes too

 

[JJsqueeze]

Comrade Country Boy

Good band name. I'm thinking of a sound that is "Beck meets Willie Nelson" ish.

 

[knightsb]

I'm sure most have guessed, I am in favor of infield masks. I am also in favor for the freedom for one to choose mask or not. Our pitchers and corners wear them. As I mentioned, this young lady (OP) has guest played on our team many times, didn't wear a mask, and we didn't mandate it or ask her to. In a perfect situation those that wear masks would not be thought of as lesser players for doing so, rather exercising a choice to use an approved piece of protective gear. It is frustrating to read the thread that describes the "college coach" who won't look at a player that wears a mask, or thinks less of them for doing so. Hopefully the tide is turning on the subject little by little until it is a non issue. I see some players wear masks on their batting helmets, and others that don't, but it is now very common to see a batting helmet with a mask.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Baseball requires non-approved cups for the boys.

I am not trying to sound dismissive and appreciate your point, but I'm really keen on staying in my lane. I understand liability only as it pertains to youth softball.

I have no question that I could organize enough survey data to support the idea that a 'reasonable person' could conclude that a child using a Rip-It or similar mask as intended would be at a lower risk of head or facial injury if hit with a batted ball than would a player wearing no such protection.

But as of this moment, there is no legitimate authority which has proven or recognizes what the anecdata would support, so I don't want to take on that liability myself, nor do I think that a player and parent need me to make that decision for them. As I stated before, our culture will be different in the future, but this is where we are now.

Let the parents parent and let the players make their own decisions as well. If sanctioning bodies change the rules in the future, then we'll all change the way we coach.

 

[Country Boy]

I am not trying to sound dismissive and appreciate your point, but I'm really keen on staying in my lane. I understand liability only as it pertains to youth softball.

I have no question that I could organize enough survey data to support the idea that a 'reasonable person' could conclude that a child using a Rip-It or similar mask as intended would be at a lower risk of head or facial injury if hit with a batted ball than would a player wearing no such protection.

But as of this moment, there is no legitimate authority which has proven or recognizes what the anecdata would support, so I don't want to take on that liability myself, nor do I think that a player and parent need me to make that decision for them. As I stated before, our culture will be different in the future, but this is where we are now.

Let the parents parent and let the players make their own decisions as well. If sanctioning bodies change the rules in the future, then we'll all change the way we coach.

On a personal level, I agree. Parents should parent. Players should make their own decisions. But after years of working with the public and coaching their children, my belief is that the vast majority of Americans are so lazy and stupid that we can't expect them to do what's right or smart. We deserve the level of intrusive legislation that we are getting from Congress.

I have a player this year that has had 2 family members arrested from her home so far this season. Do you honestly think that what serves as parents are giving good and rational thought to her safety? They're worried about bail money, not her face. They're worried that if she moves out, their welfare/ drug allotment will shrink. They're worried that softball will interfere with her ability to come get them from the bar. Her safety? Get real.