How long until the face mask rule is in effect?

[softballphreak]

Citations please. With the helmet worn properly, I highly doubt your assertion that the impact of the ball would "force" the cage into the player's face.

For that matter, you WANT a helmet to move when hit by the ball and have equal doubts that a more catastrophic injury would occur without a chin strap. The idea behind requiring the chin strap was to prompt the player to wear the helmet properly and to keep them on the player's head. Since 2005, how many times have you seen a helmet fall off a batter or runner in an ASA game compared to prior to the requirement.

I'm glad for your DD that you have sense enough to protect her. Hopefully, what you do will influence someone else to protect other kids.

[/QUOTE]

This is simple enough to test. Put on a helmet, push the front of the mask toward your face. It reaches your face. Now, with a chin strap fitted properly to the chin (not under the chin) push on the mask and it gives (elasticity of the strap) but not enough to hit the face.

To paraphrase a well-known quote: With great liberty comes great responsibility. I guess with some, though, responsibility would be an infringement of liberty.

I would rather encourage folks to use safety equipment—period.

 

[MTR]

This is simple enough to test. Put on a helmet, push the front of the mask toward your face. It reaches your face. Now, with a chin strap fitted properly to the chin (not under the chin) push on the mask and it gives (elasticity of the strap) but not enough to hit the face.
.

I don't believe that would happen with a pitched or batted ball with a properly fitting helmet. I don't believe the impact would be enough to lift the helmet off the crown of the player and the 3-4" to where the face will be hit by the ball or mask. And I'm talking about a ball that hits the front of the mask, not one coming up and catches the bottom of it.

Also, you do not want that helmet too snug. While the strap will hold the helmet in place, if hit square to the face mask, there is a possibility of a neck injury. This is why umpires do not wear a mask snug to the head. When people laugh at an umpire's mask which get pushed off to the side by a pitch or foul ball, they may think it is funny, but that is exactly what is supposed to happen. For the same reason, though permitted to wear them, some umpires returning to the conventional mask from the hockey style mask due to possible neck injuries as the hockey style is a snug fit with minimal give. I know one who had to stop working the plate last season because he took a shot square to a hockey style mask and snapped his head back.

Granted, this is more likely to happen to an umpire than a batter, the possibility for head and neck injury is always there regardless of the equipment worn.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I have been coaching young kids 9 - 13 years old going on 9 years now. I place the responsibility for the safety of their children directly on the parents. As a coach I STRONGLY suggest in writing to the parents that players wear masks at the corners and pitcher positions. I make it mandatory that all the girls at least wear a mouth guard. I have found very little resistance towards wearing them from the younger girls as many of them are wearing masks now. A player doesn't stick out as some of the early adopters did and kids are more accepting of them.

Had one of my players take a hard shot to the mask at 3rd this fall. She was fine after the play and did not miss a pitch.

None of the governing bodies will move on the issue until forced to. What I think will happen is a player will be seriously hurt and the issue will end up in the court system before any of the alphabets take any action towards mandating masks for fielders. If that happens I doubt the current mask configurations will survive and they will change dramatically as NOCASE or some other testing entity puts masks to the test trying come up with a standard that will survive a legal challenge.

Making masks mandatory will happen at some time in the future whether we agree with the rule or not. My personal opinion is to keep the burden on the parents, but make sure they are educated about masks.

 

[softballphreak]

I think it's a pretty safe bet who the courts would hold responsible if a kid receives a facial injury at 3rd or pitching. The parents aren't as likely to be held responsible because it could be assumed that they aren't as knowledgeable about the risks associated with softball as officials, including coaches and umpires and organizations.

 

[Down and Out]

My daughter came to me and wanted to pitch when she was 8 YO. I said "Great, then you have to wear one of these." She put on her mask and has never taken it off. She is now the dominate pitcher in the league. She wears a mask and the younger girls see her with it on, it removes the stigma. They are all starting to wear them of their own accord. No need for new rules, just give it some time.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I think it's a pretty safe bet who the courts would hold responsible if a kid receives a facial injury at 3rd or pitching. The parents aren't as likely to be held responsible because it could be assumed that they aren't as knowledgeable about the risks associated with softball as officials, including coaches and umpires and organizations.

The first case will be interesting to see how an attorney shifts the blame/responsibility from the parents to the sanctioning body/coach/league or whomever has the deepest pockets. As Phreak pointed out the "I'm stupid." defense is usually tops on the list.

 

[MTR]

The first case will be interesting to see how an attorney shifts the blame/responsibility from the parents to the sanctioning body/coach/league or whomever has the deepest pockets. As Phreak pointed out the "I'm stupid." defense is usually tops on the list.

Which is major part of the problem that caused the downfall of this country.

 

[playball13]

Never thought my daughter needed a mask until she took a one hop, bad hop line drive to the face that broke her nose while playing CF.
Had a 16U pitcher take a line drive to the face, worst sound I have ever heard. She was lucky and only had 30 stitches and out six weeks with a concussion. Never pitched seriously again. A HS coach here has a team rule where 1B, 3B, and P must all wear masks. He implemented this after his star pitcher went to college and took a line drive that broke her orbital and cheek bones and had many stitches, after many operations she returned to pitch in college wearing a mask.
I heard a college coach once say he didn't like players who wore masks because he thought they were afraid of the ball.
I am glad my daughters never pitched or played the corners.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Never thought my daughter needed a mask until she took a one hop, bad hop line drive to the face that broke her nose while playing CF.
Had a 16U pitcher take a line drive to the face, worst sound I have ever heard. She was lucky and only had 30 stitches and out six weeks with a concussion. Never pitched seriously again. A HS coach here has a team rule where 1B, 3B, and P must all wear masks. He implemented this after his star pitcher went to college and took a line drive that broke her orbital and cheek bones and had many stitches, after many operations she returned to pitch in college wearing a mask.
I heard a college coach once say he didn't like players who wore masks because he thought they were afraid of the ball.
I am glad my daughters never pitched or played the corners.

At the college level Face masks are frowned upon as a general rule. Do college players wear them? I read that alot of D3 NAIA and JUCO pitchers do. On the other hand this prejudice is not limited to D1 and 2. I just had a player sign to a D3 in Ohio and was told by her coach that she would not wear a mask while pitching as it sends a message of weakness or a message of inability to constantly hit the correct spots on the plate.

Face masks on helmets at the college level are not yet mandatory so I dont see a change in attitude of the fielding mask there.

As more and more kids wear the defensive mask at the younger levels it will slowly work its way into the higher levels. Just takes time

In the 59 D1 games I saw last season I saw one face mask on a pitcher that wore it because of her being a free bleeder. Ages 8 to 14 you see a ton of the defensive masks. At 16 to 18 they start to fall off. The parents realizing that their dd,s may be looked down upon by college coaches and have their recruiting effected by wearing it. Its a double edged sword, you hope at the older ages they have the athleticism and reflexes that they will not require the mask. At the younger ages your looking to protect.

Tim

 

[JAD]

I told my DD that she can stop wearing her facemask while pitching after she pays me back for all of her dental work, so far she is at $7K and counting!!!! LOL