Hit by line drive yesterday.

[fastpitch]

This is the major part of the problem. You ARE the parent, YOU are paying the price, YOU make the rules. Stop whining about the need for someone else be the bad guy by doing the PARENT'S JOB.

The equipment is there, you know it is there and affordable. TELL, not ask, her to use it or find another sport. Then you go tell the entire coaching staff of your decision, in front of other parents, and openly state that you intend to hold them liable if you discover they are not supporting and/or honoring your decision when your daughter plays. It isn't hard, just do it.

Since when is someone making a rule for the overall safety of players a bad guy? If I was in charge of ASA or PGF I probably would consider making it mandatory for certain age groups to start wearing facemasks.

I'm saying if there were a game rule in place it would remove the stigma of those wearing it and girls that probably should be wearing masks would wear them and reduce the risk of serious injury. Not everyone is as talented as those posters DD's who know how to pitch around big batters and field a ball hit back at them.

The game is changing. Bats are hotter. Players are stronger. 30-40 years ago I don't even think girls used helmets in softball. I'm sure a couple of players got hit in the head and then someone made helmets mandatory. I don't think its that crazy for that rule for facemasks to be put into place.

 

[Greenmonsters]

I just did the math:

6.5oz softball at 65mph generates 69.71 foot pounds of energy.

5.25oz baseball at 95mph generates 119.38 foot pounds of energy.

For perspective:

1lb rock at 50mph generates 101.54 foot pounds of energy.

Personally I think it would suck to get hit with any of them.

I concur, but as a geologist I have an admitted affinity for rocks. Regardless, my DD always wears a mask when she catches.

 

[riseball]

Baseball requires non-approved cups for the boys.

What is the protocol to ensure compliance? And what if any is the penalty, other than the obvious for non-compliance? In the absence of either there is no rule. Maybe a strong suggestion, but certainly no rule.

 

[coachjwb]

My older boys placed in a community baseball league 20 years ago, and it had the cup rule. Probably couldn't get away with it these days, but I remember one umpire who would grab a bat, have the kids stand in line and, well, you can guess what he did ... albeit gently. We had a team come in to play us the one time with just 8 or 9 players and when the ump got to one kid on the other team, he put his hands over that area. The ump wouldn't let us start the game until we produced a cup he could wear. That's good enforcement, huh?

 

[2 DD Coach]

My daughter started wearing her mask when she started pitching in 8u. In a rec league of over 300 girls, she was the only one. My wife and I talked to her about it and helped her prepare for the comments and questions she was going to receive. Her favorite was "why do you wear that mask, are you not good enough?" Her reply was "no I wear it because I'm smart enough."

Now she wont step on the field without it. She even wears it when we are practicing in the back yard. She says it just doesn't feel right without it on.

And now the use of masks is fairly common here, at least up through 14u, both travel and rec. When I got my DDs mask a few years ago, I had to special order it, no one actually carried them. You can walk into a store now and they have them in stock. As the "old guard" and their daughters age out of the sport, there is less discussion about why they should be worn. They just are. IMOP when you get past all the talk of stigma, they are clunky, the girls make fun of each other garbage, common sense would tell you that they are a good thing to have. I guess if you don't see it that way, then we agree to disagree.

And having my infield wear masks being selfish and self serving? You have got to be kidding me.

 

[KCPRK]

My older boys placed in a community baseball league 20 years ago, and it had the cup rule. Probably couldn't get away with it these days, but I remember one umpire who would grab a bat, have the kids stand in line and, well, you can guess what he did ... albeit gently. We had a team come in to play us the one time with just 8 or 9 players and when the ump got to one kid on the other team, he put his hands over that area. The ump wouldn't let us start the game until we produced a cup he could wear. That's good enforcement, huh?

At least he used a bat and not his foot or back of his hand....

 

[knightsb]

At least he used a bat and not his foot or back of his hand....

Couldn't resist.

 

[slingnit]

First, let me expand on that. I spent quite a bit of time explaining to them the benefits of a mask.

Second, they are children. When it comes to safety issues it is our responsibility to guide them to make the right choices. Every single girl on my team has seen first hand the benefit of wearing a mask. From the bad hop their teammate took off the mask and was able to pick up the ball and get the out, to the girl on the other team who took one and had to leave the game bleeding. I just chose to not let the girls on my team be that example by waiting for them to get hurt, then make the right choice. There is no stigma, it has become a non issue.
It's no different then when someone rides in our car. You wear a seatbelt. You don't get the choice to exercise your free will.

So they wear masks while playing catch? Certainly just as much opportunity for a missed ball by a child during warm ups. Heck a ball can take a bad hop in the outfield just as easy as down 3rd base line. Do they also wear a heart guard? A shot to the sternum has a much higher chance of a fatality than a shot to the head/face. And sliding is out of the question, as well as sudden cuts, starts, and stops! Softball is a breeding ground for acl injuries. If you say that you prefer that they wear them, no problem. But don't give me this crap "it's all about their safety". I bet kids that play competitive sports are harmed psychologically and emotionally 10 fold more than physically by bone head parents that think t ball and machine pitch is one step from a multi-million dollar contract with the Yankees! Or how about these bats that make 115 lb. little kids look like Jose Canseco, hitting 240 ft bombs? So do you have your girls use aluminum, no wait, wooden bats? It is not only your team that needs to be protected, your opponents are just kids as well. Your team, your rules. Oh and never take off the training wheels, never know when they may fall. I think the parents and the players are capable of making their own decisions without it being forced upon them. There is an inherent to playing sports. There is 3x's the chance of a concussion in soccer than softball, do they need helmets and masks? The chance of being hit bay the ball is so minute, almost nonexistent. Let everyone make their own decisions and stop pushing personal agendas on others. my 2 cents

 

[riseball]

My older boys placed in a community baseball league 20 years ago, and it had the cup rule. Probably couldn't get away with it these days, but I remember one umpire who would grab a bat, have the kids stand in line and, well, you can guess what he did ... albeit gently. We had a team come in to play us the one time with just 8 or 9 players and when the ump got to one kid on the other team, he put his hands over that area. The ump wouldn't let us start the game until we produced a cup he could wear. That's good enforcement, huh?

But what if you are Catholic?

The Bad News Bears (4/9) Movie CLIP - Cups & Supporters (1976) HD - YouTube

 

[MsDinosaur]

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.